‘I’ll have fries with that…’
HELEN PIKE, 38, BEST’S DEPUTY LIFESTYLE ED, CROYDON
Betty is a cat of many moods – content, grumpy, curious – but one overriding emotion for our gorgeous eight-year-old domestic short hair, is hunger.
If you dare step into the kitchen, you can guarantee that you’ll feel her slinking around your ankles, finding any opportunity to get extra food. Her tactics range from scratching at the cupboard door to even nipping your ankles in a bid for some extra snacks.
Before you think I’m mean and withhold meals, let me explain. At Betty’s annual check-up the vet explained that she was too heavy (a generous 5.5kg) and needed to go on a restrictive diet plan, so while I’d love to indulge her with treats, I know it’s not in her best interests healthwise!
However, this doesn’t stop her from trying her luck when it comes to hunting down food. No, we’re not talking about live creatures outside – she’s painfully slow at pouncing on mice and birds – Betty’s foodie repertoire focuses more on what us humans tend to eat. She’ll regularly sit underneath my six-year-old son Noah’s chair to catch any scraps and crumbs that miss his mouth, and she even managed to make off with a frozen chicken nugget that had made its way onto the floor.
Her biggest food crime happened last year, though. For my son’s birthday, he had a friend over for a garden play date. Happily tucking into a Happy
Meal, the boys were blissfully unaware that they had a hunter-gatherer in their midst. Before they knew it, Betty had swooped in and taken off with a mouthful of French fries, hiding in the nearby bush to devour her steal. Thankfully after another vet check, Betty’s healthier than ever and as much as I need eyes in the back of my head, I wouldn’t have our feline any other way.