I thought it was a coincidence… until I tested it.

[u/Iputthemsomewhere]

I don’t think Luna wants me telling people this, but it’s getting too weird to ignore.

For the last week she’s refused to eat unless Betty walks into the kitchen first. I’ll put Luna’s bowl down and she’ll run over like she’s starving, sniff it for a second, then just sit there looking down the hallway. She won’t touch a single bite.

The second Betty wanders into the kitchen, Luna rushes back to the bowl and eats the whole lot like nothing happened. At first I thought it was just a coincidence, but it’s happened every single day this week. This morning I decided to test it.
I shut the kitchen door with Luna inside while Betty was still asleep upstairs.

Luna sniffed her food, looked at me, then looked back towards the door. She even nudged the bowl away with her paw. She didn’t eat a thing.

The moment I opened the door and Betty walked in, Luna ran straight back to the bowl and finished every last bit. I’ve had cats my whole life and I’ve never seen anything like it.

Does anyone else’s cat do something this weird, or have Luna and Betty just invented another one of their own rules?

If you enjoy Luna & Betty’s stories and want to help keep them coming, you can buy me a coffee. ☕ The link is in the comments. Every bit of support means I can keep making more stories for you all. ❤️

[u/Iputthemsomewhere]

https://buymeacoffee.com/cc8jcnx6x9x

[u/Kami_Rosary]

Sounds like shenanigans and I'm here for it. All hail Luna and Betty! 😻😻

[u/JadePhoenix42]

Cats do have a social hierarchy, but time and altitude are part of the equation. Pet your silly little kitties and don’t worry about it.

[u/sphinxyhiggins]

My dogs do that. They will horde their food until the other can see their food and then they gobble it up.

[u/Sadiebb]

I've had this happen with my 2 male fixed cats. Mr Jingles would wait after I poured the food until Teddy came down the stairs and started eating. Teddy was the dominient cat, in spite of Mr Jingles outweighing him by 7 pounds.

[u/Expensive-Wedding-14 → u/Sadiebb]

I think that's what's happening here. The polite beta cat is waiting for the alpha to eat first.

[u/agenerousperspective]

Our boy kitty used to never eat until one of us (humans) came to watch. He would meow like crazy trying to get someone to follow him over to his bowl. Once he got someone to join him he’d eat as if he FINALLY got fed. The food was there the whole time.

[u/SuDragon2k3 → u/agenerousperspective]

Cats are vulnerable while eating. You are someone they trust to keep watch.

[u/pabrocjb]

Cats are odd, to me, I had dogs for fifty years. I think this is part of the fun and you should enjoy their quirks! If you solve the mystery, let us know.

[u/kkrolla]

Ahhh, it'd kitty petty. It's ketty. It's the old, look at what I've got that you can't have, move and I love it. My cat does this with water. She makes me follow her to watch her drink water. She literally stands there and waits until she has my full attention before she begins to lap it up. She loves puddles, likes a low flow faucet, her water fountain, but has now made me put, not 1, but 2 plastic bowls in the shower, which now belongs to her when we aren't actively showering, with fresh water. Anytime any one in the family gets up to do something, she gets up and runs to the bathroom door expecting you to follow her to the shower. If I shower, she's taken to standing in the corner, out of the massive splash zone, to stare and meow. I now have to put the bowls outside the shower so she can drink while I shower, & yes, I have knocked them over. I think I heard her laugh when I did and call me a sucker. Sigh. My other cat thinks she's a puppy and doesn't care either way.