Our Vegetarian Cat

Dave and I have an awesome cat named Mieka. We got her off the landing of the stairs of our old condo a year and a half ago. The poor thing was scared, dirty, half starved, and had clearly lost a great deal of fights with other cats. She was very sweet and instantly won a special place in our hearts. She is truly such an awesome cat that we have had a few proclaimed cat HATERS say they love our cat and think she's great. She is the perfect ratio of playful, cuddly, and self-sufficient. She is also just plain adorable.

It wasn't to long before we started to get to know what "people foods" she liked. Not that she refuses to eat cat food-she always does, but she's often curious about what we are eating. First we realized that she didn't like tuna as much as we expected her to, but it didn't seem odd. Then came chicken. She liked to lick the seasonings off the meat, but never bothered to eat the piece after licking off the sauce or herbs. This was true for other meats and fishes. The things that she actually begs for are quite different from what you would expect a cat to crave. The first and probably her favorite is apples. Every time I'm eating an apple she will come running from whatever room she was in and jump right up in front of me. The only way to stop her from literally trying to lick the apple I am chewing right out of my mouth is to cut off a small piece and give it to her. She ends up with about four pieces until she is satisfied enough to leave me alone. Another of her favs is tomatoes. We first discovered her love of tomatoes toward the end of her first summer with us. We had bought some Roma tomatoes for a special pasta dish we like and had them in a bowl in the kitchen. When we got home the next night ready to make our favorite pasta we found she had somehow managed to get two of the tomatoes out of the bowl and eaten them. The skins were scattered around the kitchen (not as big of a mess as it sounds). Since then any time we eat something with fresh tomatoes (she doesn't like canned as much) she is right up at the table begging for a piece. Other unexpected foods she loves include squash, pears, cucumbers, blueberries, and most leafy plants.

I only hope Aeslyn will find the same preference for fresh fruits and vegies over hot dogs and mac and cheese.