As I mentioned before, Latte was adopted from a cat rescuer in Doha, Qatar. When we went to meet Latte, the adopter lived in a small apartment with 4 prominent, older Persians who were her permanent pets. At three months old, Latte was a kitten, skinny with a ratty tail. His rescuer told us that she found Latte in a parking garage, fending for himself. Also, she had just returned from a trip, leaving Latte alone with her four cats. We adopted him; he was a bit skittish and jumpy, no surprise, as he was living in a small apartment with four large cats. The four large cats were mild-mannered Persians, indifferent primarily to Latte. Still, he was traumatized by their presence, and let’s not forget his experience in the parking garage.

 Animals can develop food-related issues if deprived of food. We brought Latte home and absolutely smothered him with love, attention, and treats. As a kitten, he had the usual kitten cuteness factor, jumping, playing, and peeking into toilet bowls. He went crazy for the tissue box, dragging the tissues out and tearing them to pieces.

As he grew older, we noticed he had major food insecurities. If we ever left food out, he was not above dragging a bone or a piece of meat to a quiet corner (he broke the top of one of his bottom front teeth trying to chew on a lamb bone). Once he dragged out pouches of his treat from a large box in a cabinet above the kitchen counter, chewed through the foil tube, and left the half-eaten pouches in corners, under beds, and in closets. He would go to any length to gain access to food. Oh, and he absolutely went bonkers for seafood, especially Salmon, but sadly, he is allergic to Salmon. We found out when the Salmon in the kitchen would be missing, and Latte would sport a huge rash on his forehead and lose hair above his eyes, like a couple of bald spots.

His food obsession is funny till he throws up, or we find him with the rash, or we find bones in corners. We do worry about his safety and have learned to keep his food and our food out of his reach. He is fed on time twice a day, but he is not above screaming and madly jumping for food whenever it is time for a meal.