Every cat owner has seen the look. The slow stare at an object that is minding its own business on a table. One cat took that stare all the way to the launch pad and his owner was just fast enough to stop him.

In the clip shared on TikTok a plastic cup of iced coffee sits on the coffee table. The cat studies it from the couch like a burglar casing a bank. Nothing about his face suggests he is thinking about anything good.

After a long pause he makes his move. He drops off the couch and heads straight for the drink with clear intentions.

One hand faster than one paw

Right before the cup goes flying his owner reaches in and snatches it away. The cat arrives at an empty table. He has nothing to swat and no mess to admire.

It looks like a daily mission in this house. The coffee shows up. The cat starts plotting. The human has to stay on high alert before the first sip is even finished.

Viewers took the cat's side

Plenty of viewers defended the would-be villain. One joked that the cat only wanted his owner to drink more water instead. Anyone who has lost a drink to a cat understood the plan instantly.

Cats may never explain why gravity experiments feel so urgent. For now the score in this house is human one and cat zero. Something tells us there will be a rematch tomorrow.