About 15 years ago, some Aussie researchers, using motion-activated video cameras, found that however well-behaved cats were during the day, as soon as everyone went to sleep, it was party time, and the cats were everywhere.

In a story about how needles get into food and diagnosed – there’s been lotsa cases in Australia and NZ of late – the fun part is how New Zealand ERS scientists use their food forensics lab to track things down and in one case it was, again, cats (and happy 26th to this kid, who always loved — and sometimes tortured — her cats).

One complaint involving hair came from a milk company, which was continually finding ginger hairs in its on-line filter.

“We identified it as coming from a cat, so you get this image of the cat waiting until night time and jumping into the vat,” said scientist Darren Saunders.

“Literally, the cat that got the cream.”