The Mystery of the Open Cupboard Doors

Once upon a time there was a man, a woman, a dog, and a cat. The four all lived together in a house and were very happy.

One day the man went out to the city leaving the dog and the cat in charge of the house. The dog did not always like staying home with the cat. But after a lot of time and patience the man and woman were able to convince the dog it was safe by giving her a secure place to hide. On this day the man decided the dog was grown up enough to not need this secure place. He left the house without closing the door to the dog’s hideaway.

The man had a good time in the city and didn’t think about the dog again until it was time to go home. When the man returned to the house this is what he saw:

This is a bread bag. An empty bread bag.

The man was very confused as the bread bag had not been on the floor when he left. It had been in the kitchen cupboard with a full loaf of bread inside. When he went into the kitchen to investigate this is what he saw:

The doors to the cupboard where the bread is stored were open. The man was even more confused. These doors had been closed when he left the house.

The man went back to the living room and called the dog. Maybe she would know how the bread bag ended up on the floor and where the bread inside had gone.

The dog came when she was called but could not answer the man’s questions. The dog was a dog and not able to speak. She looked up at the man and appeared as confused as he felt.

The man then called to the cat who had also been in the house when he left. When the cat came he also appeared confused.

The man thought and stared at the empty bread bag.

When the woman came home from where she had been the man was still puzzling. He quickly explained the mystery of the missing bread and open cupboard to the woman.

The woman was not at all confused.

“The cat!” she exclaimed. “The cat opened the cupboard door. His paws are much more agile than the dog’s. He must have opened the cupboard and then tricked the dog into eating the bread.”

“I disagree,” said the man. “The dog could have opened the cupboard with her nose and then gobbled up the bread on her own. The cat is innocent. The dog is the one to blame.”

The man and the woman argued over this for a while, each one refusing to budge. They argued until the sky became dark and they grew tired. Before they went to bed they agreed it was a mystery that would never be solved.

The dog and the cat stood back and watched. They knew who had opened the cupboard door. But they could not speak.

33 thoughts on “The Mystery of the Open Cupboard Doors

  1. Lol, such a mystery! How about we just blame the man… If he had followed protocol don’t you think this would not have happened?? I am happy it was just bread, hopefully it stays that way. I know Luna can shut cupboard doors but she has never seen the need to open them. Maybe a video camera is in order? That would be fun!


    • I’ve often thought putting up a video camera would be a great idea. I am sure most of the footage would be dull but I am curious about what they get up to when no one’s there.


  2. I would lay odds it was the cat who opened the cupboard and the dog who ate the bread!

    I know this because every morning when I get up one of the cupboard doors is slightly open and the only who could have possibly done it was the cat, since the dogs were with me all night. :-0

    But the man should own his part of the mystery. If he had secured the dog then he would have known for sure! 😉


    • Well, that’s kind of what he says too. He claims this event means Shiva still isn’t ready to be left alone while roaming free. I, however, think this is unfair and prefer to think the cat set her up. He likes it better when she is crated and can’t chase after him. It’s all very diabolical.


  3. Hi Kristine and PH: Okay, I think it was the cat. It’s always the cat! Look at its stomach. It look awfully big, like there was a loaf of bread in there. But if you really want to be sure, check the #2’s.


    • Hahaha! I make fun of his belly too. But it’s not fat, it’s just his massive amount of fur that makes him look tubby. If you poke it all you get is cat fuz.


  4. Some things are just meant to remain a mystery. One could get upset at the thievery of the bread. However, if indeed the cat cooperated(!) with the dog to snatch the bread, couldn’t it be viewed as a great step forward in the dog-cat relationship?


    • The cat constantly opens cupboards! Not for any reason as he doesn’t care about the food inside. We may have to invest in childlocks for the bottom ones. Either that or just move all the food to the higher level.

      Shiva is probably smart enough once shown but she usually isn’t clever enough to think of such things herself. Thank goodness!


  5. I think ultimately it was the dog who ate the bread, but that’s based on my non-bread-eating cats. I must say, I did snicker some at this post! You need a hidden camera to see who opens the cupboard doors in future home alone times.


    • Agreed. The cat would never willingly eat anything that wasn’t meat. The dog was definitely the food-stealing culprit. What we can’t determine is who opened the cupboard to give the dog access? I say that’s got cat written all over it.


  6. A version of this mystery has been replayed many times at our house except with more suspects, four dogs and a cat. We have concluded that someone broke into the house and left no trace of themselves.


    • That must be it. Dang bread burglers. Can’t they at least put the bag in the garbage when they are done? Sheesh.


    • Shiva has a weakness for putting things in her mouth, edible or no. Luckily she has guts of steel and rarely gets ill from it. More maybe unluckily as I wish she’d learn her lesson!


  7. Hysterical 🙂 I hope the culprit that ate the bread doesn’t have a tummy ache! I have known many cats that could open doors . .but your cat . .he’s just too cute and innocent looking . .it must have been the dog!!!


  8. Oh that is too funny. Once years ago when our golden retriever was staying with my sis they had a similar mystery only it was with chicken breasts set on the counter when they left the room for a moment. Seems the chicken disappeared off of the counter. They solved that mystery though. The cat got them off the counter and our dog ate them. Cats will lead dogs astray….


Comments are closed.