Two adult cats, who have learned to NOT get underfoot in my galley kitchen when I’m in there unless their rumbly tumblies are telling them they’ve NOT BEEN FED IN THE LAST FEW HOURS AND THEY’RE STARVING! Considering their girth, they could live on just water for at least two weeks and not expire.
And on the off chance that they’re not bugging me for food, I make a clicking noise with my tongue against the top front of the roof of my mouth for their “food noise” which usually prompts a heavy “thud” from upstairs and then the noise of a thundering herd of 2 wildebeest running down the stairs to slide into the lower Savanna in the dining room to feast upon their kill.
They’re not allowed on the kitchen counters, but I know the younger one hops up there when Mom’s not home (the dishtowel I use for dishes that are air drying is usually skewered around or on the floor). He’s a ginger; hence, he’s the Devil Kitty and acts like it. His older stepbrother has done nothing about training him to stay off, despite my repeated pleas.
Here are the Butt Brothers, Finnegan the Younger and Alfalfa the Older and Dumber But Still Adorably Cuddly and Loveable:
Funny thing was until I started to read other peoples response to the thread, this was going to be my answer. She is a valued companion when I’m in the kitchen! (mostly for music)
I am now petless, but for most of my life had at least one dog, and multiple pedigreed cats. The sole DSH had no interest in people food. The purebreds were a few Cornish Rex, an Abyssinian, and many Siamese and Oriental Shorthairs, foodies all, especially the latter two breeds. There is truth to the cartoon of the Siamese sitting on a dinner plate facing its owner, who says, “Just what I wanted on my baked potato…you!” I bought an early-generation ceramic-top stove because of the tails that got singed on electric coils, and always covered a still-hot quadrant with a pan or baking rack.
Because of the dogs, the communal platter of cat food was located on the stove when it wasn’t in use. I fed the cats after finishing dinner, and a friend had a habit of phoning around then. It didn’t take long for my avatar greyhound to regard the phone as his cue to casually leave the sofa and counter-surf while I wasn’t paying attention. He could snag the platter, pull it to the edge, and polish off any remaining cat food. Heavy sighs of resignation when I cottoned to his plan, staring him down the instant he raised his head from the sofa cushion.
Last night after not eating much all day, I decided to have a bowl of cereal. It was dark in the kitchen except for the strip lighting on the
bottom cabinets. Was eating away & happened to look past the cereal box to see kitten- cat eating politely out of the other side of the bowl. So what did I do? No reprimand, no mixed message, just 100% enablement and reward. Put it on the floor for her to finish the 1/2 &1/2. The house was chillier than usual & my heart was warmer than usual. And it was just so dang cute!
My cat will sniff my bowl after I’ve finished my cereal too. I think they’re more curious about the milk to be honest (but I don’t give them milk due to the tummy issues).
When I first adopted my two babies (they were so tiny then), they used to watch me eat dinner. One time I was eating a bowl of rice on the floor while watching tv, and I accidentally flubbed and somehow kicked the chopsticks up and causing a good tablespoon or rice to go flying and landing all over my shirt and my lap. The two kittens pounced immediately, and started pecking away at all the grains of rice that fell, like pigeons in a park! It was also the last time they ate rice, so not sure what happened to their appetites after that.
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meatn3
(equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)
52
Sometimes I have a bowl of cereal with half n half as a late night snack. The new kitty, Sky, is very interested in it. If I pause too long he will try to put his nose in the bowl! I tell him “no” and he takes a step back and waits. I let him lick the remnants.
When I first adopted him he wouldn’t eat at all due to stress from his abandonment and subsequent shelter experience. When I noticed him paying attention to my cereal snack I tried to tempt him with half n half. He loved it but it made him sick. The little bit left in the cereal bowl is enough to make him happy but not enough to upset his tummy.
He still loves his peanuts though! The staff at the kitty vacation facility aka boarding spot thought his peanut love was hysterical. They started a feeding list since everyone wanted to feed Sky peanuts but he is only allowed 8 half pieces a day. I’m convinced his prior owner was a kid - the cat has no interest in normal cat treats, He’s just interested in the sort of stuff a pre-teen would snack on while playing computer games: chips, nuts and cereal.
Considering their girth, they could live on just water for at least two weeks and not expire.
