# Are cats only interested in food?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 14, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222 "2005-04-14T01:36:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/1 "2005-04-14T01:36:38Z")
It’s all mine seem to want.
Well…
That and seeing how many scars they can put on me while playing.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/2 "2005-04-14T01:57:21Z")
Mine will wake me up in the middle of the night to get his ears scratched, so I’m guessing that’s also pretty hight in their hierarchy of needs.
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/3 "2005-04-14T02:08:12Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Mine will wake me up in the middle of the night to get his ears scratched, so I’m guessing that’s also pretty hight in their hierarchy of needs.
I’m guessing it ain’t the ear rubbing it wants.
It just accepts it.
It’s food I tell ya.
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### Author:  [@neisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neisha)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/4 "2005-04-14T02:26:21Z")
Cats are users! They want food, warmth and a soft place to sleep-unbothered.
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### Author:  [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/5 "2005-04-14T06:05:54Z")
My tribe seems to want me. Yes, that sounds terribly self-promoting, but even with a full bowl, I watch them emerge from the woods as I’m backing into the driveway. If I go outside on a summer night to sit on the back porch (no lights) a kitty will show up for lovin’.
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### Author:  [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/6 "2005-04-14T07:07:35Z")
I leave food out for my cats all the time and they help themselves. Black cat is really into it, brown cat couldn’t seem to care less. She doesn’t react at all when I go near the kitchen (black cat goes into a frenzy) and just seems totally indifferent to the feeding process. Food has always been there when she wants it and so she makes no big deal out of it.
HOWEVER, when I go into the bedroom (our traditional cuddling place), she goes out of her mind with joy. She gets excited and bounces around, she jumps on the bed and flops on her back with her stomach showing, she purrs, she stretches and she tries every trick in the book to entice me to snuggle her.
The feeling I get from her is that, while food is good and all, cuddle time is the real deal.
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### Author:  [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/7 "2005-04-14T10:19:04Z")
Have you ever been around a cat in heat?
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### Author:  [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/8 "2005-04-14T10:54:55Z")
> [@cazzle](#):
>
> The feeling I get from her is that, while food is good and all, cuddle time is the real deal.
Yeah.
When I’m on the computer, I have a cat in my lap.
If I watch TV, I have a cat in my lap.
If I’m in the bathroom, I have a cat (maybe two) in there with me.
If I’m in bed, there’s usually all three cats with me.
If I go outside, the cats have to stay in. But they are waiting at the door for me.
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### Author:  [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/9 "2005-04-14T13:42:34Z")
My cats crowd around with their tails up to say hello when I wake up or get home - and their food is always out. We go for walks in the woods together. They definitely want much more than food!
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### Author:  [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/10 "2005-04-14T14:13:32Z")
My two fuzzies have full food dishes all the time. They never get biped food.
They greet me at the door when I come home. They are at the door when I put my shoes on to leave. Sometimes they meow a lot when I’m going to leave.
If I go into another room to do something one or both will follow me. Just to check and see that I’m not maybe sitting or lying down, then they MUST walk on or lie down on the biped.
Much more than food.
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### Author:  [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/11 "2005-04-14T15:10:35Z")
Mine always have plenty of food available, but if I’m in the Cat Suite there is a cat on me. Cricket gets the lap while I’m on the computer so she can correct my spelling. If I’m in the recliner there is one behind my head, one on each armrest, one or two on the footrest and one or two in my lap.
It’s so much more than food. My siamese will actually leave the food bowl for attention.
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### Author:  [@Elysian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysian)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/12 "2005-04-14T15:32:26Z")
If I am sitting on the couch (where she can’t go) Raiju will put her paw on my knee and give me the most soulful look on the planet. I will usually be doing something with my hands, like cross stitch or beading, and I will push her off. She will then sit at my feet, all hunched and affronted, for a few minutes until she’s forgotten about it, then she will put her paw on my knee again. I will sigh, put the work aside, and sit on the floor, where she will happily curl up in a little kitty ball and nibble on my arms.
When I came back after being gone all summer, the cats wouldn’t leave me alone. They followed me from room to room even more diligently than they usually do, and tried to get at me under the bathroom door. Then they would meow loudly. Whenever I sat, Raiju would be right there for some love. When I laid down in bed, Azzy would stomp on me until I loved on her. I swear I was covered in cat hair for a week.
When I’m home and my husband pulls up, Raiju will hear the garage door open and will go to sit by the door. If he takes too long to get inside, she will start meowing. It is really the cutest thing ever!
And no, they aren’t hungry. Their prioriity for food lasts maybe two minutes, when I open the drawer that has their food bowl in it. They never get human food – they wouldn’t know what to do with it if they had it.
They make me smile 🙂
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### Author:  [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/13 "2005-04-14T15:57:10Z")
> [@neisha](#):
>
> Cats are users! They want food, warmth and a soft place to sleep-unbothered.
Me too. Does that make me a user or a feline?
As a kid, I had a cat that lived outdoors and out in the basement. (The maternal unit didn’t like it that he would bait her idiot cocker spaniel and then cause him to crash into furniture while in pursuit.) Even though his food and box were down there he’d beg me to let him upstairs and sneak him in my room, where he’d have to hide out in the closet.
They all have their own personalities, and while some are just into food, most like some amount of companionship and affection.
Stranger
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### Author:  [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/14 "2005-04-14T16:03:15Z")
My boy cat [Max](http://boxie.home.mchsi.com/max_nap.jpg) and older girl cat [Dot](http://boxie.home.mchsi.com/destructoDot.jpg) really don’t care about food so much. I’m sure if they weren’t fed for a few days they would start to care, but since the food is out all day it’s really not so much. My younger girl cat, [Pixel](http://boxie.home.mchsi.com/Pixel.jpg) (an old pic, but she looks almost the same now, she has just grown into her ears.), loooooooves feeding time. But then she also looooooves cuddling time, and walking around and tripping Mom time, and Mom on the potty time…
So no, they like more than food.
And yes, this post was a shameless ploy to show off my pets. Deal with it. 😃
More [Max](http://boxie.home.mchsi.com/max_window.jpg)
More [Pixel](http://boxie.home.mchsi.com/Pixel_Eyes.jpg)
[Lucy](http://boxie.home.mchsi.com/lucy.jpg), [Lucy](http://boxie.home.mchsi.com/lucy2.jpg), [Lucy](http://boxie.home.mchsi.com/easter_lucy.jpg), just for fun (that’s my Aunt in the back)
And why _yes_, I \*do \* love my new camera phone!
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### Author:  [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/15 "2005-04-14T16:09:11Z")
> [@Snakescatlady](#):
>
> Mine always have plenty of food available, but if I’m in the Cat Suite there is a cat on me. Cricket gets the lap while I’m on the computer so she can correct my spelling. If I’m in the recliner there is one behind my head, one on each armrest, one or two on the footrest and one or two in my lap.
Your home seems amply supplied with cats!
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### Author:  [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/16 "2005-04-14T19:49:27Z")
hehe…not in my house!
Izabella, my siamese/tabby mix was stand-offish for a long time. Last year she got herself locked in a shed at the Baptist Mission, was found near death, and although I had been dilligently searching for her, putting up fliers and calling the shelter. The shelter volunteer wrote down a description which was not even close to the description I gave her. Fortunately the woman who runs the shelter and I are aquainted, and three weeks later she called me and asked if I would come as she thought they had Izzy. As I entered the shelter and walked down the hall to the sick kitty room I could hear her yowling for me, she recognized my voice. She was pathetically thin, but was reaching through the wires of her crate for me to pick her up. After identifying her I had to go back to the front desk to fill out paperwork, and she yowled the entire time until we were home. Now she is the most affectionate cat, she will reach out and bat at an arm or leg to get attention, and prefers to wrap herself around everyone’s neck, a living stole!
Kazzpurr, the **HUGE** white male, is a wart. Meaning, he must be making body contact. He is around fifteen pounds and just doesn’t understand why I don’t care to have him pin my legs down when I am in bed!
Angel, the gimp, is totally attached to my youngest daughter. At night she sleeps under her covers with her head on the pillow. Fortunately my daughter does not suffer from any allergies to cats.
So I would have to say that food is not a big motivation for my cats, loving is their main priority!
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### Author:  [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/17 "2005-04-14T19:50:10Z")
> [@zagloba](#):
>
> Your home seems amply supplied with cats!
Well, as Mark Twain said: A home without a cat, and a well-fed, well-petted, and properly revered cat, may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove its title? 🙂
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### Author:  [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/18 "2005-04-14T21:39:14Z")
“My” (and my husband’s) cat is miserable without us. Mia has 3 other cats to play with (they are my mom’s and the family’s in general) but that hardly makes her happy. When we are gone for a long time, even overnight, she will pace the hall and meow constantly. She must follow one of us everywhere. She sleeps with us at night, and is devastated if she can’t. We even put a little pet door in the bedroom door so she can come and go as she pleases. Food is generally a “meh” thing to her.
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### Author:  [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/19 "2005-04-15T03:24:37Z")
> [@liirogue](#):
>
> “My” (and my husband’s) cat is miserable without us. Mia has 3 other cats to play with (they are my mom’s and the family’s in general) but that hardly makes her happy. When we are gone for a long time, even overnight, she will pace the hall and meow constantly. She must follow one of us everywhere. She sleeps with us at night, and is devastated if she can’t. We even put a little pet door in the bedroom door so she can come and go as she pleases. Food is generally a “meh” thing to her.
I have worked in feral cat rescue and TNR for many years, and I guess I “take my work home with me.” My furbabies are Gweniever, Valentino, Mr. Spock, Lt. Dax, Sugar Magnolia, Bill, Cricket and Yogi. With the exception of Gwen and 'Tino, all were rescues or bottle-raised.
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### Author:  [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2005, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-only-interested-in-food/299222/20 "2005-04-15T03:26:17Z")
Sorry - I quoted the wrong post. I’m new at this. Uhhh - Cricket hit the wrong key! Yeah! That’s the ticket! The cat did it!
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