Caught in the Act
You can’t leave a cat home all alone. One way or another, it’ll find a way to wreak havoc on your belongings, and as we all know, that’s not something anyone wants to come home to. The OP had their suspicions that their cat was pulling out potted plants or destroying the pots completely, but they didn’t have proof.
That is, until they came across their cat in the middle of committing such a heinous act. The cat had already destroyed several plants at this point, and the OP caught them destroying their indoor kitchen garden. Maybe it was looking for some catnip to chew on.