Woman Shocked After Setting Up Camera To Find Who Was Stealing Cat's Food

A Virginia woman was shocked to find that a camera-shy raccoon had been stealing the food she left out for stray cats.

In the hilarious video, Mary Stewart captured the North American mammal eating the cat food—before he noticed the camera and took matters into his own paws.

"We have lived here for 20 years, and we have seen racoons ever since," Stewart told Newsweek. "We have some stray cats in our neighborhood, and I've taken a couple in, but some are not tame so we leave our garage door open a little so they can escape the foxes and coyotes."

By leaving the garage door open, though, they also see a number of other neighborhood animals.

Opossum, birds, and of course racoons often pop by to see what food is left over. Stewart set up a camera near the food bowls to see who came to eat and was in stitches when she watched back the footage of one particular visitor.

"For some reason this one raccoon hates the camera," she said. "I put the camera there to see what comes and goes. I've learned over the years from watching wildlife that each animal has a personality just like a person does. This is one camera shy cranky raccoon."

Racoons are nocturnal animals, most active at night. Found from North and South America to Asia, they live in big cities and woodland areas alike.

Their distinct appearance makes them instantly recognizable, and their natural desire to scavenge and find food can mean that some homeowners see them as pests.

Often having their antics caught on camera, earlier this year one feisty raccoon was captured breaking into a Parks Department Office in Colorado. Another had to be dramatically rescued after straying onto a snowy airport runway in Canada.

Since living in their Virginia home, Stewart explained they have seen many generations of raccoons come and go.

"I enjoy watching them," she said. "The mother raccoons often bring their young to my yard. Sometimes with as many as four in tow."

They often climb the trees in the backyard, hanging around the bird feeder and picking up any dropped treats.

"It's all about trust with animals," said Stewart. "If they feel comfortable with you then they come closer."

Watching back the footage, the homeowner said she was struck by how smart the animal was. "Not only does he knock the camera over, but he turns it around too so I can't watch him steal cat kibble I leave out for the strays," she said.

In fact, raccoons are known to be incredibly smart. Their problem-solving skills have even inspired scientific research, including a 2017 study by researchers from the University of Wyoming and the USDA National Wildlife Research Center.

In the study, based on an ancient Greek fable written by Aesop called The Crow and The Pitcher, researchers set up a cylinder with a floating marshmallow—too low for raccoons to grab.

After a training session where the animals watched researchers balance stones on the rim of the tube, the animals quickly realized what needed to be done.

Two of the eight raccoons tested realized that picking up the stones and bringing them to the water would increase the height and help them get hold of the sweet treat.

A third raccoon even created a new method—knocking the tube over entirely to get hold of the marshmallow.

"People say that animals are not smart, but they obviously are," said Stewart, who continues to watch the comings and goings of the wild animals in her own backyard.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.