A kitchen counter may not look like a big deal to you, but to your pet, trust me, it’s the holy grail, a promised land, a gold mine all in one. Its captivating aromas, mouth-watering sights, and unforgettable flavors make it virtually irresistible for any four-legged friend to turn into a serial thief.
Remember that piece of a leftover muffin you were about to dig into until you turned around for a sec? This compilation by Bored Panda is a humble farewell to all the delicious bites that got stolen without mercy.
Luckily, these doggos and cattos have all been caught red-handed while committing their petty crimes, but even if we all forgive them, it doesn’t mean they won’t do it again. And again. Forever.
After you're done with this post, don't forget to check out a previous batch of four-legged red-handed criminals with a big appetite here and here.
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Egg Thief
Just Taking A Nap After Eating All The Strawberry Jam
Cuteness overload! Although I would have a heart attack if I saw him all red and turned on his back!
He Started Barking At The Door, When I Got Up To Look Outside He Ran Back A Stole A Slice Of My Pizza. No One At The Door
To find out more about why our pets love stealing food so much, Bored Panda reached out to Kate Mornement, a qualified animal behaviorist and consultant based in Melbourne who runs the animal behavior consultancy “Pets Behaving Badly.”
Kate said that some pets are notorious food stealers because “they're more motivated by food than other pets and their prior attempts to steal food have been reinforced (rewarded).”
The animal behaviorist gave an example: “a dog who has successfully stolen a whole roast chicken off the kitchen bench is likely to repeat the behavior given future opportunities.” If the act of attempting to steal food really pays off, the chances are high your furry companion will repeat it.
Smart Cat
I Guess We Will Never Know What Happened To The Catnip
Just Want To Apologize To Any Of Our Neighbors Who Are Missing A Full Rack Of Ribs
Kate explained that stealing food, which is also known as "counter surfing," is “an opportunistic behavior.” It is solely based on realizing that such behavior pays off, so animals are drawn to repeat it.
“It has nothing to do with being dominant; rather, it's influenced by previous experiences finding food on kitchen benches and tables,” she concluded.
When A Cat Runs To The Fridge Every Time It Opens, A Sign Is Necessary
When Mom Turns Her Back And You Steal The Leftover Corn Muffins From Dinner
My Girlfriend's Cat Likes To Steal Bagel Bites, When You Catch Him He Pretends To Be Asleep. Meet Neji
The good news is that you can indeed train your pet not to steal food “by making an incompatible behavior, such as staying on their mat, more reinforcing than investigating food in the kitchen.”
Kate said that this can be done by frequently rewarding your pet with high-value treats for staying on their mat while you are preparing or eating food. “It's important to avoid leaving food on countertops and tables outside of training sessions or when you cannot supervise your pet,” she added.
Be patient, and “over time and with repetition, your pet should be less likely to steal food,” the pet behaviorist concluded.
The Nefarious Mr. Sugar Paws Caught Red-Handed Trying To Steal Some Raw Cauliflower, Which Is Inexplicably One Of His Favorite Foods To Nom
My cat (died years ago) loved cauliflower as well. I never quite found out why - though I often joked that if I liked a food, he liked it better. Ginger garbage can on legs ....
Another mystery that remains to be solved about the weird creatures called cats
Once had a cat that loved bits of frozen spinach. We gave some every day to a big fish tank and the cat begged for it. I finally gave him some to prove to him that he wouldn't like it. He proved to me that he did, so he got some every day when I fed the fish.
When I was young we had a cat that loved zucchini. Would steal it off the kitchen counter.
Veggies are so very good for cats (and dogs)! Need to try cauliflower as a new treat!
my vet recomends carrot-nibs as the go-to training treat. They're healthy, he's never met a dog that doesn't go nuts for 'em and you don't have to worry too much about calories stacking up. the only real problems is when I'm slicing/chopping/prepping carrots for dinner.... I get those soulful puppy eyes just begging for a nib. or thirty.
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Oh, mine loves cauliflower, too! And definitely prefers cabbage and broccoli leaves to sausages :)
Cauliflower! My cats love olives and salad dressings that contain olive oil. I've caught them licking the leaves... but that's rather common with cats according to my experience. Raw cauliflower, on the other hand...
my cat can smell yoghurt from 4 rooms away, mixed with fruit. I thought he was weird. But I guess he is only like any other cat
My beautiful girl, Mimi, looked just like Mr. Sugar Paws, but she was crazy for steamed fresh asparagus. Sadly, we lost her to cancer.
I had a cauliflower-loving poodle. The minute I took it out of the fridge, she would come running from wherever in the house she was, and do her little 2 legged dance, begging.
Well he would be the only one in my house eating cauliflower. He can have all of it.
wow! that's probably way better for him than other things he could be stealing
Wonderful photo of something rather unreal..but true.. a raw cauliflower kitty
I had a cat who loved to steal and eat broccolis... Was veryyyyy surprised the first time
I've of having cauliflower ear from talking on the phone too much, but never heard of a cauliflower cat!
Instead of kids sneaking their veggies to the dog, they give 'em to the cat.
My Cat Steals Potatoes And Walks Around Like A Boss
Who Could Resist A Cinnamon Roll?
My Dog Escaped. Showed Up At The Front Door With Unopened Nachos
I Was Wondering Who Ate The Bread
Mr. Muffins Stealing A Muffin
Sneak Thief Caught In The Act - That's A Nose In The Hole
How I Found My Kitten Trying To Steal Food From The Top Of The Fridge
Bro My Lunch Has Been Stolen
Doggo Steals A Pupperoni Pizza
He Tried
If I can just squeeze, up a little more I T-H-I-N -K I can get it.
Busted, He Stood Silently
Caught Redhanded
I've seen the video. The dog pretended so hard to be blind and deaf to the owner. Such a cheeky chap!
Caught Yogi Red-Pawed Stealing From A Picnic Basket. Too Cute To Be Mad
The Identity Of The Flour Thief Remains A Mystery. Investigations Continue
When he barks, the flour comes out like a smoke grenade..Case dismissed
We Caught Our Cat (Cookie) Red Handed Trying To Steal Our Cheese
I Caught Her Red Handed. This Stinker Managed To Get Her Paws On A Croissant And Then Promptly Stuck It In My House Shoe
So My Friend's Cat Decided To Steal Some Chicken
This beautiful monster does not regret anything! Also... innocent until proven guilty in my eyes!
He Stole My Pretzel
Cat Stole My Lunch
So My Cat Stole My Toaster Strudel Out Of The Toaster Today And My Mom Took A Picture Before Prying It Out Of His Mouth
High After The Vet, Caught Stealing French Fries
I Was Distracted By The Baby When My Cat Knocked My Dinner Onto The Floor For My Dog To Steal. I Had Only Eaten One Bite
My Dog Steals Bananas From The Counter All The Time. Only The Bananas, Never Eats Them Though
This Is Nico. Here’s A Compilation Of Him When He Steals Food Just To Hold On To It
Hey, That’s Mine
Busted. With The Ramen She Stole From The Pantry
When You Get Caught Stealing Someone’s Chips Because Your Snout Gets Stuck In The Can
See, what had happened was...never mind can get this off me? Please..
Dog Thought It Was A Great Idea To Taste-Test It Just In Case It’s Poisoned. Results Turned Negative. Good Dog For Being So Thoughtful
This huge loaf of bread traveled along with my parents on a 600 km trip to get home. I love this bread as I don’t get to eat it frequently.
Our Cat Tried To Steal Our Chinese Leftovers
Lil' Goblin Stole My Steak
A Thief
Rare Pic Of The Infamous Bread Thief
Caught Our Dog Stealing A Piece Of Pizza
Caught Red Pawed (Quite Literally)
My Dog, Katie, Who Stole A Baguette
Photographic Evidence Of My Boyfriend’s Cat Trying To Steal My Cookie
It's funny that dogs act all innocent like they didn't do anything and cats are like f**k you, I do what I want!
Cats feel entitled .... we deplore that attitude in people but adore it in cats.... and I'm as guilty as anyone else !
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I think some of it is the joy of the heist. A lot of this stuff they wouldn't normally eat if you tried to make them.
yep, or they (specially the cats) would only have a nibble and are done (like with the bread with a paw print), or just to play around with it
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I only ever once caught my cat licking all the cheese on a cheese board but that was 100% my fault, other than that we've left things a out so often and she's never cared about it. She won't even eat a bite size piece of chicken or beef if we give it to her.
I have pet rats, and they WILL help themselves to whatever you're eating. No begging or trying to be subtle; as soon as it's within reach they grab it and start nibbling. I once had a slice of bread covered in honey pulled out of my hand and dragged straight into my hair for some "private time".
On my wedding day we had a buffet full of seafood. Our dog visited for a half hour but before dinner she was taken home. She must have stolen a langoustine from the table but no one noticed except for my 10 year old niece. She didn't want to tell on the dog but she told me that the dog "suddenly smelled of fish".
I love cats and dogs. I'd get a cat, but I really don't want it climbing on my kitchen counters. How do you train them not to do that?
Try putting tinfoil sheets on the bench, or newspaper sheets that hang over, so when kitty jumps up they slide back off with the newspaper
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I like to share a bit of what my cats like with them... a little piece of cheese, a teaspoon of yoghurt or ice-cream. They're not as food orientated as they were in their kitten-juvenile-early adult years...
Second night of my kitten being in the house. I was eating toast and she jumped up, stole a piece, and ran away. She was not much bigger than the toast.
A lot of these critters have strange tastes. Well so do humans we eat snails some other people just step on 'em. I enjoyed this as you can tell by most of my posts are in the animal genre. My animals are my kids good or bad they all need and deserve love.
Looks like we just might have three very well behaved cats! They never steal our food because we watch them like hawks at meal time!
All these cute pets stealing food was so enjoyable for me. Only my dog steals food my cats never even try to. 😂
Well I know my dogs steals food all the time when you drop it on accident he waits and yum it's gone into his tummy he's a little midget dog so he's going to stay the same size forever and people will think he's a puppy.
I feel sorry for people without dogs. I have heard they have to pick up their food when they drop it.
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You cannot steal in your own home...what is there to be consumed must be shared.The finer points as to how the share is distributed is up for debate....Obvious stealing such as helping one-self to the neighbours rack of ribs or Pizza is another matter.
It's funny that dogs act all innocent like they didn't do anything and cats are like f**k you, I do what I want!
Cats feel entitled .... we deplore that attitude in people but adore it in cats.... and I'm as guilty as anyone else !
Load More Replies... I think some of it is the joy of the heist. A lot of this stuff they wouldn't normally eat if you tried to make them.
yep, or they (specially the cats) would only have a nibble and are done (like with the bread with a paw print), or just to play around with it
Load More Replies... I only ever once caught my cat licking all the cheese on a cheese board but that was 100% my fault, other than that we've left things a out so often and she's never cared about it. She won't even eat a bite size piece of chicken or beef if we give it to her.
I have pet rats, and they WILL help themselves to whatever you're eating. No begging or trying to be subtle; as soon as it's within reach they grab it and start nibbling. I once had a slice of bread covered in honey pulled out of my hand and dragged straight into my hair for some "private time".
On my wedding day we had a buffet full of seafood. Our dog visited for a half hour but before dinner she was taken home. She must have stolen a langoustine from the table but no one noticed except for my 10 year old niece. She didn't want to tell on the dog but she told me that the dog "suddenly smelled of fish".
I love cats and dogs. I'd get a cat, but I really don't want it climbing on my kitchen counters. How do you train them not to do that?
Try putting tinfoil sheets on the bench, or newspaper sheets that hang over, so when kitty jumps up they slide back off with the newspaper
Load More Replies... I like to share a bit of what my cats like with them... a little piece of cheese, a teaspoon of yoghurt or ice-cream. They're not as food orientated as they were in their kitten-juvenile-early adult years...
Second night of my kitten being in the house. I was eating toast and she jumped up, stole a piece, and ran away. She was not much bigger than the toast.
A lot of these critters have strange tastes. Well so do humans we eat snails some other people just step on 'em. I enjoyed this as you can tell by most of my posts are in the animal genre. My animals are my kids good or bad they all need and deserve love.
Looks like we just might have three very well behaved cats! They never steal our food because we watch them like hawks at meal time!
All these cute pets stealing food was so enjoyable for me. Only my dog steals food my cats never even try to. 😂
Well I know my dogs steals food all the time when you drop it on accident he waits and yum it's gone into his tummy he's a little midget dog so he's going to stay the same size forever and people will think he's a puppy.
I feel sorry for people without dogs. I have heard they have to pick up their food when they drop it.
Load More Replies... You cannot steal in your own home...what is there to be consumed must be shared.The finer points as to how the share is distributed is up for debate....Obvious stealing such as helping one-self to the neighbours rack of ribs or Pizza is another matter.
