I want my cat to ask me for food. I want him to say, “Dad, can I have my dinner?”. This is anthropomorphising my cat but I don’t care. Cats are children substitutes to some people and that’s fine as long as they know it.

Simon’s cat asking for food

The classic way a cat asks for food is to meow but my cat is silent when he asks for food. I have to understand his behaviour patterns and habits to get the message but it is not that difficult. He comes to me and simply sits next to me. He looks at me and is silent. If I don’t get the message he will do it again and this time he may squeak at me before he sits down and look at me. Perhaps it is in the eyes. He does look at me as if to say, “where is the …. food?”. Or it may mean, “wake up and get your sleepy head in gear”. Something like that.

An interesting point arises when asking the question in the title. If a cat caretaker only feeds dry cat food there is no need to respond to a request for food because it can be available permanently, almost. It will go off eventually so it will have to be replaced but the lifespan of dry cat food on the plate is long.

I think it is better to oblige your cat to ask for food. Firstly, it means there are more interactions with your cat. This helps create a close bond as does the act of feeding. Therefore providing wet cat food has a double benefit as it is also healthier for your cat. I hope most cat owners have got the dry cat food message by now.

My cat is not that talkative. He has the silent meow syndrome which is cute but I am hoping that he learns to meow. He is approximately 13 months-of-age and approaching adulthood. A genuine meow would be nice.

The meow is meant to be a demand by cat to human. It is a part of the domestic cat’s evolution. I suppose the Siamese and Oriental Shorthair always ask for food by meowing because of their renowned desire to talk. But some cats do it in a more subtle way. They just place themselves next to you and look at you. You get the message and if you don’t you will the next time because he’ll be a bit more forceful.

In the early hours of the morning cats tend to wake their human companion. They do it in a variety of ways; some of them are quite forceful and very effective. Is the cat asking you to get up and participate in the activities that your cat wishes to do at 4 am? Yes, of course but he may also be asking for food.

I leave dry cat food for my cat at night with cat milk. This is for night grazing. However, he prefers the best wet cat food I can get him. Waking me up has two objectives as I see it: to go outside and explore and hunt (no way hosay) and to provide some tasty food as a early morning breakfast in preparation for the outside trip.

If this is true I would expect full-time indoor cats to behave differently. Are they less likely to wake up their human companion/caretaker in the early hours than outdoor cats? I think so. What do you think? If you look after an indoor cat does he/she wake you up for food?