From Iceland — Local Store Plagued By Thieving Cat

Local Store Plagued By Thieving Cat

Published October 28, 2016

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
Krambúð

An area cat has devised a cunning plan for repeatedly stealing Icelandic harðfiskur from a downtown shop.

DV reports that the cat in question, whose name is unknown, spends a lot of time at Krambúð, a small grocery shop in downtown Reykjavík. Unsurprising as well, as the cat follows a tried and tested method for stealing the one thing it apparently craves most of all: harðfiskur, or dried fish fillets.

The cat begins by sitting near the front door to the shop, appearing to all unsuspecting customers to be just another of Reykjavík’s many cats. However, once a human blithely opens the door to the shop, that is when the cat makes her move.

Workers at Krambúðin say that once the door is open, the cat makes a dash for the harðfiskur display, grabs a bag and rips it open, dining on as much fish as she can before workers catch her and throw her out. She has reportedly stolen half a dozen bags of the dried fish in this way.

Moreover, the cat brings a great sense of entitlement to her operations. Once caught and set back outside, the cat will meow and whine in protest at the indignity of being separated from her catch.

If you plan on paying a visit to Krambúðin, we recommend bringing a couple piece of harðfiskur with you, and leaving it outside as an offering for the cat. Whether this will appease her, or simply encourage her theft, remains to be seen.

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