Feed Me, Seymour! Feed Me NOW!

Feed me, Seymour!

If you have a cat that gets impatient at feeding time, or begs for food at your table, it may be suffering from a mental illness.
Although you may find it cute when Tiddles is miaowing loudly by its bowl, or rubbing up against your leg for food, a group of vets claims those are actually signs of a severe eating disorder. They say cats that're too eager to be fed may well need psychological treatment more than their dinner.
The study was made by veterinary researchers at the University of Padua in Italy, and concluded that a cat's gentle ankle stroke at feedtime is not a sign of affection, but a symptom called 'excessive solicitation of interspecific interactions' (seriously!) which indicates the cat suffers from a new form of eating disorder.

Feed me NOW, or the goldfish dies!

The condition has been named Psychogenic Abnormal Feeding Behaviour (PAFB). Symptoms include stealing food from other cats and jumping on its owner's table to eat from plates.
If you think your cat may be suffering from PAFB, the study advises you to introduce strict rules for feeding times, ban begging and ensure your cat cannot watch you eat. As the cat's behaviour improves it may be slowly re-introduced to watching you having food, but should never be fed from your plate.
Study leader Paolo Mongillo says unless the cat gets really obnoxious, most owners probably won't complain about these changes in routine. He added that, just like humans, animals can become victims of eating disorders if they're subjected to stress.
If your cat's behaviour problems include ankle-biting, it may have predatory aggression - in other words, it's not getting enough play and exercise to simulate its hunting

Feed me now...or YOU die!

activities in the wild. Because Tiddles doesn't have very many moving options inside the house, it'll go for your ankles instead. Often, just giving your cat playtime and exercise will cure this...
...before it develops a taste for human flesh!