People Are Sharing Hilarious Pics Of Pets Stealing Food And Getting Caught In The Act

Sneaking into the kitchen to look for random snacks to munch on is a habit that many of us are probably guilty of. Well, if we humans find it hard to fight this habit, then what about our furry friends? Remember that slice of pizza you were saving for dinner? Or that slab of steak you were supposed to have for lunch? Yes, all the good food that you saved for yourself only ended up in your pet’s mouth. Well, you’re not the only one. Several fur parents have also come forward to expose their pets stealing food, and we’ve compiled them in this post!

From counter surfing, leaving crumbs behind, to blatantly snatching their hooman’s food, these pet’s crimes have been caught on cam! And although it can get quite annoying at times, we just couldn’t stand staying mad at them for long. At the end of the day, we’ll just laugh about their mischief and accept that it’s all part of being a fur parent. So, if you’re curious to know what food other pets have been ransacking, then keep scrolling down!

 

“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.”

dog standing on couch with pizza slice in mouth
Detective51

 

“Just taking a nap after eating all the strawberry jam”

dog with strawberry jam all over its body
esberat

 

“I guess we will never know what happened to the catnip…”

cat sleepy after eating catnip
anlyin

 

Fur parents have taken to social media to expose their pets’ treacherous crimes of stealing food

 

“My cat learned he could scoop up food with his cone and stole my d*mn taco when I wasn’t looking”

pet cat stealing food using his pet cone
radtoria

 

“Just want to apologize to any of our neighbors who are missing a full rack of ribs. Our dog escaped through the fence and came back an hour later with this.”

pet dog stealing food from neighbor
Love What Matters | Peter Sparkie Lyons

 

Egg Thief

pet cat stealing egg from rice bowl
bbykaat

 

“When mom turns her back and you steal the leftover corn muffins from dinner…”

pet cat caught stealing food from table
hazeleyedsummer

 

“My girlfriend’s cat likes to steal bagel bites, when you catch him he pretends to be asleep.”

pet cat stealing food from table
eclipseb2k2

 

“The Nefarious Mr. Sugar Paws caught red-handed trying to steal some raw cauliflower, which is inexplicably one of his favorite foods to nom.”

cat caught getting cauliflower from table
a2gemma

 

As it turns out, pets feel rewarded when their attempts to steal food have been favorable

As you probably already know, rewards motivate our furry friends. This might surprise you, but they actually get a sense of reinforcement when their attempts to steal food have been successful. Animal behaviorist and consultant Kate Mornement from Pets Behaving Badly elaborated on the subject and 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.”

 

“My cat steals potatoes and walks around like a boss.”

cat with potato in mouth
SithLady

 

“Merry Christmas, here’s my cat getting busted for taking a cinnamon roll 2 seconds after we told him no”

cat attempting to get a cinnamon roll from table
_sophocles_

 

“My dog escaped. Showed up at the front door with unopened nachos.”

dog with container of nachos in mouth
pitx1

 

“I was wondering who ate the bread…”

bread slice with cat paw print
moebububu

 

“Mr. Muffins stealing a muffin”

pet cat stealing food from owner's plate
ArmageddonWasp

 

“Sneak thief caught in the act.”

dog caught eating apple from the box
ILikeCuteGifsAndICannotLie

 

“How I found my kitten trying to steal her big sister’s food from the top of the fridge…”

pet cat stealing food from the fridge
the_ZA

 

“Bro my lunch has been stolen”

pet cat photographed stealing food
tylersaurus8

Kate described the act of stealing food as “an opportunistic behavior.” So, when animals realize that such behavior has its rewards, they are more likely to repeat it over time.

 

“It has nothing to do with being dominant; rather, it’s influenced by previous experiences finding food on kitchen benches and tables.”

 

“Caught. Dogs, bruh…”

pet dog caught stealing food from countertop
RexChapman | tracigrimsley

 

“Caught Yogi red-pawed stealing from a picnic basket. Too cute to be mad.”

pet dog stealing food from picnic basket
TheImprobable

 

Italian Dog

pet dog stealing food
hamako96

 

“We caught our cat (Cookie) red-handed trying to steal our cheese”

pet cat caught by owner stealing food from table
Loptimist

 

“The identity of the flour thief remains a mystery. Investigations continue.”

dog with flour on fur
Devon-Day

 

“So My Friend’s Cat Decided To Steal Some Chicken…”

cat eating a chicken
jgolden832

 

“I caught her red-handed! This stinker managed to get her paws on a croissant and then promptly stuck it in my house shoe.”

pet cat caught stealing food then sticking it inside owner's shoe
catsofclowder

 

“He stole my pretzel”

pet dog stealing food from owner
stella_artz

 

“Cat stole my lunch.”

pet cat stealing owner's food for lunch
bulldozer6

 

“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”

pet cat caught stealing food from toaster
TheWibbly

 

Luckily, all it takes is effective training to break the habit of pets stealing food

Kate suggested “making an incompatible behavior, such as staying on their mat, more reinforcing than investigating food in the kitchen.” You can do this by rewarding them with treats as they stay on their mat while you’re eating or preparing food. Kate also advised against leaving food on tables and countertops, especially when you can’t supervise your pet.

 

“High after the vet, caught stealing french fries”

cat stealing fries from table
BravesMaedchen

 

“I was distracted by the baby when my cat knocked my dinner (delicious grilled chicken) onto the floor for my dog to steal. I had only eaten one bite”

dog with grilled chicken and fork in mouth
Lockraemono

 

“My dog steals bananas from the counter all the time. Only the bananas, never eats them though”

dog with banana in mouth
EVDESIGN

 

“This is Nico. Here’s a compilation of him when he steals food just to hold on to it.”

pet dog stealing food just to bite onto them
Bean-4-The-Dream

 

“Busted! With the ramen she stole from the pantry.”

pet dog stealing food from pantry
Faux-pa5

 

“When you get caught stealing someone’s chips because your snout gets stuck in the can”

dog with snout stuck in a pringles can
ayeeeeee_

 

A Thief

pet cat running off after stealing food from countertop
Freezerpops

 

“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. 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”

loaf of bread eaten by a dog
BlavkRabbit

 

“Our cat tried to steal our Chinese leftovers”

pet cat stealing leftover food from table
kafoozalum

 

“lil goblin stole my steak”

dog with steak in mouth
RSV130

Indeed, such training requires a lot of patience. Nevertheless, the animal behaviorist guaranteed that “over time and with repetition, your pet should be less likely to steal food.”

 

“Rare pic of the infamous bread thief.”

pet dog caught stealing owner's food
Mastaaaa

 

“Caught our dog stealing a piece of pizza…”

dog with pizza slice in mouth
TheKitchenSink23

 

“Photographic evidence of my boyfriend’s cat trying to steal my cookie”

pet cat photographed stealing food from table
zippouix

 

“My dog, Katie, who stole a baguette.

pet dog caught stealing a baguette
SummerDaBunno

 

“Check for cat arm before closing”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_WFjssHUOR/

 

“Hey, that’s mine!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDHzBgDDD3E/

 

“Caught red-pawed (quite literally)!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-RXJWDF9T_/