New York (USA) - A mischievous cat has attracted viral attention with a daring theft.

Leaving treats lying around unattended when there are pets in the household is probably not a very good idea.

This was the experience of pet owner Danielle Burman from New York. Her one-year-old cat Spicy had her sights set on a chicken breast, as Danielle reported on her Instagram channel.

"I've never seen Spicy open the plastic packaging of a food item and then steal it," Danielle told Newsweek.

"She previously tried to steal pizza and eat pasta when they were already outside, but this was the first time I left the room and she walked away with a raw chicken breast," Danielle said.

"I was very scared at first because I thought I would have to take her to the vet immediately to get her stomach pumped," Danielle said.

But Spicy showed no ill effects after her feast - and her brilliant heist brought laughter to many viewers.

Experts warn against feeding raw chicken to cats due to the risk of bacterial contamination and unbalanced nutrition. Most vets therefore recommend cooked chicken.

Spicy was lucky again in this case. "She had no symptoms or problems and never threw up," said Danielle with relief. "She looks as good as ever and is apparently an absolute scavenger," laughed the pet owner.