Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Compensatory Annoyance

With the concerns regarding Parker and Raleigh, there are still the other four (four? One, two, three, four… Yes, that’s right. How did I get that many?) cats who provide worries, entertainment, frustrations, joy and affection in turn. Next up, Tucker.

My roly poly is a funny fellow. Though he must know he has no teeth, he still tries to ‘bite’ me during our play sessions, though he clamps his jaws down on my fingers harder than he used to. He, in fact, never did bite, but would pretend to do so. Now, he closes his mouth on my digits, likely knowing that it tickles more than anything else. But I have noticed another new behaviour since the loss of his teeth.

When at the dining table, during meals, this sausage-cat will reach out for morsels he wants. He has not done that before. He may have expressed a wish to have something, but has never tried to pull my hand toward his mouth. It’s hardly aggressive, and he looks fittingly contrite when I chastise him for it. Well, he does for a few seconds. Then the paw comes out again.

One might suggest simply not having Tucker at the table while I eat. This suggestion I do not understand. He has always been by meal-buddy, always hoping, always watching, and now, always grabbing. To him, it is common sense. How else is he supposed to get a piece of my food? I am clearly not going just to give it to him. Besides, if he does it enough, and I sternly refuse him enough, I may give him some out of pity, or to be nice.

He knows me well, this impolite little tube-cat…

14 comments:

  1. Tucker is training you well! Da Boyz jump up to try to paw morsels from our plates too; I gently push them away. But sometimes, I allow them to lick a plate clean, which is undoing all of the 'no' power!

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  2. Ditto on Tucker training you well. :-)

    Derry has no interest in people food, but Nicki likes a few things. I don't eat at my table, I'm usually on my couch or sitting on the living room floor, and he'll come over to see what I have. If it's something tasty that I know is okay for him (on very rare occasions, salmon for instance) I'll give him a few little pieces. But since I so seldom cook for myself, he's out of luck! (Usually I eat my big meals at breakfast and lunch, so supper isn't something tempting to him anyway.)

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  3. Miss Pops isn't really a people food cat, but sometimes shows interest in my dinner or whatever I am eating and she is always welcome to try a little bit. Last night she wanted a taste of the butter on my English Muffin, but only a little lick from my finger and that was enough to keep her happy.

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  4. Tucker knows he is in him home with his dad and his food. MY little girl is not interested in any people food at all. But all my others were and they got a separate dish sometimes dabbed with morsels of roasted turkey (their Thanksgiving dinner), corn and peas and a tiny dab of gravy. For breakfast, Robin had her own dish of scrambled eggs on Sunday without fail and some shards of bacon....and ate them all.

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  5. Everyone needs a meal buddy! I have four that watch me like a hawk waiting for something to fall. Love that Tucker's mouth is feeling so much better!

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  6. dood...we hope yur dad haz knot for gotten heez mezzin with de cat father ~~~~~~~~~ heez gonna say NOE...one two manee timez than ~~~~~~~~~

    ☺☺♥♥

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    1. Just because he doesn't have teeth, doesn't mean he's toothless, right, guys?

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  7. I loved your comments about Tucker being your meal buddy. A couple of my cats are meal buddies depending on what I'm eating. Then there's Danni...she's my meal buddy no matter what I eat. Tucker's your sausage-cat, Danni's my football cat. :-)

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  8. Tucker has you well trained! Neither Eric or Flynn cared for "people food" but Eric would always sit beside Ivor and try to steal food from his plate. Once he had it, it would be left untouched where he dropped it. I think it was just the fun of trying to get it.

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  9. Tucker is certainly adjusting well to being toothless. Funny how he has new ways to get you to give him what he wants. Keep him at the table - he seems to be such a wonderful dinner companion.

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  10. Tucker is a sweetheart! We had a cat when I was growing up who sat at the table with us. My mom always ate with her feet on the chair, knees bent - I have no idea why. This cat would start out by gently touching her leg to let her know he wanted something (we never had female cats, only toms). If mom didn't provide a nibble, the gentle touch would get a little harder, until a claw would come out. You know I'd forgotten about that until I read this post. Fun memories, and yes, the cat got a bit of food.

    Eileen

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    1. I can almost hear your old cat's thoughts as a claw came out: "Hey, lady, I'm right here. Ignoring me doesn't work. Still here..."

      They have their ways.

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  11. He must know about his teeth and now knows that to "gnaw" is acceptable. Yes I have my mealtime buddies too but give in too often. Hence the return for more. My fault but my friends
    Timmy and Family

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