Explaining the idea of property to a pet would be pretty hard, even for animals that do understand territoriality. As most folks who have a pet already know, their furry friends have an interesting habit of just taking stuff for themselves.
So we’ve gathered some of the funniest examples pet owners have photographed of an animal caught in the act of theft. Get comfortable as you scroll through, double check if your pet isn’t in the middle of a heist, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own thoughts in the comments section down below.
#1 This Is What Happens When The Cat Steals My Dog’s Bed
Image source: MrRabbit-
#2 My Dog Stole The Head Of A Dish Brush
Image source: superTrolle1
#3 My Wife And I Were Up Late Talking The Other Night, So Our 8-Month-Old Husky Stole A Pillow And Put Herself To Sleep
Image source: BrickShale
Pet theft is a common occurrence in many households and it usually starts with a missing sock. This behavior is fascinating when you look at it from a biological perspective. One of the primary reasons our pets take our things is because they are attracted to our unique scent.
Humans have sweat glands that produce a specific olfactory signature and this scent is most concentrated on items we wear frequently. To a dog, a used sock is a concentrated essence of their favorite human. The American Kennel Club notes that dogs use their powerful noses to feel connected to their owners. Taking an item that smells like you is a way for them to feel close to you when you are busy or out of the house.
#4 So That’s Where My Socks Went
Image source: Twisted_tadpole
#5 Fork Thief
Image source: sweet3pea1588
#6 Stealing My Garden Shoe Since 2010
Image source: Damianmynameistaken
Another factor is the desire for engagement because pets are smart and they learn how to manipulate their environment to get what they want. If your dog picks up a toy and you ignore them, they might realize that picking up your leather boot gets an immediate reaction. Even if that reaction is you chasing them and shouting, it is still a form of interaction.
#7 Google Made A Panorama Of My Cat Stealing My Husband’s Pants Out Of His Closet
Image source: Rough-Emergency-3714
#8 My Ferret Tried To Steal My Hamsters Medicine Syringe
Mouse likes to steal what’s most inconvenient. I had just finished giving Fat Mama her medicine, and I have a hurt leg, so I cannot walk. I was waiting for my mom to come back from putting her away when I caught him stealing.
Image source: SketchyArt333
#9 Last Night There Were Four Rolls In The Bag. This Morning
Image source: marasydnyjade
From the perspective of a bored pet, a game where they keep an object away from you is very exciting. Experts at Chewy suggest that this behavior is often reinforced by the owner without them even realizing it. Every time you jump up to retrieve a stolen object, you are essentially telling your pet that stealing is a great way to start a fun game together.
#10 When You Swear You Weren’t Raiding The Closet But The Evidence Suggests Otherwise
Image source: reddit.com
#11 He Stole The Laser Off The Counter Because I Wouldn’t Play With Him
He got plenty of play time a bit after this. Hard to say no to that face.
Image source: paintingcatlady
#12 My Cat Keeps Trying To Steal The Feather Duster, Luckily He Never Gets Far
Image source: aman207
For many animals, the act of stealing is also tied to their natural predatory instincts. Cats are the most famous for this because they often hunt small household objects as if they were prey. A sparkly hair tie or a crinkly piece of plastic mimics the movement and sound of a small rodent or a bird.
#13 Thief
Image source: Zywicejakzywe
#14 He Won’t Stop Stealing Pipe Cleaners Out Of My Kid’s Room
Image source: reddit.com
#15 My Mum Was Gardening And Our Pomeranian, Who Likes Stealing Stuff, Stole The Flower Pot
He’s very spoiled and keeps a collection of random objects around him. Besides flower pots, he’s also obsessed with socks.
Image source: venturousperson
When a cat carries these items to their food bowl or hides them under the refrigerator, they are practicing their hunting and caching skills. Some cats even feel the need to provide for their families by bringing them these gifts. While you might not appreciate a plastic bottle cap on your pillow, it is actually a sign of affection and a display of their natural skills which they want to share with you.
#16 I Moved To A Tiny, Beautiful Equatorial African Island. Here, Dogs Aren’t Used To Being Domesticated. Bilbo Is Sticking To His Heritage
I live in São Tomé and Príncipe. Bilbo was given to me as a puppy, and he is about a year old now. In that time, he had fully rejected civilisation. This is a poor country where a lot of dogs grow up free-roaming, and Bilbo has taken that energy and brought it indoors like a bad idea in a neat little fur coat.
He steals food. He steals money, then tears it up. He sleeps on the dining room table despite not being allowed on any furniture, and does it like he’s conducting an audit. He learned how to open the fridge, so I had to install a lock that would irritate a raccoon. If I relax for more than thirty seconds, something gets destroyed.
We also have terrestrial hermit crabs here. Bilbo keeps trying to present them to me like gifts, holding the shell so the claws are free, so I have to fight the business end while he holds the armored part perfectly safe – wagging his tail while he does it. Lizards freeze when he enters a space. Chickens no longer enter my garden. I love the furry ball of chaos, though.
Image source: Fitz_cuniculus
#17 He Dismantled His Perch, Stole My F9 Key, And Now He’s Laughing At Me
I adopted him just over a week ago. He’s 4 years old. It took me over a year of searching to find one, though. He’s pretty cute. Very well trained by his previous owner.
Image source: Greenguy1157
#18 Suspected Toilet Roll Thief
Image source: grinning_teapot
Boredom and the need for physical stimulation also play huge roles in why pets become little thieves. If a pet does not have enough toys or mental challenges, they will find their own ways to stay busy throughout the day. Investigating a drawer or a laundry basket provides a wealth of new textures and smells for them to explore.
#19 Chopstick Thief Caught In The Act
Image source: Ragnaroknight
#20 Dryer Ball Thief
Image source: BetterReward9965
#21 He Took An Ornament Off Of The Tree And I Caught Him Red Pawed
Image source: biz-as-uge
Puppies often go through a chewing phase where they need to gnaw on things to relieve the pressure of new teeth coming in. If they find something with a satisfying texture like a remote control or a wooden spoon, they will naturally want to spend time with it. While most of this is harmless play, it can sometimes turn into a habit where the pet feels they must protect their treasures.
#22 Stole My Mochi
Image source: Aggressive-Tap-7056
#23 Someone Was Pretty Close To Stealing An Entire Snickers Bar
Image source: VI0LENTINE
#24 This Is My Fluffy Son Butters And He Is A Kleptomaniac
Butters has a lot of cat toys.
Butters likes human things to steal instead. It started with a kitchen sponge obsession (which he still has, we just got better at hiding sponges).
He likes shoes, pencils, straws, and sponges. This morning, he dug out a bag from a closet, and was not happy about me taking it away.
Image source: Olya Stringfield
Ultimately, pet theft is a mix of love, boredom, and instinct that shows how much our furry friends value our presence. Our pets are not trying to be annoying when they run off with our belongings but are instead just trying to find a way to play with us or soothe themselves. By providing plenty of toys, you can reduce the frequency of these incidents.
#25 I Get Up For One Minute And This Guy Steals My Heating Pad
Image source: xjolieex
#26 My Thief Cat Steals Sponges From Neighbors And Brings Them Home
This sponge has seen things.
Image source: CosmicMeowing
#27 His Name Is Moose, He Won’t Stop Stealing Hair Ties
Image source: reddit.com
A pet taking your sock is often just a way of them saying that they want more of your time and your scent in their lives. It is a quirky part of sharing a home with an animal, but it is also a beautiful reminder of the unique bond that exists between humans and their pets.
#28 This Is Cosmo. He Steals My Chapsticks And Hides Them All Over The House
Image source: Qi_ra
#29 She Stole My Little Cousin’s Balloon
Image source: Tough-Awareness5669
#30 Why’s Everyone Laughing At Me? I Stole This, I’m Bad Boy
I am constantly chasing him around the house and getting stuff out of his mouth. He has large flappy jowls that he likes to hide stuff in (and he’s not starved for attention, this dog is cuddling with me and baby or outside running around or playing fetch and tug of war with me all the time, he’s just very high energy and jealous). In fact, I say “Otto no!” so much that one time my husband and I were going to bed, and as I was half asleep, my husband went to put his arm around me, and I said, “Otto no!”
Image source: vilebubbles
#31 My Dog’s Face When I Tried To Take Back A Steak Bone She Stole Off A Table
Image source: warm_warmer_disco
#32 My Aunt’s Corgi Steals Things To Bargain For Treats
Image source: whenever
#33 My Cat Stole My Dog’s Bone But The Dog Is Too Nice To Take It Back So Instead He Is Just Watching And Whining
Image source: tdgonex
#34 We’ve Caught Her Red Pawed
Image source: fretunolepardio
#35 I Taught Her To Pick Things Up For Me, But Now She’s A Thief Who Tries To Barter For Treats
She’ll find pretty much anything around the house and bring it to me.
Image source: gay__mothman
#36 I Caught This Little Thief. She Likes How Shiny My Keys Are
Image source: SpyingForTheNSA
#37 Today I Met Pippa. She Had An Unusual Mo Of Stealing My Ball Flinger Instead Of The Ball I Was Flinging For My Boy
Image source: g-burgerlicious
#38 Awww He’s So Friendly
Image source: Gokusrightnut
#39 I Love My Little Bandit
Image source: HugeWizardd
#40 My Kid Keeps Dancing To Newsies With A Marker As A Prop Cigar. Got Him A Toy Cigar, The Dog Stole It
Image source: meyerovb
#41 Laundry Day
Mouth FULL of socks. Stole one, so I dropped 4 pairs at her feet, hoping to confuse her. Got ‘em all.
Image source: macthe10shound
#42 Our Puppy Stole My Mum’s Hat And Look What I Caught On Camera. My Heart
Image source: Bee_Happyyyyy
#43 Sindri Stole My Wallet, Where Did I Go Wrong In Raising Him?
Image source: Traviscat
#44 My Cat Stole Matches
Image source: icecream_44
#45 The Audacity To Steal My Seat Then Yell At Me
Image source: Viviaana
#46 Caught Her Just As She Was About To Start Eating The Delicious Headphone Pad
Image source: judge_mercer
#47 When I First Got Iliana, She’d Steal A Sock Or Two Out Of The Hamper When I Wasn’t Looking… She’s Gotten Bolder Over The Years
Image source: medullah
#48 This Is Maze’s Sock Box. She Steals Them From The Bedroom And Instantly Runs Downstairs To Put Them In The Box. She Really Loves Socks
Image source: kmcv93
#49 My Chi Always Steals The Most Random Things
Image source: Jowakaal
#50 Bandit Stole My Heart Before She Stole My Hat
My friend’s dog had an accidental litter. I made him promise not to let me have a puppy, no matter what I said. But Bandit stole my heart the second she was born.
My friend’s wife would hide her when people came to look at puppies because she was mine from the start. Now she’s my sidekick.
Image source: iowan
#51 Help Please. Linguini Stole My Office Chair And Now I Can’t Work. How Do I Explain To My Boss
Image source: geya_verey
#52 Attempting To Shoplift At The Vet
Image source: pupdates
#53 His Eye Says “I’m Innocent,” But The Evidence Says “Towel Thief”
Image source: titan_macmannis
#54 Spent 20 Minutes Looking For The Paint Roller That I Bought Yesterday. I Don’t Have The Heart To Take It Away So I Guess I’m Headed To The Store
Image source: prolapsethis
#55 Murphy Stole The Butter Dish
Image source: edslunch
#56 My Dog Stole A Baby Sock
That is not his tongue.
Image source: tlind2
#57 Today Is Ross’ 3rd Birthday. A Christmas Baby
Image source: CostanzaBlonde
#58 Mango Steals My Daughter’s Stuffies And Walks Around The House Yelling About It
Every morning I wake up, and there’s a MINIMUM of 20 stuffies in my living room.
Image source: OtherPizza415
#59 He Keeps Stealing My Socks And Screams In The Hallway. Why?
He’s somewhere between a public menace and a domestic terrorist.
Image source: The5thEclipse
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