Feeding time
Roxy and Arthur
Working cocker spaniels eat to live. Arthur has to be persuaded to concentrate on eating and is very easily distracted. He is a fizzy little dog, tail and nose never still, and he would like to be a lap dog. He is such an affectionate fellow.
Gilbert
Working Labradors live to eat. For Roxy, eating is a hobby, one that she likes to indulge as often as possible. Gilbert enjoys his food, but is not greedy. Is that a difference between male and female dogs?
Bitches, in the expectation of rearing puppies, are hard-wired to eat when food is freely available, to build up fat reserves against the times when food is scarce. The instinct remains despite being spayed. That’s just my observation – I’m not a behavioural expert.
Arthur is busy most of the time. Gilbert is a lively young lad and Roxy watches the two boys play, relieved that she is having some respite and giving an occasional short bark of remonstration if they get too noisy or rough.
We call Jellicoe the third Labrador. He would also like to develop his obsession with food and steals from the dogs’ bowls if he can get away with it, as well as swiping food from our plates. For him, the naughty corner is the conservatory. He doesn’t really mind – it’s light and warm and full of plants – and his banishment never lasts long.
Herschel
Herschel is just a normal cat. He eats when he’s hungry and doesn’t attempt to supplement his rations with food from other sources.
All of them!! Such lovely animals! Jellicoe's markings are splendid- unusual beauty. My fave though has got to be Herschel. Reminding of one of our long gone cats.
ReplyDeleteInteresting about bitches being foodsters- that makes sense.
Maybe the same logic could be applied to women - we eat in the expectation of rearing young ;-)
DeleteThey are all adorable Janice!!! Just so precious. Blackie is one of those that lives to eat ... he will clean up anything that the other two leave & then go hunting as well. He is hugely overweight & I have told The Mr that if i ever have to take him to the Vets I am going to pretend he is the neighbors cat as I would get such a telling off for his weight.
ReplyDeleteOne of our cats was overweight, but he wasn't greedy, just indolent, but a lovely, lovely boy. I'm surprised Blackie is overweight if he hunts, though. He just has a very efficient metabolism :-)
DeleteThey are all very dear. Gilbert is heart-melting. I closely monitor Cricket's food; he tries to convince me that he's deserving of more frequent snacks. I know his weight would balloon without supervision.
ReplyDeleteCats can be very persuasive. Does Cricket follow you everywhere, begging for food?
DeleteHis feeding "station" is in the kitchen work area (this needs to change but it's so convenient) and he inserts himself into the middle of everything. He's been known to bite my ankles for immediate attention. He gets that all right but it doesn't produce the reward he thinks it should.
DeleteOur neutered male dog would wolf food down, and then look for more, hanging around when the cats were eating, ready to pounce on what they might leave.
ReplyDeleteOur spayed female dog ate because instinct told her too. She was never interested in what we were eating or cooking, unlike the male. She didn't eat a lot and ate slowly.
So that doesn't really fit your theory, at least in this one instance.
That is so interesting and certainly disproves my theory. Live and learn.
DeleteMy cat eats a bit more in winter than in summer, but never over-eats and rarely finishes the small portions in her dishes. She gets one bowl with wet food and one with dry kibble and she eats a bit of both before going back to sleep.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense to eat more in winter, when food is required for fuel. The instinct remains, even in indoor cats. Lola knows what she's doing.
ReplyDeleteOur lovely Purdy came to us at about a year old, she was a stray, which friends took in, but she hated their dogs, she never forgot her first year and would often gulp down her food, but never stealing Graces. We always left dried food down, which was never her first choice.
ReplyDeletePurdy and Grace had a lovely home with you.
DeleteGeorge could hear me peel a banana from the next room and he would come rushing in. He loved his food.
ReplyDeleteHow funny. I just have to say 'Right' and they're all looking at me, ready to follow.
DeleteFunny how each pet we have eats differently. I've had 5 indoor cats in my life and I think each one had their own approach to how much and how often , if I'd let them choose.
ReplyDeleteYou just can't generalise about animals, any more than you can about people. You know the sort of thing - 'All redheads are quick-tempered.'
DeleteLook at Roxy and Arthur's soulful eyes... they melt the heart of the human observer.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly know how to plead . . .
DeleteThat's heart melting when you have something to eat in your hand and a dog watches you ! It looks like if he had eaten the last time months ago ! And in reality he or she look quite round. They are adorable dogs. Yesterday there were two black Labradors participating in our neighbor get together, who sat there and looked at me, was hard to resist ! Seeing our house was a pleasure for me, because the new owners are adorable and have changed everything in the house, looks beautiful ! They have put solar panels on the roof and a and where Dario's sandpit was, there is now a beautiful yacuzzi ! I am glad that our house is in good hands, I I don't care much about houses or furniture, I'm more attached to people and animals. Without Rick it's not the same house !
ReplyDeleteWe have learnt to resist the imploring looks from our dogs or they'd be the size of a house.
DeleteBess is a real scavenger and absolutely loves her food and treats! I'm sure she'd tried to steal from her fellow pets should she have them.
ReplyDeleteHow cute is that photo of Gilbert, by the way! xxx
It's strange how some cats are greedy and others aren't. We put Jellicoe's ravenous appetite down to his diabetes.
DeleteOur lab girl Jas lives to eat for sure, interesting what you said about bitches, even when spayed - that makes sense to me. Our vet has said Jas is a bit overweight so she's currently on a cut down.......and inevitably I feel rotten when those big brown eyes bore into us at food prep and meal times!
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
Labradors are the masters (or mistresses) of making their owners feel guilty :-)
DeleteVery nice photographs of Roxy, Arthur, Gilbert, Jellicoe and Herschel.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Thank you! It's nice to get a photograph of a cat awake, actually. Honestly, they could sleep for England!
ReplyDeleteThey are lovely animals and all so different in character. Always interesting to read your observations of them.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to note their characteristics and temperaments.
ReplyDelete