Have any of your cats done this?

[badgerpup]

Observed behavior:
Youngest cat gets away with murder when it comes to horning in at feeding station.

When Riktor was 'the baby', both Esme and Misha (senior to him by 4 years and 10 years respectively) would step aside and let him eat...although it was usually just a bite or two.
Seemed like a "Because I CAN! sort of thing as opposed to actually being hungry; he'd had ample opportunity and access to the food before the other cats decided to eat.

Time passed, Misha crossed the Bridge, new cats in the house, and Riktor is no longer 'the baby' (although I've assured him he'll always be my baby). That post was taken over by Wimsey...both Riktor and Esme would step aside for Wimsey when he decided to horn in while they were eating. Again, it was more "Because I CAN!"
This occurred most often when the older cat would come in from outside, head for the food...then the younger cat would all of a sudden be starving and have to eat RIGHT NOW...and the older cat would :eyes: and think "Kids...OY!" (or however it comes out in Feline) and allow him to do so.

June, 2008 and we welcome 6-week old Finnegan :bounce: into the household...and now Wimsey- as well as Esme and Riktor- will all step aside when Finn decides he's got to eat RIGHT NOW.

Bit of difference though... I've observed Finn and Wimsey both eating out of the feeding station tray at the same time quite amicably.

These two are developing a very close bond, however...not only eating, but playing and sleeping together and grooming each other. :pals:

[AZBlue]

1. Do you think it's a mothering or fathering instinct?

They want to make sure the baby is well-nourished and by instinct step aside so the baby can get all the food he or she needs?

[Kookaburra]

2. Mine did the same thing when I brought the kitten home

Don't know what it's all about, but it almost seems like a "let the youngsters eat first" kind of thing. Perhaps in the wild, when they're not sure of their next meal, this doesn't happen, but my kitties know there's always more food if they run out, so they let little Moonbeam eat all she wants first, then they eat later.

Here's the baby:

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Some sort of instinctual regard for babies...and their need for nourishment?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Yes.

When I brought little three-pound Pixie home last year, she elbowed her way to the food dish with no resistance at all from Milo (15 lbs.) and Jeoffry (13 lbs.). I think they always let the little ones eat first. Pixie still gets to eat first if she wants to.

[Sanity Claws]

5. So that's what's going on!

I adopted an adult cat (Sebastian) and a kitten (Oliver) around the same time. Since then, the kitten has grown into a BIG cat, about 25% bigger than the adult cat who was adopted with him.
They have their individual dishes of dry food and no pushing there happens. However, when I put out their little treat of canned food, Oliver gulps his food down and then goes to Sebastian's dish and Sebastian just walks away, letting Oliver have the rest of the canned food. I always thought it was because Sebastian was a lover, not a fighter. I guess there is something else going on; Sebastian still thinks of Oliver as the kitten.