Cat Wants Me To Watch Him Eat.

[scraggles]

My cat has recently started meowing at me at meal times to stay with him, pet him and watch him as he eats. If I go to leave the room after putting out his food, he'll instantly follow me and meow. This doesn't always happen but it is new-ish behaviour – I'm not terribly worried 'cause it's not by any means every meal but I just find it interesting.

I was brought up with dogs and always warned never to watch or interfere with them while eating – I had always thought this extended to cats also – but maybe not. I'm just curious – do your cats like you to watch, sit with them or pet them while they eat?

 

[verna davies]

One of mine does. He won't eat if I'm not with him and talking to him. As long as they eat, it's ok

 

[StefanZ]

Sweet! I had once a visiting lady to our friendly stud, whom waited with mating till I or wife was there too. Otherwise they usually prefer to be alone.

 

[kissthisangel]

Our cats are free fed in the living room. I do it in there because we have hard floors anyway and I don't want them in the kitchen with the hot oven and stuff. I have done this since they were kittens. If we go away for the weekend and leave them (with plenty of food and water, treasurehunts and toys obviously) They have never eaten nearly as much as we put down. When we get home they start munching away. My partner says it's because they leave a little bit incase the next meal doesn't come and they have something to go back to. I think they just like someone there when they are eating. When I get up in the morning they cry for breakfast even if there is plenty of food from the night before.

Sometimes I'll top the bowl up before bed so I can get a lie in, but it almost never happens because they want me up even though they have plenty of food. Of course, if they are very hungry they will eat with or without me there so it's just a quirk or habit.

 

[susanm9006]

My girl has been on a strict diet since I got her. 1/3 of a cup of kibble a day, a couple of dried chicken treats at night and she is still considerably overweight. But because of her feral background she is deeply distrustful of being fed and so even though she is starving in the morning, she needs to hide for a while before eating. She will also leave her food if I come near.

 

[scraggles]

Glad to hear it's just a quirk. And very sweet that he just wants a bit of company.
It's all so fascinating - I've had Scraggles now just over a year and it has been interesting to see how his attitude to food has changed as the seasons turn - mainly his appetite seems to have settled down a bit - I'll be interested to see this winter if he goes back to being as much of a glutton as he was last year!

 

[losna]

Sinbad will starve himself if he doesn't get company while eating. He will literally just not eat for days until he's vomiting up stomach bile if no one sits with him. We're careful to keep him company now, we only need to have that lesson once.

Tempest prefers company, but she won't starve herself. She'll just slowly eat little bits until she has company for the rest.

Bêlit is the opposite, she will stare and complain until everyone leaves the room where her food is. She won't eat a bite if anyone is there.

 

[Torrid17852]

I had a cat that WOULD NOT eat if I was looking at her. It was a strange quark. I have their food in a common area now and they don't seem to care if I watch or not.

 

[scraggles]

Aren't cats funny?!

Much like with humans I suppose, to each their own.