I was in my recliner having one of my favorite snacks the
other night – potato chips. My orange cat, Brony, jumped up into my lap and sat
down, staring at me intently. I’m kind of dense, so it took me a minute to
realize that he wanted some of my snack.
I said, okay, but you won’t like it.
I broke off a little corner of chip and let him sniff it. He
grabbed it and ate it right up.
Okay.
I broke off another piece – I’m talking about ¼ inch by ¼
inch, and he gobbled that down, too.
He took a few more pieces from me before losing interest, as
cats are wont to do, and hopping down.
I was amazed that he liked potato chips. Not at all a cat
food, I thought. So I went to Facebook and I posted: “Strictly
speaking, I shouldn't know this, but - I have learned this evening that one of
my cats likes potato chips.”
It
turns out that I know diddly squat about what cats will eat. Many friends
commented on my post about what their cats would eat:
Bill Henley Cats are weird. I once had a cat that loved white bread.
She would get in my lap when I was eating a sandwich and steal bites from “her”
side.
Mary Litchfield Tuel to Bill Henley I really didn't believe a cat would go for Ruffles,
but he sat on my lap staring at me and the chips intently, and I broke off a
tiny piece, and he gobbled it down. Surprise!
Larry Burns If I eat anything with cheese in it, my cat Penny comes
and demands some. She also likes butter. I should have her cholesterol checked!
8^)
Mary Litchfield Tuel to Larry Burns I had to make sure I didn't leave butter out on the
kitchen counter with my last cat. I'd get up in the morning and see those cute
little grooved tongue lick marks.
Liz Illg I grew up in a household that purposely left the butter
out, in case the cat needed some.
Traepischke Graves-Lalor I had a cat that loved chips. Another that liked tortilla
chips, and another that loved…jalepeño bean dip.
Mary Litchfield Tuel to Traepischke
Graves-Lalor Maybe cats are
not picky about their food. Maybe we don't give them enough variety to choose?
Traepischke Graves-Lalor I don’t know. My gigantic Siamese, Sasquatch, would climb
you for avocado. I could never leave them on the counter to ripen because he’d
steal them.
Anne Woodward My cat Taco would dive into the grocery bag if there was
a cantaloupe in it.
Kasha Banko So does one of mine
Frances Hogan I read a post the other day by someone who showed their
cat eating a doughnut. I thought that was weird so I looked it up. Turns out
cats can't taste sugar. Also
read in The Inner Life of Cats by Thomas McNamee that scientists have found
that cats can chemically analyze their food--preferring foods that have
the correct fat/protein ratio, even if the food tastes like oranges. Excellent
book. Listening to via KCLS audiobook download, Libby.
Suzanne Sinclair I could not leave a cut piece of cantaloupe on the table
or counter because my five-toed “tuxedo” cat named Maggie would eat it!
Liz Illg I've had a couple of cats that enjoyed cantaloupe.
Suzanne Sinclair to Liz Illg It surprised me because it wasn’t meat - meat would
have been expected! 
Sue Weston I had a cat that was crazy for cantaloupe.
Frances Hogan Jenny-any-dots loved bread crusts. She'd find a loaf of
bread and rip it open to get the crust before I knew what was happening. Once,
I found her in the cupboard where I hid the bread. The door was closed and she
was chowing down on bread.
Delinda Mccann I can just imagine the look she gave you when you
opened the door and interrupted her communion with the loaf!
Sarah Colvin You are not alone… pretzels are a hit with all here
Buddy Logan The food item is not unusual, but . . .
My cat never messed with my food. Maybe
because she was naturally polite. She would ask for permission before she
jumped on my lap. It took very little for her to realize that tabletops and
counter tops were off limits, at least when I was around.
I
went to visit my friend Judith, where cats have no restrictions and no manners.
We sat down to eat some chicken breasts. When I got up for a second to get
something, one of her cats jumped on the table and made off with my entire
chicken breast.
Mary Litchfield Tuel to Buddy Logan Wow! I've had dogs who pulled that stunt, but never
a cat.
Trish Cobbin Macdonald My cat likes all crunchy salty snacks. She will steal
them from me whenever she can.
Trylla Thurmond Esherick My dog likes asparagus!
Sonya Norton I had a cat that liked cheddar. In small chunks. She'd
snag it with a claw or two and daintily nibble till it was gone. She was an odd
one - lifted it to her face rather than holding it down like a mouse.
