My Pet World: Does my cat really want us to watch him eat?

Dear Cathy,

Oliver is our 3-year-old cat. He was rescued at about 8 weeks old. He has grown to become a happy, healthy and very playful adult cat. However, he has one odd behavior that we don't understand. Before he approaches his food bowls, he will meow at whatever family member is nearby to come and stand next to him while he eats. Sometimes while he is eating, he'll look up to make sure the person is still there and can be reassured with a little pet. If the person is otherwise preoccupied, he'll just sit there and meow until they come. This behavior isn't really an inconvenience; rather, we find it kind of amusing. We are just curious why he behaves this way. My daughter's theory is that he wants someone to "watch his back" while he's eating. -- Sandy, Seaford, NY

Dear Sandy,

Your daughter's theory is likely correct. Cats are always on the lookout for danger, falling asleep throughout the day, but always ready to pounce at a moment's notice. When they are eating, they are vulnerable, so Oliver is simply asking your family to "watch his back," as you say.

Most cats, however, don't refuse to eat unless a family member is around. But when a cat can communicate his wishes and get his family to comply, I consider the cat highly- intelligent and the family highly-intuitive. I love that your family responds to him and stands with him while he eats. Oliver's very lucky to have such a loving and perceptive family.

Dear Cathy,

My son's dog, a beautiful 2-year-old German shepherd, is great in so many ways except for one habit/compulsion: she constantly wants to play ball. Even after a two-mile run she can't just sit down and relax. We love her and want the best for her, but she is relentless with this habit to a point where people get really annoyed. Please give us some advice on how to calm her. She is such a great dog but needs some guidance. -- Meg, Port Jefferson, NY

Dear Meg,

Ironically, the qualities that exhaust you are the exact qualities the government looks for in bomb-sniffing dogs. These dogs are trained with toys. When they detect a "scent" in training, they get the toy back for a minute to play. So, as you can imagine, bomb-sniffing dogs are highly-motivated to pick up "the scent," so they can get their toys back.

Exercising the dog is a good start, but some dogs need training to relax. Put all her toys away, so she knows playtime is over, and begin training her to "stay" (preferably on a dog bed or small blanket) for a minute or two before giving her a treat. Have your son build on this "stay" time over the next few weeks, rewarding her with treats every time she shows relaxation poses, like laying her head down or rolling her hips to the side.

To get her to stay longer, give her a Kong filled with frozen peanut butter that she can work on for a while. If this gets her too excited, stick with the treats. Your son's initial goal should be 10-minutes rest, eventually leading up to a 30-minute "stay." Always follow-up playtime with a "rest period" and she will eventually learn to settle down on her own.

Dear Cathy,

What can I do to discourage my doxie's occasional dog-poop eating? I try to pick it up every day but sometimes she gets back outside before I do. Also, my daughter can't clean her yard every day and her dog "snacks" as well, sometimes bringing dried poop back inside -- yuck! Is there anything we can add to their food that will make their poop unappealing? We both reprimand them when we see it happening but that hasn't seemed to do the trick. -- Malinda, Tucson, AZ

Dear Malinda,

Unless this poop-eating is the result of a health problem, reprimanding the dogs won't change this behavior, which is called coprophagia. Some remedies that are not necessarily proven effective have included adding pineapple, cottage cheese or yogurt to their food to alter the taste of the poop. But I recommend one of the over-the-counter coprophagia products that can be given to all the dogs to make all the poop in the yard unpalatable.

Picking up poop every day is a must, but also training the dogs to come for a treat every time they poop can reduce access to the remaining poop still in the yard.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)