This is Brightspot caught in the act, trying to open the cupboard doors to steal treats. He doesn’t care if he gets dogs treats or his own.
We’d heard suspicious sounds of the cupboard beforehand, which is why the wooden spoon in the door handles. One time, we forgot the wooden spoon and he pulled down the bowl holding the dog treats.
So now, Brightspot has to contend with a scatmat that produces a small static charge when touched. He’s had a couple of encounters already. He has learned to stay off the counter. He ventured over when we forgot to put it place, but as soon we replaced it, he backed off.
He’s smart, too smart sometimes.

I’m an author living in northern Virginia with a wife and a cat. In the late ’80s, I worked on the International Space Station project. I recently retired from managing a group of software engineers to focus on writing science fiction and speculative fiction. Learn more.