Mary Allen
Cats use all sorts of tricks to get treats passed under the table. They also know exactly who is the softest in a family and how to work on them. This can take on quite annoying forms.
When a cat gets it in his head that he wants something, he usually gets it. When dealing with her people, her method is ingenuity multiplied by tenacity and the art of acting. They start very gently when begging, but can be increased enormously up to a really embarrassing show when visitors are at the table. Therefore resist the beginnings! And they are already in a greedy and begging look, which can be quite effective in this combination. The master of this human-give-me-what-I-want strategy does nothing really visible, just sits telepathically processing her human victim. If the treats don’t come, she steps up a gear.
Starving Under The Table
Those who were previously not receptive to the telepathic command now easily succumb to the “I should starve!” method. Those almost starving to death still paw around under the table with a surprising amount of energy, stroke their legs and hair on their trouser legs. Meow meow meow. They use their resources carefully: annoying enough not to be overlooked, but discreet enough not to be thrown out the door right away. And if it does: After a few days, a cat will also know at which point further effort is in vain and will throttle your efforts. Or she tries level 3. And that means: “At them with a roar”, ie persistent and intrusive disruptive maneuvers, claws in the trouser leg, a cat’s head stretched upon a very long neck. At the latest when the eater blocks the view of his own dinner plate, a paw slides over the plate and small claws dig into the slice of salmon, the greedy cat gets in trouble. The method works best for a keeper who is too lazy to get up at mealtimes only to ask the cat out, which hardly ever works.
Make A Compromise
Getting rid of begging at this stage is practically impossible. A compromise is reached: during the mealtimes, you put the cat in front of the door without further ado and put her own plate there. This will make it easier for her to languish in exile. What you fill the plate with – well, that can be from your own table as before. You don’t have to overdo it and take all the fun out of her. Chunks of tuna, a piece of egg yolk or cheese, freshly buttered yeast cakes, meat sausage, some liver sausage – there’s nothing wrong with that. Pork or sausage with uncooked pork (e.g. Mett), chocolate, sweets in general, strongly spiced and alcoholic – this harms the cat.