By Jo Singer
The other day while I was checking out the Pictures of Cats website I ran across a most thought provoking question posed by Michael Broad, “How does your cat read you?”
The question immediately got me thinking about Dr. Hush Puppy, one of our two Oriental Shorthair kitties. For the longest time I have been wondering if our highly intelligent and curious cat is actually eavesdropping on the conversations my husband and I have when we are planning to go out to dinner and deciding what kind of food is appealing to us.
The reason I am suspicious that Dr. Hush Puppy is spying on us is that during our conversations, he cocks his head and gets an intense expression of his face. The only conclusion to which I can arrive from his behavior is that he is listening intently to our every word.
Now it’s highly possible that perhaps his odd behavior stems from his extreme pickiness about the food that he deems acceptable. But just like anyone who lives with a finicky feline, I am positive that I am not the only one who gets frustrated and arrives at their wit’s end; ready to tear their hair out when no matter what we dish up is met with an upturned nose. This rejection of our tender offerings cannot be considered anything less than a potent communication of displeasure.
Therefore I must confess that when it comes to his meal-time habits, Dr. Hush Puppy has me wrapped around his little paws. Since he knows that I worry about him when he doesn’t eat, he can play me like a Stradivarius violin! And just like any compliant kitty servant, I allow it. This finicky feline reads me like an open book, and knows I will ultimately succumb to his demands.
In fact, depending on his pleasure, he now insists that I feed him around the house in different locations. These areas range from a private little “grotto” in the living room, to “breakfast in bed” on our sofa. He even finds the top of the cat tree to be an infinitely desirable dining spot since he can survey his surroundings for any potential hungry intruder.
Dr. Hush Puppy has me chasing him around the house to grant his every wish. Sometimes he will start eating in one location; only to finish in a totally different spot. What is even more time-consuming is his insistence that I keep him company while he dines. Folks, don’t get annoyed with me, but he is driving me nuts. I am beginning to have fantasies of donning a black dress with a little white lacey apron to stylishly serve up his meals on Spode china, offered up on a sterling silver tray.
Because it is crucial for felines to not miss too many meals since this can put cats at risk of developing a serious liver condition called hepatic lipidosis, I have naturally acquiesced to his whims. But some folks think I am nuts and only reinforcing his skillful manipulations and spoiling him to death. They suggest instead that I simply wait until he is sufficiently hungry which would motivate him to eat where and when I feed him.
But that’s impossible since Dr. Hush Puppy reads me so well. He would know in a heart-beat that I am not into changing him, or endangering his health.
I am of the opinion that no cat on the planet exists that cannot read our intentions and energies. After all, for ages, in reality they have been our masters. What do you think? Tell us in a comment.
I give my 7 cats dry cat food because I have one cat that has to be on urinary tract diet. I contacted the company way back when when I asked if it was alright to feed all my cats the special diet. They assured me it was fine and there should be no problems. I can honestly say I have had NO problems what so ever with any of my cats since they have been on it for 10 years. I also feel that dry is better because it helps keep their teeth clean. Animal dental problems are very expensive to treat. Thanks for the interesting article Jan.
I am pleased that your cats find their diet OK. I disagree that a full-time dry diet is OK but respect your opinion. As for dry food cleaning teeth, there may be some benefit but it is dubious. This is a post on the subject:
http://cat-chitchat.pictures-of-cats.org/2012/04/does-dry-cat-food-clean-cats-teeth.html
Thanks for visiting.
Many thanks for all your kind words. There’s nothing unusual in any of this, though. There’s no one on this site who hasn’t had overworked tear ducts once in a while.
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Caroline – thank you for the suggestions! Wild-caught salmon supposedly has a lower concentration of mercury and PCBs than ‘people grade’ tuna, and the chicken also sounds very nice as a supplement to the canned cat food.
Opps… Sophia is the black and white on the left.
Thanks for the interest in Sophia and Mr. Hobbes. Here’s a photo of their very first meeting a couple of months ago. They now snuggle up to each other, clean each other and play together.
They are beautiful – thanks for sharing 🙂 – for a first encounter Sophia seems pretty relaxed lying down comfortably – a pretty peaceful moment it looks like for a first encounter which, between cats, could be a lot different. 🙂
Jo — you wrote a great essay last week. What goodhearted guys. Your contribution today was equally interesting, and also unique in that it laid bare the truth.
Under this roof, half of the daily smorgasbord is offered to two panhandler cats, Bertil and Sidney Vicious, and the other one-third ends up in the freezer, crammed with close to forty-two 3-oz. cans every week of F. F., and ‘gourmet-boutique’ quail, rabbit, red-eye mackerel, tilapia, venison, duck, and wild salmon specialty items from a local pet food store. Little Ethel condescends to try the remaining dibs & dabs.
Her approach is to take a dubious sniff and maybe – maybe – one taste, then move on to the next can and next can. What’s in the freezer is defrosted, loaded into plastic gallon jugs, driven out onto Jurassic Park back roads, and delivered once weekly to coyotes, ’coons, ’possums, mink, weasels, bobcats, cougars and crows lurking about in the ‘Wilds of Wanney’ (to use an English pen-friend’s description).
These canned offerings are supplemented with a daily thimbleful of pellets of zero-carb kibbles (pricey as the canned offal) and, at bedtime, a quarter cup of fresh shrimp/scallops/or shelled butter clams, or Gerber’s ‘meat puddings’ or minced steak – filet mignon twice a month for a whoop-dee-doo treat. Little Ethel is butterball plump on the daily fare, disappointing though it is in failing to meet her lofty standards.
Her diet is affordable, but just barely so, since her 22-year old housemate, Inspector McWee, passed away three months ago. The final ten months and five days of his life cost $4,000 in vet bills, what with his daily sub-Q hydrations and lab tests. The house would have been sold for additional funds if the vets could have saved his life. Which they could not. He was an apple-faced Siamese boy who will live on in memory. Forever? No. Nothing’s forever. But until he’s faded like a pressed flower. So far, though, he hasn’t progressed in his fadeout. He’s in every salt drop.
Your beautiful Dr. Hushpuppy has a fabulous home with you and your husband. If only everyone loved their cats as you do. Give him a pet from this land of the temperate Rain Forest.
p.s.: If all fails with Dr. Hushpuppy, Friskie’s ‘Whitefish’ is peculiarly scrumptious to a cat – go explain – though it’s sometimes hard to find. And most medium-priced commercial cat foods have discontinued their beef flavors. Canned chicken wattles, fish heads and innards are cheaper than beef.
Miss Sylvia Ann, I’m sorry about your Inspector McWee. My Muckaluck is now twenty. Oddly enough, I have never bothered with the Friskies Whitefish. I always turned up my nose at the can’s label, figuring the contents to be foul and unpalatable. Ha! Am heading straight out to the neighborhood market after commenting.
Tall cans of pink salmon and poached chicken thighmeat are the wet part of Shrimpster’s and Luck’s diet. I get a mere taste just before serving them, making sure that it will be to their liking. But that’s fine by me, cuz I get my fill from watching them scarf it down. (Then I drop down on all fours and lick their bowls. kidding.) Thank you for the head’s up on the whitefish.:) This post was truly a pleasurable read!
I’m so sorry about Inspector McWee. 🙁 They never live long enough, do they.
Sorry to hear about Inspector McWee. It’s very hard to lose a cat. I can’t imagine how it is after so many years. I’ve never had a cat that long.
HI Sylvia Ann..Nice to hear from you…Happy Christmas
No, not forever. Just as long as you live.
So many great comments by so many people. I love it.
I’m not sure that I have ever had a cat that wasn’t persnickety in some way.
Some don’t like fish, some don’t like poultry, some don’t like their heads petted, some don’t like belly rubs….on and on…
And, it is incumbant on me to keep this all in my brain in order to please and make sure all is well.
I’m not in charge here and don’t know if I ever was!
Dee- you had me in tears laughing- and bowing graciously at your supreme feline wisdom. As the saying goes, “Dogs have masters, cats have “staff”.
To make your life easier, purrhaps you could jot down all these preferences or lack of on some post-its liberally strewn around your home. Just a suggestion from the “bosses” around these here parts.
Dee, you make a good point. Cats have their individual likes and dislikes. Some cat caretakers, not as as good as you, don’t get that. If you are looking after lots of cats it can become tricky as you state.