Couple's Stakeout Reveals Mystery Kibble Thief, Loki's Hilarious Reaction
Guest Contributor
There is a particular kind of mystery that only pet parents know well: the vanishing food bowl. For two months, that was the puzzle facing Amiya Kaminski and her partner, Travis Angell, who suddenly noticed that their cat Momo’s kibble was disappearing at record speed. What used to last a full day was now gone within hours. Since Momo is a famously slow eater, the couple knew something was off. Their playful Australian shepherd Loki quickly became the prime suspect in this mystery kibble thief story, and what unfolded next was a light-hearted, real-life stakeout that any animal lover will recognize instantly.
The setting for the caper was their garage, where Momo’s food bowl quietly sat, usually undisturbed. On paper, there were three possible culprits. There was Momo himself, too leisurely in his habits to be a realistic candidate. There was Bailey, their 8-year-old Australian cattle dog, who prefers a calm retirement over chaos. Finally, there was Loki, almost 2 years old, energetic, curious and known for testing boundaries whenever he could. The couple had a hunch that if anyone was squeezing in some extra snacks, it was Loki.
Kaminski described Loki as a dog who loves to be mischievous, especially with his furry siblings. His favorite pastime involves pestering Momo and Bailey just when they are trying to stretch out and relax. He also has a history with the garage. When he was younger, he had already figured out how to slip inside to greet his family as they drove in. In other words, Loki knew the territory, and the territory included Momo’s kibble.
The timing of the kibble heists made Loki look even guiltier. Kaminski typically filled Momo’s bowl in the morning before leaving for work. Angell stayed home with the pets while working remotely. Yet almost every time he left briefly in the afternoon to run an errand, he would come back to find the bowl wiped clean. Since Momo had not suddenly transformed into a speed eater, and Bailey was not known for such antics, Loki became the central figure in this quiet domestic mystery.
Still, suspicion was not enough. As any good detective would say, they needed evidence. The couple decided to transform their home into a simple surveillance operation. They repositioned their pet camera in the living room so that it faced the door leading into the garage. Then they drove away from the house while watching the live feed on their phones, waiting to see whether their young Australian shepherd was truly the kibble thief.
They did not have to wait long. Before their car even reached the end of the street, Loki had already made his move and slipped into the garage. Startled by how quickly he acted, they looped around the block and went back home through the front door, hoping to catch him red-pawed. Loki heard the door unlock and, in a quick flash of canine improvisation, bolted back inside to act as if nothing at all had happened. That first attempt at catching him failed, but it revealed how clever and fast he was. Loki had figured out how to enjoy his secret snack runs without leaving obvious clues beyond the empty bowl.
Rather than give up, Kaminski and Angell reshaped their plan. If the first stakeout showed them Loki’s speed, the second would rely on misdirection. They had to convince him that the coast was clear. Kaminski had a nail appointment scheduled, so they turned it into part of their trap. Angell went through the full ritual of leaving with her. He got dressed, put on his shoes, and even opened and shut the passenger door of the car so that Loki would hear two doors close. To Loki’s ears, it would sound like both humans had gone out.
In reality, only Kaminski drove away. Angell stayed behind, crouched behind the car in the driveway with his camera ready. From his hiding spot, he waited for Loki to test the garage again. Before long, the dog’s nose appeared through the cat flap, tentatively sniffing the air to check for any trace of human presence. Not catching Angell’s scent, Loki did what he usually did. After those cautious sniffs, he squeezed the rest of his body through the cat door and into the garage.
That was the moment Angell had been waiting for. He jumped out from behind the car, camera rolling. Loki reacted instantly, trying to turn around as soon as he realized he had company. According to Angell, it felt like a classic “Gotcha!” moment. The footage revealed just how methodical Loki had been. He did not simply charge through the door. He carefully scoped out the area first, using the cat flap to survey the scene before committing to the full climb into the garage. The whole sequence showed both his intelligence and his comic timing.
For Loki, the surprise was enough to end the fun. Startled, he rushed back into the house without grabbing any of Momo’s kibble. In the time since that stakeout, his family has not seen him attempt another garage food heist. Kaminski and Angell did adjust their approach to feeding Momo to make things easier. They now empty his food bowl before they leave the house and refill it as soon as they return, which removes any temptation during those unsupervised hours.
So far, their strategy seems to be working. Momo still gets to enjoy his slow, relaxed meals without competition from a younger, more impulsive sibling. Loki’s behavior has improved, and there have been no repeat incidents involving the cat food. The couple wonders whether the change is part of Loki naturally maturing as he nears 2 years old, or whether the shock of being caught mid-heist played a stronger role. Kaminski suspects that startling reveal had a real impact, saying she thinks the moment they surprised him made his stomach drop.
Stories like this highlight how much personality pets bring into a home. A mystery kibble thief becomes a family tale of problem-solving, playfulness, and gentle boundaries. Loki was not trying to be malicious. He was following his nose and seizing an easy snack, exactly as many energetic young dogs will do. By using a bit of creativity and patience, his family turned what could have been an ongoing annoyance into an entertaining memory that also helped guide him toward better habits. It is easy to imagine that, years from now, this will be one of those often retold stories that begins with a smile and: “Remember when Loki used to crawl through the cat door for Momo’s kibble?”
