Cute Experiment Reveals How Your Cat Probably Wants Its Meals Served

sciencealert ^ | 12 AUGUST 2021 | CARLY CASSELLA

[BenLurkin]

[Rockingham]

I always suspected that the little fur balls are work shy.

[Veto!]

Yep. Daisy just wants on time.

[Fury]

Possible reasons:

1) Conservation of energy (perhaps more of issue for outdoor cats?) The article mentions conservation of energy.

2) Food puzzles expect cats to act contrary to more instinctive behaviors (ambushing prey). Also mentioned in article.

3) Cats have human servants - why work for food? Personal observation.

[ClearCase_guy]

They remember Egypt. Gods do not work for food.

[Jonty30]

Anybody who has had cats know that they are secretly liberal.

[EasySt]

Most indoor cats expect their human slaves to make their meals ready.

Now if they could make the food dispenser respond to cat speech,
and take orders to be delivered right to the appropriate end of the cat,
by robo-vac delivery…

you might get a different result.

;-)

[ConservativeInPA]

Cats are way too smart to play along with stupid human puzzles.

[oldvirginian]

I wonder how much was paid for this “historic” study? I could have given them the answers for half the cost in 1/3 of the time.
To Wit
People have friends
Dogs have owners
Cats have staff

Now fork over my millions. Daddy needs a new pair of shoes.

[BenLurkin]

Kitty Ping

[CatOwner]

Cats are way too smart to play along with stupid human puzzles.

True, although they are quite content to make up puzzles all their own. Leave out a sealed plastic container of dry kibble, and they will find a way to break into it.

[Jamestown1630]

'Beyond simple curiosity, researchers say it's worth finding out why cats do not seem to prefer a food puzzle over a free meal. The answer could help us appease the curiosity of our cats when they are stuck indoors, to increase their wellbeing all around.'

LOL! The person who wrote that doesn't have much real life experience with cats. Cats want what they want when they want it; and what they want changes from day to day, if not minute to minute.

When they don't get what they want, they make a mess of your house and stuff. It's very simple, very easy: don't turn your back on a cat. They are not dogs.

[Don W]

My cat has an open, always full food bowl. He has unlimited access to water and a clean litterbox.

He lives to hunt. He comes in in the morning, sleeps and eats, then back out he goes to kill vermin. Unfortunately he considers taking the occasional bird part of his job.

He gets a pass, since at least one rat per week is his average. He got a whole family one evening, and actually laid them out in a row at the base of the sundeck stairs.

GOOD kitty!

[Rurudyne]

“Like people, cats are.” — Yoda

[Bigg Red]

FTA
Unlike every other animal that had been tested in similar ways, the cats in these experiments showed a clear preference for the free meal.

~~~~~~~

Nothing here should surprise us, as wevhave known for years that cats are Democrats.

[Bigg Red]

*we have

[monkeyshine]

[Huskrrrr]

As my Mom would say: “Eat it or go to bed hungry.”

[monkeyshine]

Shhh! Don’t give that away free. Now, if you’re willing to study the carbon footprint of cats you can get a $5 million taxpayer grant.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Unlike every other animal that had been tested in similar ways, the cats in these experiments showed a clear preference for the free meal.”

So cats are basically Socialist Democrats, Freeloading Bums and Illegals?

Makes total sense. ;)

We currently have two cats. Eva is a Stone Cold Killer who WOULD rather hunt for her supper than eat anything I keep out for her. (She gets wormer on a regular basis.)

Boyd is a GLUTTON who will eat ALL of his food AND Eva’s, though he DID bring me an invasive Black Chinned Sparrow that he caught himself, today. He did not desire to eat it; he was just showing off.