My dog Jackie, a 93-lb. yellow Lab, won't eat until one of the cats, usually Mickey, checks out her supper dish. Jackie will patiently stand over her food, and sure enough, Mickey will run over (abandoning his own supper) and practically sit right in Jackie's dish. Mick will stick a paw in and sample the fare, and apparently that's Jackie's cue to dig in. Really weird to watch. They play this game every morning and every night.