On Sunny Lane - Finicky Eaters
A couple of days ago, as I was opening a can of cat food for Flopsie and Skittles, I took a look at the flavor shown on the label. It read “With Beef in Gravy.”
I thought it was a bit odd that cat food should contain beef. It doesn’t seem that beef would be a natural food for a cat. I’ve never heard of a cat killing a cow and eating it—at least, not the kind of cat we have at our house. Bobcats and other large cats may have an appetite for beef, but that’s a different story.
Then, intrigued, I read the labels of the other cans in the cats’ larder. There was chicken w/gravy, turkey & chicken dinner, liver and chicken dinner, Mariners Catch, salmon dinner and gourmet grill.
I’ve never known of a cat chasing down any of those animals in hopes of obtaining supper. However, Sweetheart told me that, once, one of the cats came running up the lane with a chicken leg in its mouth that it had stolen off the neighbors’ barbecue grill. But, that was a long time ago—and it wasn’t my cat.
No, my cats’ natural prey, are mice, chipmunks and an occasional ground mole. They do eat them, too, if they’re in the mood. I often discover a dead mouse or chipmunk lying in front of the porch when I go outside in the morning Sometimes, I only find part of a dead mouse or chipmunk when I go outside in the morning. I have no idea how many animals Flopsie and Skittles have caught and consumed while they were hunting at night.
There was one incident in which I was able to tabulate a kill-and-eat, though. As I was going into the barn to talk with Sweetheart, Flopsie was playing with a mouse outside the barn door. I stepped inside and talked to Sweetheart for less than five minutes. When I came out, I saw a mouse tail on the ground and Flopsie was washing her paws.
As any cat lover and owner knows, cats can be finicky eaters. It can drive a cat lover and owner to distraction.
This morning Skittles came to me and led me to his food dish. I had given him canned food, two kinds of dry food and water. But, still, he looked up at me and pointed at the food dish with his nose.
In exasperation, I picked him up and put him outside. I told him, “If you don’t like what I fixed you for breakfast, go get your own.”
I wonder if that would work with finicky family members.
Dorothy has recently published a book, “Miles and Miracles”, and it can be purchased on Amazon and Kindle, and is now available at 512 Main in Knox, PA. Her email address is: dorothybutzknight@gmail.com