Needs me there to eat???

[Catty1]

Cole, the younger cat, does this every so often. But now Oscar, who was wild his 1st 2 years then tamed, has started doing something odd.

Once or twice during the wee small hours, he will start 'muttering' (rather than meowing, which he doesn't do often) - will jump on a dresser, or bat at a picture, things he NEVER does. It's like he is out of food.

But he's not. I go into the kitchen, and he happily starts crunching out of his bowl. Then I go back to bed...til a couple of hours later.

Does anyone else's cat need their company for them to eat?

This doesn't worry me at all....just wondering about it.

[KitCat]

Poor Cocoa Kitty was an adult Siamese cat that weighed 7 lbs. when I got him. He had been living off grass and handouts like doughnuts and bananas because he didn't know about hunting. Then I kept feeding him and it's my fault he got overweight.
He will lead me to his bowl and then he will eat. He loves to be petted when he's eating, but I have him on a diet so I don't pet him when he's eating because I don't want to "reward" him.

[AbbyMom]

Yes, indeed. Abby cannot eat without me present. I believe this is because her sister cat, Becky, hates her and once tried to .... permanently eliminate her?

Anyhow, when she gets hungry in the middle of the night, she wakes me and I go downstairs with her and sit while she eats. If I don't, she will lose more weight and I can't have that.

Luckily for Abby, I frequently have sleeping problems these days, so this is just one more thing to wake me.

[kittycats_delight]

Vixen does the same thing to me. She wakes usually around 5:30 or 6:00 for me to go to the kitchen with her so she can have some kibble. Meanwhile there is kibble in the bedroom where we sleep. I don't know why but she has a few pieces with me in the kitchen then she returns to the bedroom and finishes her meal there.

[Mad Mags Moo]

Bubble likes some encouragement when feeding time comes along - she will sit at the kitchen door and wait till food is put down - I then have to say din dins Bubs. Then she trots over and I give her a stroke and say yum yum and she just eats away!!!
Squeak on the other hand needs no encouragement!!!!!!

[Queen of Poop]

I don't have a cat, but my dog Sasha can't eat without me sitting right by her, not all the time, but most of the time.

[Catty1]

Maybe they think we are their mom/dad cats/dogs? They feel better when eating that way because we will scare off the mean monsters that will eat all their food!

[RedHedd]

Mishi likes having me watch him eat. I'm grateful it's not all the time and he does eat on his own, but when I come home from work he will meow and meow until I follow him to his feeding station (a corner in the bathroom) so I can watch him eat. He also does this in the middle of the night, but he doesn't wake me up for it; instead he follows me when I have to go and happily chomps away while I watch.

[Lizzie]

If he eats enough when you are not with him, why are you indulging him? Or are you worried about his appetite? I say this, of course, as the guardian of a herd/tribe/clowder who loses quite enough sleep over various cat problems and so would not get up to sit by a cat who wants my company while he eats - unless he was sick, that would be a different matter. There have been times when I've been up for 3 days straight caring for a sick cat. I can't remember what it was like to care for only two cats, I guess then I might have done what you are doing.

I don't think your cat would be capable of waking me up either. I'm so used to having Luke, Dagda, Darcy and Cattulus racing around during the night that I sleep through almost anything - which does worry me. I woke up the other morning to find that they'd knocked over a large, 3'x3', mirror in the same room where I was sleeping and I don't even remember twitching.

[Catty1]

Oscar just started this recently...so I think if I do the earplugs and ignore him, he'll get it. He "pretends" to start getting into trouble to get my attention - things he NEVER does...he just might be smarter than I give him credit for sometimes!

Will give it another go tonight....

[gini]

Years ago I adopted a wild rescue kitty named Patches. She was only six months old, but she would not eat unless I was there to "cover her backside"
Her caregivers were from a rescue group and they may well have protected her so that she got enough food and the habit was formed.

She eventually became confident enough and realized that she had no competition so she stopped this behavior.

I think it must have come as a result of her being a tiny thing that never got enough food in the wild or her litter mates beat her out of her position.

[Catty1]

Well, I have done the earplug thing for two nights now...Oscar does not wreck anything (calling my bluff, the scamp! ), and he now waits til I get up. He WILL not starve....my meatloaf boy!

[fragrancehound]

Actually my dog, Boboo, is very similar. She will not eat her food unless I am there with her in the kitchen. I will put food down for her and she will look at it and then walk away. Once I sit down to eat she will the eat too.

[Freedom]

Well, the new arrival, Sugar, the bichon frise, won't eat unless I stand right by her side. If I walk away, she stops eating and follows me. She won't drink water unlwss I am there, either! Driving me nuts, I have to keep remembering to take her over to the dish for a drink at various times during the day.

[bengal_and_mutts]

the thing is some animals have sacureity(I don't know how to spell ) isues and therefore need some one to encourage them to eat. their mother probably did the job when they were young and now they just need another mom . some cats ,mostly strays, have been in some way abused while eating and now they need some one who will help them, in their minds, protect them from that abuser ever coming back even when there is no danger. In their minds you are the one true one that will forever help and protect them. in some ways this is a good thing because now you know that your cat has complete and total trust in you! hope this helps!!!