What do you do at dinner time?

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering what everyone does when it's meal time for the cats? Do you shake the dry food box, do you merely open the drawer for the can opener, or do you have a special word that signifies that it's dinner time?

With my DSH cat, Snowy (now crossed the bridge), we used to use the word "Food" - say the word, Snowy came running. That all worked fine until you would say the F word in general conversation, and he still came running! He even came running if you used Mood, Brood, Lewd or any rhyming variation. Although initially it was funny for us when he did that, he was not impressed when he found out his bowl was still empty.

With our Birmans, we use the word "Din Dins", not that I'm big on cutesy words but it's not the kind of word you'd use in a chat with friends. We also use "Treat" when they get a snack or reward for being good.

Does anyone else have something they use when it's meal time?

My cats know when it's dinner time before I even realize it so around 6 am and 5 pm they all start running around and doing their own little thing to let me know it's time to feed them. They have a specific order in which they get fed so they run to their places and wait but sometimes one of them will get overly excited and run to the wrong dish.

When it's time for treats I ask them if they want a kitty cookie and they lead the way to the kitchen.

We free feed, and hubby does the wet food (I can't handle the smell ), so they don't get a food dancing going. However, I do the treats at night before I go to bed, usually every other night. Of course, they don't tell days apart very well so I get treat vultures every night. I've tried teaching them the word "treat" but since they are usually there anyway, and too excited about getting the treats, it hasn't worked very well. Although, when I do give them out, they know the order and I always say "here's one for Ophelia, here's one for Trent." If Ophelia (our little piggy ) tries to take Trent's treat, I re-emphasize "this one is for Trent" and she will wait.

I'll ask Fitzy if he's hungry and he'll squeak back at me. I put his wet food in his bowl on top of the stove and Fitz stands on my stepping stool with his little paws on the handle of the oven to watch me "make his supper". If I take too long, he gets down and circles and then gets back up on the stool to finish watching me. For treats, he comes to a whistle. I stole it from my brother cuz he taught the dog to come to the R2D2 whistle from star wars and now so does Fitz.

I wake up = EAT!
I get home from work = EAT!

Cooper knows.... (I can't even take off my shoes before she starts nudging me to the cabinet!)

I am with Lhezza on this one!

I don't give Barney any treats. I'm scared of dried food because the vet told me it can contribute to kidney problems in neutered males as they get older. Barney has three meals a day and a snack at night. When he wakes up, he goes outside then comes back in for breakfast. He turns up about 1pm making a special "feed me now or lose a limb" noise and then again around 6pm. Around 9pm, I call him in a nauseating falsetto voice, asking if "Barney want some dinner?". He will saunter in around 9.15pm and I give him a snack and then race around slamming doors while he's eating. Barney fancies himself as an outdoor kinda guy, but he is a hunter and a wanderer so he has to stay inside at night. He's used to it now, although sometimes he puts on a fearful turn and behaves rather badly ie ripping leaves off plants, pulling the cords out of the tv and stereo, beating the daylights out of my dolly and other such "cats behaving badly" stuff.
Diann in Australia

I don't really do anything special to let them know it's dinner time - they usually let me know ! Milo will come to me all soppy and loving, purring and all when he wants to eat. Which is often confusing sometimes because I don't know whether he wants attention or food. While Bailey will just outright scream his head off until he gets what he wants lol

they're pretty smart though because when I open the door where the food is they come running