The other day I sat down on the floor to entertain the kitties with the "food game." This is a highly enjoyable activity -- for both me and the felines -- where I flick dry cat food across a slippery floor and watch them "hunt" the prey down and kill it. Sometimes I'm even rewarded with a kitty sliding head first into a coffee table or other stationary piece of furniture. The resounding thud is very satisfying.

No, they don't get hurt. They LIKE it. Stop dialing PETA.

And even though M is still unsure of his level of affection for my fuzzy little daughters, he does enjoy watching chubby house cats pretending to be lions pretending that pieces of dry kibble are juicy antelopes. Often, he joins in on the fun and tosses pieces of food out to the kitties. (His technique is a little off, but I do appreciate the effort.)

But, on this day, M decided to experiment. I looked up to see him tossing a piece of cat food into his mouth. (specifically the beef and rice formula from Purina One.) Then another. And then ANOTHER. "Mmmmm... good stuff," he says, "pretty tasty." After he registered my look of horror, he said, "No, really. Here, try it."

My first thoughts were 1) Ewww, no I don't wanna try it. Have you ever smelled my cats' breath? 2) I've eaten in CHINA where they eat chicken's feet and pig intestines. I'm not afraid of a little kitty food. 3) If I were a good mother... the kind that maybe I'll be one day with human children... I'd try the food so I'd know exactly what my little darlin's are eating every day. Good mothers try the strained prunes and mashed peas... and this is just beef and rice, right? Right?

So, I popped a piece into my mouth. Crunch, crunch, crunch... and at first taste, it's not too bad. It's not filet mignon and risotto, but it's not disgusting either. However, the finish -- to steal from wine tasting terminology -- is... let's see, what word am I grasping for here... oh right... revolting. Think old fish topped with rancid meat garnished with a side of moldy bread and you have an approximate understanding of what I'm talking about.

But, this was not all some evil joke on his part. He truly does think it's tasty.

At least he has good taste in women. :)

(okay okay, I had to go there before someone beat me to the joke.)