Nugget and the sock thief 🧦

So this happened again last night. Nugget went into the laundry basket, pulled out one sock, and then carried it to the living room like a trophy. He placed it on the rug. Then he stared at me until I picked it up and threw it. Then he brought it back. We did this for twenty minutes before I gave up and went to bed. He is nine and a half years old and still acts like a puppy when it comes to socks. I definately did not teach him this. His old habit was to steal the cleaning cloth from the kitchen counter, but the socks are his new favourite thing. I think he likes the smell of my feet, which is gross but also kind of sweet. The funny part is he never does it when my husband is home. He only goes for the socks when I am the only one around. I think its his way of getting my full attention. We live in Jomtien and the apartment is small so there is nowhere to hide them. We bought a laundry hamper with a lid last week. Nugget learned to lift the lid with his nose in about 2 days. Our vet said that is smart, not naughty, and that we should just give him a toy to chew on instead. He does not care about the toy at all, he wants the sock. Now every morning I check the basket before I go to work and I always find one missing. Usually it is the same grey sock with the hole. I think he is protecting it. I have decided to let him keep that one.