She's five years old now and developed an annoying habit within the past six months.
Until now, she's eaten her food by herself when hungry, but she's gotten into the habit of wanting her food to be 'prepared'.
Basically, I'll be working at my computer and she'll come into my computer room, jump up on my desk, sit and meow at me, reach up and touch my leg with her paw, or just sit at the door and stare at me to get my attention.
Then, she'll lead me to her food and ask me to do prepare it. If I pick up the plate and shake it, or simply move her dry kibbles around with my hand, then dinner's ready!
So, evidently, the issue isn't with the food itself. I suspect it's a social habit, but it's driving me a bit nutty.
I've moved the food bowl into my computer room so she can eat and be social with me, but it isn't enough, she still wants me to prep her food.
Sometimes she doesn't even want me to prep her food, simply gesturing to leave the chair will prompt her to begin eating (though sometimes not).
If I ignore her she'll eventually start eating after a few minutes, but it's annoying.
If anyone knows a way to break this habit and encourage my daughter to regain her independence and self-autonomy, I'll be eternally grateful.
I'm speculating here but your cat could be seeing your preparation as assurance that the food is safe for her to eat. By instinct, cats tend to be picky eaters out of concern for eating spoiled food that could result in serious illness. Cats are not scavengers and don't have the digestive system and metabolism for food that is not fresh. I think cats in colonies may behave the same way with each other to keep themselves safe. If my thought is correct, your cat is trusting your judgement and she may feel okay putting her life in your hands. This could be symbolic of a very strong bond. ๐ป
Makes sense, but I don't know why she would develop the habit after four years of eating food without hesitation. She hasn't had any serious illness.
I even go through the effort of changing her food bowl daily so she doesn't smell the old food. She could even eat some of the food, come back in an hour and demand I prep her food again. It's very annoying.
Hmmmm .... Another thing worth trying is replacing her bowl with a plate. This behavior could also be her telling you that she has "whisker fatigue." As you know, a cat's whiskers are highly sensitive. The repeated rubbing of her whiskers against the sides of the bowl could be causing her some discomfort and she is expressing this to the best of her ability. It helped me very much to consider this after you told me that she ate without hesitation for years. It could be that as she has aged, she is less able to tolerate the continuous triggering sensation of her whiskers rubbing against the side of the bowl as she is eating.
I am just an armchair cat behaviorist. I learned a lot from watching Jackson Galaxy but that does not make me, by any means whatsoever, an expert. If switching from the bowl to a plate does not solve the behavior, I think I would take her to the vet and just get her checked out with some blood work done. Cats are masters at hiding their pain and discomfort out of instinctual fear of predation.
She's ready eating off a plate lol. I say bowl as a colloquial term. She really has nothing to complain about other than my lack of immediate attention.