Pushy children

Hazel was semi-feral when she came to us, but I have hopes that she will become more trusting and tame enough to adopt. Working towards this, I sometimes give her a plate of food and sit near her, which she accepts.

This morning, I sat with a plate of food next to where she was. She hissed, but didn’t leave, and I put the food in front of her. She was eating with me close by, and I was pretty happy with that.

Then her kittens decided her food must be better than what they were eating, and one by one three of the four came and pushed in to eat hers – even though it was exactly the same as theirs! First Farley, then Charlie Pie, then Smudge. Puck just kept eating where he was – a paté in the paw is worth two … somewhere else.

Farley (tabby on the right), Charlie Pie (calico, behind him), and Smudge (smudgy one on the left) all decided it would be tastier to take mom’s food than eat the identical food I’d already put down for them. Hazel was pushed right out! There’s plenty to go ’round, so she will probably go and eat theirs.