Treat Me, Treat Me

I was late getting home after work, because I had an errand I wanted to accomplish.  But not that late:  6 PM compared to 5:20 PM.  And, as always when I get home and it is cat feeding time, that was the priority.

But, I went out and returned home about 2.25 hours later.  The cats thought they needed to be fed again.  I did give them treats.

So, about 11 PM, the cats said again that it was treat time.  I gave them a different treat. At first, they were not happy, but each cat did chow down within minutes of being offered the different treat.

I know I should not give in to their requests for treats. They have free access to two varieties of canned food, which I change out morning and night. They have free access to three varieties of dry food (a "gourmet" mix; a hairball mix; and an "indoor mix.")  They are also offered "treats" at least twice a day, even if they do not ask for them (they usually ask.)  I think I spoil my cats too much.

We Want a Treat

So, I had a social activity tonight, but after work, before I left for my social activity, I fed the cats.

I arrived back home a little before 9 PM.  The cats were glad to see me, but they let me know they wanted treats.  Well, sometimes, most times, I cannot resist, and such was the case tonight.

I put out one kind of treat, and Taki started to eat, but noticed that Haiku was not.  She was holding out for a different treat.  So, Taki stopped eating.  I put a second kind of treat in their dish, and that seemed to satisfy! 

Well, my girls tell me what they want.

Treat Time

I did not have to go to work Wednesday morning (I cannot say tomorrow, because it is already tomorrow) although I have a list of chores I plan to do.  So, I have stayed up late into the wee early hours of the morning.

Throughout the evening, the cats thought it was treat time.  Even as I was getting ready to go to bed well after midnight, the girls wanted treats.  So they got treats.  It is easier on me to do that, than deal with their cries, slaps, scratches and pounces.  I am a pushover. No boundaries here.

I Want Something

Taki and Haiku like to sit in the computer room with me.  Usually Haiku sits on the tray or the folding chair.  Taki usually sits on the floor.  Actually, lays on the floor, spread out behind and a little to the right of my chair, so when I swivel around to get up, I have to be careful not to step on her.

Often, Haiku will cry when she wants something: typically treats in the kitchen, or to go to sit in the garage.  Sometimes, she wants to be held, or to move to sit on the sofa.  She can sit on me or closer to me on the sofa. She does not like to sit on me when I am sitting up at the computer chair.  If we are on the sofa, I am reclined, and she can stretch out on me. 

Taki sometimes grabs at me. Because she is being a pest and picking at me with her claws, and not talking, it took me a long time to realize that when she grabs at me, she, too wants something.  She grabbed at me tonight.  The cats had been fed, so I could not figure out what she wanted.  I brought in some grass and that satisfied her. I am learning her language.

Treats

Haiku asked for treats tonight. She does not do that often, but when she does, I like to accommodate her. She is not too thin, but she is not overweight, either.  So, tonight, she got treats.  Of course, if Haiku wants treats, Sake and Taki do, too.

Sake is actually eating well tonight, after getting a shot from the vet today.  She had chicken, liver, and now, treats.  When she asks for treats, she gets treats. And if one type of treat does not appeal to her, I will try several, until she decides nothing appeals to her, or, until I until I run out of options.

Unfortunately, I let Taki get way overweight.  I am trying to be more judicious about feeding her. She gets fewer treats, and if she is the kitty who asks for treats, I ignore her. I hate to do that, but it is for her own good.

Nuts and Sunflower Seeds

I have previously written that my cats like the Friskies Sunflower Seed treats http://www.friskies.com/Cat-Food/Cat-Treats/Natural-Sensations-With-Real-Chicken.  Well, tonight I was standing at the kitchen counter cracking whole nuts for a snack for myself.  I bought some whole nuts last year at the holiday season, and had a few left but bought some more this year. Especially because the news is out that just a handful of whole nuts is a good snack or treat. 

Well, Taki came into the kitchen and kept pawing at me and reaching for the counter.  She does not jump on the counter, although Sake and Haiku both do that.  If I have something on the counter that they want to check out, they help themselves, although, lately, Sake has not been able to jump that high very well. So Taki would go away and then come back, paw at me and reach up again, and again.  I finally offered her a small piece of nut, but she did not want it.

So, I check the dishes that hold the treat foods.  And, there was dairy and chicken treats left, but no sunflower seed treats.  So, I put some in the dish, and Taki started eating right away. That was what she was asking for.  It is conceivable to me that whole nuts have enough aroma to stimulate the thought or idea of wanting sunflower seed treats.  This I will have to keep in mind.

I Don't Want That!

Haiku and Taki really like the sunflower seed/chicken cat treats put out by Friskies http://www.friskies.com/Cat-Food/Cat-Treats/Natural-Sensations-With-Real-Chicken.  Sometimes, when I shop for cat food, the store does not have the chicken version of this treat, so I have purchased the salmon version.  The first pouch of the salmon version was tolerated. But after that, if I put salmon out, Haiku and Taki just sit there, staring at the food.  And, if I put other treats with the salmon food, as I do with the chicken food, they sit and stare at the other treats, also.

Eventually, the salmon treats disappear.  But the girls have made it very clear that salmon treats are not their preference.