Monday, January 14, 2013

Don't Be Wasteful

I felt this was a most appropriate Manic Monday post considering the last one was about how Stitch swears we never feed him. I made tuna sandwiches for the family on Sunday for lunch. And as I was throwing the cans away I apparently dropped some/smeared some/got some on the outside edge of the garbage can. 

Stitch was rather disgusted with me. No joke he gave me the look of death. Perhaps it was because I hadn't saved any for him as he thinks I ought to do with every can of tuna I open. It also could have been a "How dare you waste tune Mother! How dare you be so wasteful! There are starving cats out there and one of them is me!"

He ran over to the garbage can, before Gordita knew what had happened, and helped clean it off.

Friday, January 11, 2013

There Are Starving Cats Out There


I’m not sure how many of you might have heard the “Eat your food because there are starving kids out there in the world” speech from your parents. I don’t recall hearing it too often. My dad used to tell us about how my Grandma would tell him he had better eat his food or she would send it to the starving kids in the Philippines. As a parent I've used it on my kids. Mainly because I want them to know that they really ought to be thankful for the opportunity to have three well-rounded meals each day. There are far too many children living in poverty and going without consistent, nutritious meals to not be thankful for what you have.

The other day I found myself giving the speech to my cat. By “my cat” I mean Stitch. Stitch is a grazer when it comes to eating, and Gordita is still on the “I will eat all of my food and whatever Stitch hasn't" diet. To try and save on food I have been feeding them a very small amount three times a day. Not only does this save on food but it has reduced both the number of times Gordita pukes up her food from gorging on it too fast, and the number of times that she’s been given an opportunity to scarf down whatever Stitch has left in his bowl.

However, since it is a smaller amount Stitch swears he is starving. I've tried feeding him bigger amounts and giving Gordita less, and when I have he has left the extra kibble in his bowl for her. I've even fed him extra wet cat food since Gordita won’t touch the stuff. I think she is worried it will go to her hips. And despite my attempts to make him feel like he’s getting more or to even give him more he runs around with wide, hungry eyes begging for food.

I've even caught him sleeping curled up around the food canister on top of the dryer a few times. Each time he wakes up he sits up next to the food begging me with those “feed me I’m starving” eyes. I swear he has even tried the “poor, cute, little me” Puss in Boots from Shrek eyes. None of these looks, unfortunately for him, work on me.

Back to the point, about an hour after feeding the cats the other morning Stitch came running up to me as I was grinding up my coffee beans. He flashed me the eyes. Before I could stop myself I found myself lecturing him about how “You should be thankful that you get any food. There are hundreds of starving kitties out there who don’t even get a bite of kibble and you get at least three little cups a day.” I even had the hand on my hip as I wagged my finger at him in tune to the lecture.

I’m pretty sure he rolled his eyes as me as he walked away. I’m pretty sure he was muttering a string of obscenities about what a crazy, stupid human I was as he sulked on the couch. Something about how I must think I'm the grand queen talking to him like that. About how I'm lucky I'm the one that rescued him or he would have gone all Puss In Boots on me. I’m also pretty sure that my lecture went in one kitty ear and out the other.