My dog Ella loves cat food. To her it’s a delicacy.
Ella went with us to Kansas City where we visited a friend who owns a cat named Gracie. Ella approached Gracie, tail a wagging. The feline was reserved.
As the humans visited, we lost track of our animal children. Then we heard it.
“Hiss! Spat! Smack!”
We turned to see the cat retract as the dog slid across the entryway floor. An investigation told the story.
Ella had sniffed out Gracie’s bowl of cat food and devoured every last morsel. She was still licking her muzzle to erase the evidence. But the cat knew the dog’s crime and was not pleased.
There’s something in cat food Ella finds irresistible.
The higher protein content? The smell of fish? The fact that it’s not for dogs?
She’s been known to raid litter boxes and ingest deposits left in our yard by cats traveling through, all for trace amounts of that something. We stop her the second we catch her in this undignified behavior. We scold her. But the temptation is too great.
She gets dog food. Good dog food. The expensive kind we have to buy from the veterinarian. She ignores it until she’s sure there will be no table scraps, no milk in the bottom of cereal bowls after breakfast, and no cat food.
Gracie’s mom Janis thinks I need to get a cat. All true writers have a cat, she says. Low barrier to entry. I can do this one.
Besides, my son wants a Siamese cat named Bill or an orange tabby named Teddy. I could probably talk him into a gray named Louie. If only we could convince my husband, the cat magnet who insists he doesn’t like cats.
Ella votes with her eyebrows (terriers have eyebrows) and ears.
“Would you like a puppy?” No response.
“A bunny?” Slight ear prick.
“How about a cat?” Her eyebrows and ears stand at attention.
“Yes,” they say, “with cat food, please.”
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. James 1:14 NLT
S.O.S by Rihanna, the woman with more than 57 million Facebook likes to date.
What’s your cat food?
I agree with your friend. Every writer needs a cat or two. They encourage contemplation, curiosity and, dare it be said, catnaps? One of mine, The Supervisor, lays between the keyboard and monitor to ensure I stick with the writing plan for the day. Ella is on to something! May the just-right feline find its way into your hearts and home.
Kim, I love this comment! Thank you for contributing to my “Cats for Writers” campaign. My dog has a playful, calming influence. Makes sense a cat would inspire in me other valuable characteristics you named: contemplation, curiosity, and yes, catnaps. Love it!
I’m a dog person… I swear I’m allergic. However, one day a cat walked in and we felt sorry for the old guy. Now he has allergies and sneezes all over everything. Did we move him outside? No, we now cover the couch. He sleeps in my second office chair all day while I work. Then he sleeps all night with Caroline. Dude has the life…. and the food. We have a baby gate up so our dog won’t eat the food, or the apparently tasty morsels in the litter box. Just sayn’
That is so sweet, Terry! I’m forwarding your comment to Jeff as proof of the possible! Before we had Ella the inside dog, Jeff had only owned outside farm dogs (with the exception of his mom’s Pekingkese that apparently no one liked except his mom). When we got Ella, all that changed. I think I see a cat in our future…
Yes, I am a cat magnet…
Truth :)
Pets are so sweet. I don’t know if a cat makes you an author, but cats certainly provide lots of story fodder!
It can’t hurt ;)