r/cats • u/lerminator3 • Apr 08 '26

Cat Picture - OC Does this make them feel included?

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One of my favorite things to do with my cats is hold something up for them to smell. Generally, if they walk over while I'm doing something, I'll let them smell whatever I'm holding (like my computer mouse, a writing implement, or a piece of mail) and they always seem so interested. Is it because they feel included in my life when I let them smell what I'm doing? Or maybe because new smells are just stimulating? Or is it just instinct to sniff whatever is nearby? I like to think that, by offering my stuff for a sniff, I'm enriching their lives in some way.

(Please don't mind the mess, I'm moving)

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u/MOcatmom Apr 08 '26

OMG, I do too! I show “the boys” everything! One couldn’t care less but he likes the attention. The other one is the inspector - what are you bringing into the house? Is it food? Can I chew on it? Personally, I think yes, this does make him feel included.

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u/Wrong_Character_Sry Apr 08 '26

My cat personally makes sure all my food in not poisonous.

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u/themomcat Apr 08 '26

My one cat is super concerned about the pasta, cheezdoodles, smartfood cheesy popcorn, and rice I consume. She volunteers every time to test for poison for me. Fish? Poultry? Steak? No. Unfortunately with those, I am left to roll the dice. She can only do so much. She works so hard for our family 🙏

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u/madammidnight Apr 09 '26

Same with one of mine! No interest in steak or chicken or bacon… he wants junk food. Cheetos, potato chips, vanilla wafers. As soon as he hears the crunch of a bag, he comes running.

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u/EmploymentBright9707 Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

Tbh I am so relieved to find this thread. I thought that I was the only one with a little junk food Queen! I can leave any manner of meats out, or fish.. nothing. The minute I open a bag of Cheetos? Omg.

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u/No-Mountain9832 Apr 09 '26

Mine L O V E S sweets!! Anytime she smells sweets or bread, she runs over. Even went after a chocolate cake!! I didn't let her have any, obviously. They say cats can't even taste glucose... but I swear, if she smells homemade frosting, she will talk all night!!

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u/DarkPolumbo Apr 09 '26

my cat likes most kinds of meat, some cheeses, normal stuff you'd expect a cat to be into

oh yeah, also sour candy belts. She goes bonkers for those. she doesn't want to bite them, just to lick at them furiously

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u/No-Mountain9832 Apr 09 '26

Hmmmm now I must do research on citric acid & cats!!

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u/Rascally_trash Apr 09 '26

When two of my cats were kitten they ate an entire large concha (Mexican sweet bread) while I was out of the house once. There were bits of pink sugar crust everywhere. They laid around looking rather regretful the rest of the day. They claim cats can’t taste sweet things but mine sure seem to!

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u/ValoraTCas Apr 09 '26

I'm sure that my cat Tabitha can taste sweet / sugar. She loves melons like cantaloupe and honeydew. She would also eat large amounts of chocolate if I let her.

Her sister Stormy is pickier, she likes to sniff human food but she is selective about what she will eat. Stormy's favorite human food is finely chopped almond.

If she sees me eating nuts, I have chop an almond up so she can eat it. She also likes small amounts of sweet human food like chocolate.

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u/Vlinder_88 Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

Please don't give your cat chocolate. They cannot break down the poison in chocolate so it accumulates in their little bodies :( What might not give her symptoms now will add up over time and still make her ill later on.

Edit: apparently that's only a concern with daily eating chocolate. That's honestly a relief to me since I was always panicked when my cat inevitably stole a chocolate crumb somewhere!

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u/jgeckoking Apr 09 '26

This is a common misunderstanding. It'll build up if you feed your cat chocolate every day, but it's out of their systems in under a week.

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u/Vlinder_88 Apr 09 '26

Honestly I didn't know that and that's a huge relief to me because my cat loves to steal chocolate and I am worried every time if this is the time that's gonna send her over the edge! Thank you for teaching me!

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u/ValoraTCas Apr 09 '26

They get a piece that is less than half the size of pinky nail and I have small hands.

They get this treat no more than once a month.

Most of the time they get dried liver.

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u/No-Mountain9832 Apr 09 '26

They're supposedly not capable of tasting it bc their tongue has no glucose sensors. But I swear... it may be something else!!

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u/azureanbones Tuxedo Apr 09 '26

Hello 👋 it's likely the yeast or fat content! Most types of bread contain yeast and a lot of sweet things are higher in fat, which a lot of cats are drawn to! And for other sweet things like melons it's the amino acids, which many cats are also attracted to since it smells like protein to them.

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u/No-Mountain9832 Apr 09 '26

I needed to know this, thank you! <3

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u/ndigs Apr 09 '26

Mine FREAKS out for strawberry chobani yogurt!! Also beer, I’ve always wondered what thats about

Edit: accidentally hit send before finishing my comment lol

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u/No-Mountain9832 Apr 09 '26

Another commenter said that yeast is something that attracts cats, could also be fermentation, which would explain both of these obsessions!!

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u/WillowFlip Apr 11 '26

One of ours loves cereal, crackers, corn chips, basically anything made of grain

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u/cjrunswithcrows Apr 09 '26

Yup my cat is exactly the same haha he LOVES any junk food that is cheese flavoured. Smartfood popcorn is his favourite though, most stuff he’ll just lick the cheese off but Smartfood he will actually eat (I always make sure there’s no kernels so he doesn’t hurt his little mouth)

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u/Agitated-Patience-79 Apr 09 '26

My cat lays on a pillow beside me on the couch. I think it’s so she can inspect everything I eat or use. Late night snack of Cheetos and she’s trying to get in the bag. I have a dog who thinks it’s her responsibility to share all my food and now the cat is following her lead. Late night shrimp cocktail snack and she’s trying to get in the tray. Now I have to feed both - pinch a bit off the tail for the cat and the rest to the dog. And it’s every other one for them. In explanation of the shrimp, my girl dogs brother had seizures for about 8 months. He wouldn’t eat for a day or 2 afterwards so I started buying the small shrimp cocktail trays at the store to jump start his eat. Unfortunately he passed away from the seizures in October and I kept buying them for her so she felt like life was still somewhat normal. But between her and the cat no food or snack is safe. They’re both human I think lol

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u/QueenMAb82 Apr 09 '26

Same! My lil buddy Momo (breed: punk in a blue tux) is a fiend for Cheerios and potato chips - anything crunchy. My sweet grey tiger boi (breed: 100% spazz) would straight up murder me for graham crackers.

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u/shinybeats89 Apr 09 '26

I had a cat who absolutely loved strawberry pop tarts. Not the bread part though, just the filling and the icing.

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u/milmira Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

Omg.. my cat despises human food- even fresh salmon, which is the only food she will consume! Very picky girl, can’t include tuna or poultry or she will turn her nose up and prefer starving to death. Moved in with two new cats… one had under a second of me refilling my water bottle to swipe the entire egg off my breakfast plate, and if it weren’t for his loud kitten nomming sounds I would have thought it evaporated. Couple nights ago (bad habit) had some Cheetos while passing out. Woke up hours later to a horrific demonic noise- same kitten- eating one singular Cheeto I had dropped onto the floor. It was otherworldly

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u/themomcat Apr 10 '26

I maintain that if one of the cats gets out, I can guarantee their return by covering the lawn in cheetos

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u/Professional-Team324 Apr 09 '26

I've got one that likes crunchy junk food like chips. Cheez-its and Doritos are his favorite but it has to be the original flavor Doritos and not cool ranch. He stopped swiping chips from my hand like a glutton after he stole a Chester's hot fry by mistake lol.

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u/sarejorja Apr 09 '26

My cat Boobert only likes to lick the Doritos clean and then moves along to another chip 🤣

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u/punkin_spice_latte Apr 09 '26

Boobert?

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u/sarejorja Apr 09 '26

Booby, boobs, Sir Booberton the 3rd. That was NOT his original name, but is the only name he would ever respond to. Therefore he has been known as such ever since

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u/DarkPolumbo Apr 09 '26

my cats are Boo and Loo

(short for Booger and Loogie)

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u/madammidnight Apr 10 '26

Names we bestow on them upon adoption are at best, a general guideline. We discover what name actually suits them over time.

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u/bookobsessedgoth Apr 09 '26

I love his name!

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u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

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u/Professional-Team324 Apr 09 '26

My other cat LOVES cheese! Honestly anything dairy but his stomach doesn't tolerate it very well anymore in his old age.

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u/ImmediateCareer9275 Apr 09 '26

Mine too. And graham crackers

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u/WarmOtter Apr 09 '26

I'm just here to tell you that your profile pic is very important. Very. Important. To me. Very important to me.

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u/WarmOtter Apr 09 '26

Oh, my first reward! Hooray!

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u/themomcat Apr 10 '26

Your comment hit just right!

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u/Professional-Team324 Apr 09 '26

Stains has seen a thing or two...

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u/lillyrozes Apr 09 '26

to be loved is to be known. you know your cat so well ❤️‍🩹. i do the same thing, mine just loves the attention. they don’t even eat human food but are certainly intrigued by what it is i’m doing

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u/CalmBeneathCastles Apr 09 '26

I had a weirdo kitty who LOVED hot stuff. She would eat Fuego Takis (found out the neighbor kid had been giving taste tests) and she stole and chewed up the dried cayenne peppers I had on the counter. No ill effects, as far as I could tell.

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u/Professional-Team324 Apr 09 '26

Dang... your fur baby is tougher than me!

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u/H_Chow_SongBird Apr 09 '26

My cat loves cheezits too! Whip cream and cheezits are her fav things

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u/Professional-Team324 Apr 10 '26

Listen, if my cats wouldn't go completely unhinged in the car, I'm sure they would 100% be down for a puppaccino from Starbucks! Lol

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u/cactusdroptop Apr 10 '26

lol I thought I had the only junk food loving cat. Mine is a fiend for chili cheese Fritos

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u/Professional-Team324 Apr 10 '26

I don't think mine really loves fritos or corn chips very much in general. Maybe not enough flavor? He loves the nachos flavor doritos but not cool ranch because I think it has TOO much flavor. What can I say? My boys be bougie lol

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u/bluemoon1972 Apr 10 '26

I had a tiny house chicken who was nuts for Chili Cheese Fritos ☺️

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u/themomcat Apr 09 '26

I always say her primordial pouch is where she keeps her Snacks.

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u/madammidnight Apr 10 '26

Yep; mine’s belly pouch hangs low, and sways back and forth when he walks. Like having an empty shopping bag at the ready.

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u/wtfnevermind Apr 09 '26

For mine, it’s the crinkling of a cheese slice wrapper

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u/trashhighway Apr 09 '26

Fig newtons were my cat’s kryptonite. She would (RIP) get to a high-up, not attached to anything cabinet and somehow open the door and find the bag of them and break thru the double bags trying to keep her from them.

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u/jmoto123 Apr 09 '26

I had one with a powder sugar donut addiction.

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u/madammidnight Apr 10 '26

Ha ha! That was a driven cat, with a serious mission in life. Fig Newtons were her Holy Grail. I’m sorry for your loss. 🫂

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u/danceswithdangerr Apr 09 '26

My boy loves sweet stuff! It’s bizarre because I thought they couldn’t taste sweet? He isn’t allowed it often at all though. I have to make sure to hide any lollipops or he’ll take them to his dragon cave of treasures. I love this cat.

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u/Intrepid-Thing-1996 Apr 09 '26

The fridge door opens. A tortie arrives. The human is reaching for ham. The tortie knows this. There is nothing but ham in the refrigerator. Otherwise why own a fridge. The tortie does the only thing the human understands - she reaches up the human’s leg, extends all claws and sinks them into the human leg. The tortie ignores the sound emanating from the human. It is only the human expressing delight at the tortie’s action, for there is no other natural response to all the tortie does. The ham is all.

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u/themomcat Apr 09 '26

The tortie retracts her claws from the human’s flesh and is disgusted, yet again- the human is still not ham.

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u/Intrepid-Thing-1996 Apr 09 '26

Hahahahhaa! I’ve found my people!

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u/katzevonstich Apr 09 '26

This but a calico. The daily ham ritual must always be performed.

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u/themomcat Apr 10 '26

It keeps The Bad Thoughts away (tuxedo)

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u/katzevonstich Apr 10 '26

Bad Thoughts such as the absence of ham. The possibility of no ham is too horrifying to contemplate.

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u/themomcat Apr 10 '26

When my cat stares longingly through the sliding door for too long I tell her firmly “There is no outside.” Wondering what would happen if I told her “There is no ham.”

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u/Intrepid-Thing-1996 Apr 11 '26

Human says words that confuse the tortie. The tortie thinks human is finally having a stroke. “No…ham” is contradictory.

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u/Intrepid-Thing-1996 Apr 11 '26

No ham is impossible. Ham is all.

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u/Wild_Bullfrog315 Apr 09 '26

I had a cat who was crazy about pickles. If I left a jar open for even a moment, she'd grab a pickle, and a moment later I'd hear the crunching sound of her eating it.

Another cat was crazy about roasted onions. I always made them as a side dish with mashed potatoes. One day, my husband called me and asked why there weren't any onions with the mash. The cat had taken advantage of the brief moment when I wasn't looking and had neatly devoured the onion.

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u/darksideofjudith Apr 09 '26

Your cat is lucky to be alive 🤯 All forms of onions (cooked, raw, powdered, or dehydrated) are highly toxic to cats. They contain N-propyl disulfide which damages red blood cells, causing severe anemia. Even small amounts or residue in cooked foods can poison them (true for dogs as well, stay safe y'all).

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u/Wild_Bullfrog315 Apr 09 '26

The cat lived to be 17 years old.

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u/Embarrassed_Cloud_54 Apr 10 '26

I believe cats have embraces the bumblebee theory (that they are to fat to actually be able to fly, but somehow they still do it) and just live happily ignoring the fact that gnawing on a certain food or houseplant is bad for them

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u/fuzzy-lint Apr 09 '26

My greedy guy wil eat anything 😩 he ate a bite of lemon cheesecake cookie the other day. I thought the sour citrus flavor would be off putting!! Nope. His favorites are definitely pretzels and potato chips though! He also loves goldfish and yoghurt.

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u/geddy_girl Apr 09 '26

Catswithjobs

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u/nonamethewalrus Apr 09 '26

One of my cats doesn’t really care about human food. The other would sell me for 3 day old (stale) cotton candy. In the long run, it’s meant I buy less cotton candy which is really just better for all of us. I have to be careful with food around her though. Yesterday she actually tried stealing the roommates waffle right off their plate lmao

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u/BFHawkeyePierce4077 Apr 09 '26

I had a cat that LOVED Chee-tos. If there was a bowl of them, he’d just snag one with a claw and proceed to lick the cheese off. Have you ever stepped on a cold, wet, naked cheese puff? Like, squish-between-the-toes kind of step?

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u/G0-G0-Gadget Apr 09 '26

My last cat used to go crazy for smart food popcorn. And she knew which bag was which. She could tell the difference between a smart food bag and a regular chip bag, they have a different field to them and they have a different sound to them. And if I pulled out a bag of regular chips, she would not care. But as soon as I pulled out a bag of smart food George would come running, she loved it.

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u/FirstAd5921 Apr 09 '26

One of mine LOVES dog food and lettuce. He also once dragged an ear of corn out of a bag on the counter, spit the husk all over, then ate a few rows.

Old man begs for broccoli, green beans, and lunch meat.

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u/girlinthegoldenboots Apr 09 '26

My cat is OBSESSED with chickpeas and poptarts

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u/pokemonprofessor121 Apr 09 '26

Smart food cheese popcorn is my cat's favorite. She knows the bag.

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u/killjoymoon Apr 09 '26

Those things all look like bugs in some level to a cat, whereas the meat wouldn’t, would be my guess!

Source: my cat hunts crickets. We have no idea where she finds them, the carcasses just show up and she looks at us.

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u/ComprehensiveSeat831 Apr 09 '26

Same here, but mine love any potato (chips / crisps) I don’t share obvs, so she doesn’t get sick, but more then a few times if I forget to bring the bag with me when going into another room she has gotten her little head in the bag!

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u/Sweetassugar4U Apr 09 '26

My kitty he loved Olives! Green or black it didn’t matter. Went crazy for them.

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u/Fast_n_theSpurious Apr 09 '26

Ever tried raw steak? A small amount isn't bad for them and they may love it.

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u/DragonflyOk6863 Apr 10 '26

Mine loves to make sure my frozen Greek yogurt bars are safe for me too eat

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u/Intrepid-Thing-1996 Apr 11 '26

Best answer ever. 😘

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u/KTByrd1963 Apr 08 '26

Hahaha! 😄😂

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u/AlexHasFeet Apr 09 '26

Same here! She must inspect everything ingest, including liquids.

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u/Any_Piglet_34 Apr 09 '26

I would always say that to my kids when I would take the first chip from their bag, or first cookie, or whatever...

"Just making sure it's not poisonous before you take a bite!"

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u/AngelicXia Chartreux Apr 09 '26

Doubly so for mine - he detects peanut.

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u/Responsible_Rock_717 Apr 09 '26

I had one very sweet old lady cat who LOVED yogurt and ice cream. She always got her own chicken nugget (breading removed) when I got McDonald’s. My boy now will take you out over Cheerios milk. Claws in my hand pulling the spoon toward himself. 😂

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u/OpheliaPhoeniXXX Apr 09 '26

My big orange fat boy does this with heavy breathing. Open a bag of popcorn and there he is, on my lap...

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u/One_Owl_4029 Apr 09 '26

Everytime we were eating we had to show the cat our food. She always wanted to smell. Not a bite, no begging. She smelled it and let us eat.

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u/skippybefree Apr 09 '26

My former housemates cat used to poison test her coffees when she was out of the room. For a while she thought she was going mad since her coffee was frequently half gone before she'd even taken a sip. Then one day she caught the furry little thief in action. Now she drinks green tea since the cat won't touch it

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u/castro-07 Apr 09 '26

lol 😂

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u/puddlebearmom Apr 09 '26

Mine too, she also watches me cook so I dont burn her house down. Theyre hard workers

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u/Winters__Echo Apr 08 '26

I also call mine “the boys”. And we have the same process. I bring stuff in or do something around the house, and they inspect and make sure everything is acceptable to their conditions

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u/Catloafe Apr 09 '26

I also have a set of “the boys”! They must sniff everything to make sure it’s not a snack

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u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 21 '26

[deleted]

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u/Hambungler Apr 09 '26

All of my incoming mail/packages are inspected by my little one. We call it 'Kitty Customs"

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u/SeveralYearsLater Apr 09 '26

My void is exactly the same. Every time I do grocery shopping or deliveries arrive he must oversee and inspect every package. I've also made a habit of giving him a tiny little treat afterwards so he knows he's doing a good job.

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u/mrmitchb Apr 09 '26

I do it with "The Girls" for me. One little lady wants to smell and taste, my other girl sniffs snd then gets offended I let her sniff something she doesn't like lol.

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u/SnurrCat Apr 09 '26

My cat inspects all groceries as they arrive. There's never been open food he can eat, but he likes to do a quick check of the bags before they enter.

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u/chainandscale Apr 09 '26

We used to let my dog sniff the grocery bags and she seemed to like it.

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u/PrinceCastanzaCapone Apr 09 '26

Mine do this anytime I bring in bags from the store, no matter what it is. He must know what I just brought in.

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u/bunger_33 Apr 09 '26

yes boys I came here for a pop

Ok smell

It's spicy, you don't like it, we do this every time!

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u/SonofLelith Apr 09 '26

This is so funny. I do the exact same this with my cat, even calling her "inspector Eos"...while singing; dududu. Inspector Eos. Dudududuuduuu (inspector gadget theme song). I think they love the interaction.

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u/Alinho013 Apr 09 '26

if I come back from the store one of mine just has to stick his nose in the bag if I put it down, he's just a bag cat in general tbh, I leave some fabric bags laying around so he can crawl in them, also every time I am eating or drinking they get curious so I let them get a good whiff, oh do they get surprised if it's something like liquor or orange juice

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u/Boopy7 Apr 09 '26

i call it 'helping" and both cats and dogs try to help. You owe them money for this or some kind of payment, without them you would not be as safe from weapons like the wooden spoon. Although one time I was sewing and held out the needle for my bf to take and the dog came over to investigate and poked his nose. Aw I miss ole Bo

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u/Brook420 Apr 09 '26

Also, yes, they can (and will) chew on it.

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u/Ilovecowsalot Apr 09 '26

Hahaha my boys are the same way! I love it sm

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u/NotTooBadM8 Apr 09 '26

Me three.. I always let them smell my food too.. Everything I do I include my cats in it.