An early-morning text from a pet sitter left one traveling cat owner laughing after her usually easygoing feline had turned into what her friends called an “evil furry alarm clock.”
Owner Meredith, who is known on Reddit as u/Nervardia, told Newsweek she recently left her cat, Panda, at a friend’s house for four nights while she traveled to Sydney. All was fine until the second morning when Panda decided the sitters needed an early wake-up call because she wanted her cat food.
“He told me she had been waking them up to feed her at 4 a.m. on Tuesday, which was a bit weird because she tends to let me sleep in,” she said.
In her post on the r/CatsAreA****** subreddit last week, Meredith shared the texts she received from her friends explaining why Panda started the day early. It reads: “About 5 am this morning…..,” along with a picture of the cat sitting on one of her friends, who covered her eyes at the bright light seeping into the room. It was clear her friends were not used to this before-sunrise alarm clock.
Panda had no problem getting up close and personal with the cat sitters. She looked at the camera, unamused that they were not listening to her demands.
Meredith “can’t cope” with what happened, but laughed it off before quickly apologizing for Panda’s early wake-up call. She asked a few follow-up questions and realized they had been taking Panda’s food away after 30 minutes, which is different than what Panda is used to.
“Panda grazes during the day, so she wasn’t eating as much food as she normally does, hence the waking up at ungodly hours,” she said.
What Is Free Feeding for Cats?
While the type of food you give your cat matters, how and when you feed them also play an important role. Each cat will have a preference, with some, including Panda, opting for free feeding.
A vet-reviewed Catster article explains that free feeding can benefit busy owners by removing the need for a strict feeding schedule. The method allows cats to eat several small meals throughout the day on their own schedule, which is often closer to their natural eating pattern.
However, experts warn that free feeding can increase health risks, including obesity in cats, because it makes portion control and intake tracking more difficult. Anxious cats might prefer a schedule over managing their own food times. It can also delay detection of health problems, since changes in appetite are harder to spot.
Reddit Users React
The moment quickly gained traction after it appeared on Reddit, reaching over 35,000 upvotes and 200 comments as of Sunday.
“I love when cats get too comfortable with you,” one user wrote.
A second added: “That is such a cute little cat, I couldn’t even be mad waking up to that lol.”
Someone else chimed in as Panda and commented: “Hey, I know you’re new around here, but let me explain something to you, new guy.”
Luckily for Meredith, there was no ill will after the earlier-than-expected mornings. She said she chatted with her friend’s wife when she picked up Panda, who said they “really enjoyed” having her over and offered to cat sit again.
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