A cat caught on camera stealing muffins from its owner's stovetop has had Reddit users in stitches, dubbing the feline thief "an adorable little jerk."

Posting the clip to the r/CatsAreA******* forum on Tuesday, user elphaba16 shared the video of her mischievous black cat Nerien pilfering the baked goods, while his brother—a ginger cat called Kelvin—watches on in disbelief.

Alongside the video, she wrote: "I made muffins, and left them to cool on the stove. What a rookie mistake."

Reddit users couldn't believe the audacity, with ChalkButter asking: "Did that kitty just steal a muffin?"

To which clouddevourer replied: "The orange kitty can't believe it either."

"I love how he [walks] off with his prey to devour it in safety under the table," said I_know_kung_fu.

"What an adorable little jerk."

Cat behavior expert Anita Kelsey said that cats steal for a number of reasons. In the past, Newsweek has reported on felines taking straws and even a bathroom rug.

Kelsey told Newsweek: "Sometimes, it's a form of hunting and all cats are hardwired for predation.

"Some cats [steal] out of boredom. Cats are also very curious and kittens learn about objects through their mouths."

As cat owners will already know, common objects that cats steal include hairbands, cotton swabs, items from washing lines and children's cuddly toys. Kelsey said this is because cats are drawn to certain textures or objects, and can even form "collections."

"[They] will 'hunt' them and then take them away to hide or take them to their homes," she explained.

Usually, a cat's stealing habit is more humorous than harmful, but Kelsey says there are things you can do if your cat burglar is getting out of hand.

She said: "It can become annoying, especially if your cat is stealing next door's [underwear] from the washing line!

"If they're an indoor stealer, try to work out why. Is it because they are bored? In which case try to alleviate the boredom by getting new toys and climbers etc.

"If outdoors, you may need to warn the neighbors and block areas that your cat is easily getting into."

Elphaba16 told Newsweek that she set up the security camera to record the sweet interactions between her pets—including two dogs called Joule and Tesla—when she's not home.

"[Nerien] wants nothing to do with snuggling with the other pets and will often express displeasure if they invade his space," she said.

"He is very vocal and shares his opinions with us on a nearly constant basis. He is definitely a troublemaker and loves tearing around the house and jumping on counters and shelves."

Fellow cat owners shared their own stories of felines behaving badly.

Rainbow Iron commented: "If we leave muffins out my cat will take a little nibble out of the top of every single one."

_Oh_susana wrote: "This morning I left a plate of French toast unattended. When I came back, one of my cats was licking the syrup."

While nooneknowswerealldog said: "My cat, after discovering an unattended loaf of bread or scones in a plastic bag: 'Awesome! Bread! Time to chew through some plastic.'

"My cat, after chewing through the plastic to get to the bread: 'Eww, gross! Bread! I'm going to spit this all right out!'"

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