A woman was amused after catching a house centipede that was stealing some cat food from her pet's bowl.

Insect enthusiast Alabaster Braxton said she was going to put away some towels in the laundry room of her house in Michigan when she saw the long-legged thief with the food in its pincers on July 31.

She said: "As I went to open the cupboard I spotted the little guy sitting on the door. I've seen them plenty of times in the basement.

"However, I've never seen an insect, let alone a predatory one, eating cat food before."

Alabaster said the creatures are welcome in her home so she let the cat food thief escape.

The house centipede is a small, typically yellowish-grey centipede with up to 15 pairs of long legs.