A cat was caught on CCTV trying to steal a cuddly toy from inside a claw grabber machine.

The mischievous moggy took a fancy to a large yellow Pikachu teddy in the arcade game in Taipei, Taiwan, on February 14.

Footage shows how it clambered inside the hatch and reached up before trying to grab the toy with its paw.

However, even while cheating the system the criminally-inclined feline was unable to make off with the prize.

The teddy was too heavy for the cat to steal. The animal slipped and fell back down the hatch before scampering away.

Arcade boss Richard Tem said there are several stray cats that hang around a nearby noodle stall in the shopping precinct.

He said that when one of the cats discovered that it can fit into the machine's hole, it tried to take some items. But the Pikachu toy was too big for the cat to sneak out.

Richard said: "Sometimes it would just hang out inside to play with dolls that had been thrown out. I think it has an attraction to large, bright teddy bears.''

Richard had placed a box outside with some toys so that the cat would stay there instead of trying to get into the machine.