Seems to be a newer generation of kid around lately, easily sighted at eating establishments anywhere, but particularly in Los Gatos, seeing as that's the favorite haunt of this particular cat. These are the kids who not only understand that certain foods are good for them, but also eat them!
A typical scenario occurred last week, during dinner at a local restaurant known for its abundance of leafy greens and soup tureens, among other things. Kids surrounding this cat were eagerly helping themselves to a variety of fresh fixings that rivaled the big salads you usually only see tossed at family reunions and company picnics.
Without any "eat your vegetables" remonstrances from parents, these kids filled their plates. Alert cat-eyes followed one kid back to the table, where sure enough, the hungry tyke began snacking on salad and raw veggie sticks before a tablemate could even open a napkin. During the (in retrospect) all-too-brief days of kittenhood, the Prowler wouldn't touch most salads with a 10-foot fork, unless they were heavily disguised by a favorite dressing or loaded with olives (a favorite fixing). Tastes change, of course, and "rabbit food" is for cats as well as bunnies!
A juice bar trip turned up the amusing sight of a little kid sipping with might and main at a 24-ounce smoothie cup brimming with blenderized fruit, yogurt and other refreshing potables. Two hands were needed for this job, and even then the youngster looked dangerously top-heavy. But at least the drink was a lot healthier than the fatty fast-food milkshakes this cat used to imbibe, along with the good-tasting but mysterious chemicals that color and flavor certain fluorescent drink mixes.
Unnatural choices like these may still linger, but at least healthy alternatives are found more readily now than when this cat was as wee as the aforementioned smoothie sipper. So eat and drink lively, kids (adults, too)!
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, July 24, 1996.
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