Quirky Cat Behaviour - Jamie’s Human Food Obsessions
Dear Diary,
Cats are absolute weirdos.
Take cat zoomies for example.
One moment your cat naps on the couch, totally relaxed and calm and then within seconds it turns into a lunatic.
Racing through your flat as if someone has set it on fire. Bouncing off the walls, meowing loudly. And all this without any obvious reason.
No doubt, cats are entertaining and sometimes baffling. Simply plain funny to watch and each of them comes with its own quirks.
So does Jamie when it comes to his ‘human’ food obsessions.
Over time I’ve noticed some very strange preferences of his.
Absolute favourite: Oil & Butter
Jamie has always been particularly fond of anything fatty.
His absolute top favourite is the oil bottle, closely followed by the butter wrapper.
The latter makes it tricky when I want to bake. Imagine trying to hold back a crazy cat on the worktop using one arm whilst simultaneously trying to mix the dough with the other one. Yeah, fun times …
But back to the oil bottle.
The first time he went after it (it happened during the night), I couldn’t quite make up the sound. Really odd. The next time, I got up to take a look.
And guess what, he was licking the bottle, very eagerly. Followed by licking his fur.
He keeps doing this on a regular basis. So, I came to the conclusion that this must be his very own beauty ritual. I mean, even Cleopatra was aware of the positive effects oil has on the skin.
All-time trigger: Freshly Roasted Nuts
The smell of freshly roasted nuts is irresistible for humans and cats alike.
I always roast my nuts in the microwave. And most of the time, you’ll find Jamie sitting right in front of it.
‘Tasting’ the air whilst getting overly excited and hoping for a chance to nick one.
However, nuts are an absolute no-go for cats. So the microwave door stays closed.
Cats can easily choke on them as they are mostly used to soft food. But even more important, some nuts are highly poisonous, such as macadamias or walnuts.
Cannot resist: Oats & Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs and oats turn Jamie into a feline hover. The moment they hit the floor, he’s on it which is actually pretty handy, as he keeps the flat tidy.
Every now and then I give Jamie a couple of oats as a treat, though I’m not too sure about the benefits it has for his health. But well, as long as it makes him happy why not.
If you ask Google, oats are good for their digestion, contain lots of proteins and can also be found in some cat food. Right.
His bread craving, on the other hand, is most likely related to the yeast in it. A smell and taste much liked by many cats.
New obsession: Tofu & Tempeh
I’ve recently had to change my diet to include some more plant-based proteins.
To that date, neither Jamie nor I have been confronted with tofu or tempeh in our kitchen.
Our first initial reactions couldn’t have been more different.
I was sceptical. Not quite sure what to make with these rather flavourless ingredients.
Jamie was turned on the moment I opened the packaging. He couldn’t keep his nose out of it. It drove him nuts.
It remains a mystery why he loves it so much. No idea.
Yes, humans use it as meat substitution, however, cats are obligatory carnivores.
To me, there is no particular smell with either tofu or tempeh. But clearly, there must be something that tickles his taste buds as he comes running as soon as I take it out of the fridge.
