cat wants company while eating

Stinky, one of my cats at work, is starting up with a behavior she has
shown on & off over the last few years. She likes to eat in her own
little "safe zone" at the back of the basement, where her bed & cat
furniture is.

I'll bring her food back there and she starts eating. I return to my
office and a few minutes later she comes in, screaming at me. If I
ignore her, she'll come over and put her paws on my leg and scream some
more. She'll continue to do this until I get up. She then heads back
to her safe area, looking back to make sure I'm following her. Once
there, she goes to her bowl and waits for me to squat/kneel down and
she finishes eating her food.

She seems to want me to be near her while she eats. She doesn't want
me to pet her, just watch while she eats. She does eat about half of
the food on her own before she comes to get me. I am usually not the
first person to get here in the morning, and other people usually give
her breakfast. She has no problem eating it all on her own and she
doesn't "ask" anyone else to watch her eat, just me. She does it every
day when I feed her dinner. Today I got to work early and she came to
get me after eating about 3/4 of her food.

--
Liz

Elizabeth Blake wrote:

Stinky, one of my cats at work, is starting up with a behavior she has
shown on & off over the last few years. She likes to eat in her own
little "safe zone" at the back of the basement, where her bed & cat
furniture is.

I'll bring her food back there and she starts eating. I return to my
office and a few minutes later she comes in, screaming at me. If I
ignore her, she'll come over and put her paws on my leg and scream some
more. She'll continue to do this until I get up. She then heads back
to her safe area, looking back to make sure I'm following her. Once
there, she goes to her bowl and waits for me to squat/kneel down and
she finishes eating her food.

She seems to want me to be near her while she eats. She doesn't want
me to pet her, just watch while she eats. She does eat about half of
the food on her own before she comes to get me. I am usually not the
first person to get here in the morning, and other people usually give
her breakfast. She has no problem eating it all on her own and she
doesn't "ask" anyone else to watch her eat, just me. She does it every
day when I feed her dinner. Today I got to work early and she came to
get me after eating about 3/4 of her food.

--
Liz



Aww, that's so cute!

How's Harriet doing?

On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 08:56:39 -0700, Elizabeth Blake wrote:

Stinky, one of my cats at work, is starting up with a behavior she has
shown on & off over the last few years. She likes to eat in her own
little "safe zone" at the back of the basement, where her bed & cat
furniture is.

I'll bring her food back there and she starts eating. I return to my
office and a few minutes later she comes in, screaming at me. If I ignore
her, she'll come over and put her paws on my leg and scream some more.
She'll continue to do this until I get up. She then heads back to her
safe area, looking back to make sure I'm following her. Once there, she
goes to her bowl and waits for me to squat/kneel down and she finishes
eating her food.

She seems to want me to be near her while she eats. She doesn't want me
to pet her, just watch while she eats. She does eat about half of the
food on her own before she comes to get me. I am usually not the first
person to get here in the morning, and other people usually give her
breakfast. She has no problem eating it all on her own and she doesn't
"ask" anyone else to watch her eat, just me. She does it every day when I
feed her dinner. Today I got to work early and she came to get me after
eating about 3/4 of her food.



She loves you. MLB

"Elizabeth Blake" wrote in message
oups.com...
Stinky, one of my cats at work, is starting up with a behavior she has
shown on & off over the last few years. [..]

I'll bring her food back there and she starts eating. I return to my
office and a few minutes later she comes in, screaming at me. If I
ignore her, she'll come over and put her paws on my leg and scream some
more. She'll continue to do this until I get up. She then heads back
to her safe area, looking back to make sure I'm following her. Once
there, she goes to her bowl and waits for me to squat/kneel down and
she finishes eating her food.


Is she getting older? My cat began making demands like this when she
was 17-18. She also became a little "senile" according to the vet, and
would howl a kind of "woooooooooe is meeeeeee" howl a couple of
times a week and I would have to go and find her and comfort her.
It was kind of like she took the cat's natural love of routine to the
"enth" degree and became kind of obsessive-compulsive. She
definitely became more clingy. (I had her checked for everything
and she had no health problems.) Maybe this is Stinky's way of
getting older and wanting to be babied more.

Brandy Alexandre wrote:

Elizabeth Blake wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav:


Stinky, one of my cats at work, is starting up with a behavior she
has shown on & off over the last few years. She likes to eat in
her own little "safe zone" at the back of the basement, where her
bed & cat furniture is.

I'll bring her food back there and she starts eating. I return
to my office and a few minutes later she comes in, screaming at
me. If I ignore her, she'll come over and put her paws on my leg
and scream some more. She'll continue to do this until I get up.
She then heads back to her safe area, looking back to make sure
I'm following her. Once there, she goes to her bowl and waits for
me to squat/kneel down and she finishes eating her food.

She seems to want me to be near her while she eats. She doesn't
want me to pet her, just watch while she eats. She does eat about
half of the food on her own before she comes to get me. I am
usually not the first person to get here in the morning, and other
people usually give her breakfast. She has no problem eating it
all on her own and she doesn't "ask" anyone else to watch her eat,
just me. She does it every day when I feed her dinner. Today I
got to work early and she came to get me after eating about 3/4 of
her food.

--
Liz




Kami does something similar. I do whatever I can to make sure she
eats, and she seems to want me with her at breakfast. I have to get
ready for work, but if I walk away, so does she. So I stay and pet her
and tell her she's a good girl until I'm sure she's got a good start on
it. Also, after I get home, each time she goes to eat anything I give
her positive recognition for it.

I don't know what it is. It could be a throw back towild creatures
being vulnerable while sleeping, eating and going potty. I think they
want to make sure we "have their six" while attention is diverted to
dinner.


I've noticed a trend.

You always latch onto these cute stories with a "me too" attitude, but
when you post your own stories it is most often always to vent.

Just an observation. :-D

"5cats" wrote in message
...

Aww, that's so cute!

How's Harriet doing?

It actually is very cute. Stinky is a *great* communicator. She has
different vocalizations for different things and I usually know exactly what
she wants.

Harriet is doing much better. Her medication doses seem to be set correctly
now and she's pooping regularly. Today is was a loose puddle, but for the
past 2 weeks or so she was passing actual turds, and going pretty much every
day. She's been having some bitchy fits and going after people (to bite)
but those are also slowing down.

--
Liz

"cybercat" wrote in message
...

Is she getting older? My cat began making demands like this when she
was 17-18. She also became a little "senile" according to the vet, and
would howl a kind of "woooooooooe is meeeeeee" howl a couple of
times a week and I would have to go and find her and comfort her.
It was kind of like she took the cat's natural love of routine to the
"enth" degree and became kind of obsessive-compulsive. She
definitely became more clingy. (I had her checked for everything
and she had no health problems.) Maybe this is Stinky's way of
getting older and wanting to be babied more.


Stinky will be 7 next month (more or less). It amazes me to realize that.
She's the only cat I got as an actual kitten (around 3 months old, but still
small & babyish) and I keep thinking of her as my baby cat. She's always
been a demanding cat and this behavior of wanting company comes & goes. She
might do it for weeks on end, and then take a break for awhile. She has
also come to get me even when she's not eating. It's not good enough for me
to pet her in my office; it has to be done on her turf.

My oldest cat (at home) is 15 1/2 and she has become super clingy in the
last few years. She also wakes up meowing sometimes, and she'll come
looking for me. As soon as she sees me, she stops. Probably was having a
nightmare about me petting other cats, and couldn't handle it!

--
Liz

"Diane" wrote in message
...
In article . net,
"Elizabeth Blake" wrote:

Her medication doses seem to be set correctly
now and she's pooping regularly.

Is she going to have to be on medication permanently?
--

Probably. She's had problems with constipation in the past and the vets
said that since this last round went on for so long she might have messed up
her colon. She's taking Propulsid and Lactulose twice a day. I'm going to
call the vet soon ask him what he thinks about cutting back on one or both
medications. She was on 4ml of Lactulose twice a day, then 3.5ml and now
3ml. On 3ml her poops have been mostly solid, except for today. Not rock
hard, but not total mush either. She might be able to get away with a
slightly lower dose but I'll wait until I talk to the vet before doing it.
I know the Propulsid is supposed to help her move the waste through her
colon. I'm not sure if her problem came from not being able to move it out
on her own, or if she got blocked for some reason (like hairballs) and the
feces built up until they were too large to pass. The Lactulose is
definitely helping that.

--
Liz

"Elizabeth Blake" wrote

Stinky will be 7 next month (more or less). It amazes me to realize that.
She's the only cat I got as an actual kitten (around 3 months old, but
still
small & babyish) and I keep thinking of her as my baby cat.

Ah, well, she is not old enough to be acting senile! That's good.

She's always
been a demanding cat and this behavior of wanting company comes & goes.
She
might do it for weeks on end, and then take a break for awhile. She has
also come to get me even when she's not eating. It's not good enough for
me
to pet her in my office; it has to be done on her turf.

Well, why have them if you can't spoil them! I had a friend who would come
in, take one look at my cat, and say with disdain, "she is so SPOILED."
I always thought, "and your point is ...?" Of course she is spoiled! And as
long as I was willing to do it forever (her forever, anyway) then what could
be wrong with that?


My oldest cat (at home) is 15 1/2 and she has become super clingy in the
last few years. She also wakes up meowing sometimes, and she'll come
looking for me. As soon as she sees me, she stops. Probably was having a
nightmare about me petting other cats, and couldn't handle it!


So you do know what I mean. There is something so special about having
a cat long enough to see all the phases they go through as they develop and
age. The process always makes me wonder how anyone can say that cats
are not affectionate or emotionally connected to humans as dogs are. I will
never forget the look my RB cat gave me when she wanted something, in
her last years. It was an expectant, totally entitled look that said, "You
there, the one in charge of my every need and whim. Snap to!" It was a
development our 19+ year-long relationship. I still miss her.

Elizabeth Blake wrote:
It's not good enough for me
to pet her in my office; it has to be done on her turf.

Liz

well that is very cute!

I tell ya, Iiiii think something is bothering the cat.

Something you don't know about.

WHY would she not need you there sometimes?

You say she is in a basement at your work?

My gift is with numbers and patterns and similarities and differences
Hell, I'm a geneyus

but...aaaaaahhhh think there is an occasional event that Stinky gets a
dose of, when she hears it or sees it...it sets her back to needing
someone she trusts while she eats...(or the event is still going on)

I'm sure you're great company, but smells like something is scaring
Stinky, or makeing her uncomfortable.

I tell about my gift because this is the type of thing I enjoy getting
to the bottom of. I would look for the patterns that go before her
doing this.

You have to be a cat and think, they hear better, they smell better...
something is setting her off

you think there are ghostseses down there? maybe