Not sure where to post this, but I'd like to voice my opinion. Whenever in games there is a cat, the developers show giving a domestic cat raw fish, milk or other weird things. Anyone who owns a cat knows they won't eat raw fish and milk can cause diarehia.sp? You can always tell when they don't have a pet cat!

I hadn't thought about it, Laurette, but it's funny, isn't it?

I don't think it's a case of the developers not having cats, though - I think it's just become conventional to give them those things.

I've known plenty of cats that would eat raw fish that was left over from a fishing trip.

I've only known one adult cat that would drink milk, and she was a farm cat.
I think many of them become lactose intolerant as adults.

Here's a reddit article about cats and milk.
***If cats are lactose intolerant...***

This site recommends lactose-free milk if your cat likes the taste of milk
http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-is-it-okay-for-my-cat-to-have-milk
I like the picture of the cat getting it straight from the cow.

Those were some interesting reads on the first link Jenny!

My cat's vet says you should never give milk to cat because there are other things that upset their stomachs and if you gave them milk then he can't discount lactose intolerance, but if you don't give them milk and their sick he can at least discount that.

I used to have a cat that liked yogurt. My current furiend does not.

I don't object to the following minor perennial story hole/point of improbability; however, I do notice that if the player character wants to get past the fierce dog, cat, or bird, PL feeds said threat and the animal either runs away with the prize or allows us to pass by and retrieve the golden snitch. When was the last time you trotted past a vicious dog gnawing a bone and deemed it safe to scoop up an item from its bowl? And why do the animals always move out the way to eat, other than to allow player progress I mean? I have a lot of dogs and the few that would nail an intruder would not be pacified with food. They might eat it but they would dart away from it temporarily to do what they regard as their duty, chasing optimistic players unfamiliar with canine behavior.

My dogs won't be enticed with food if you are an intruder! No one passes without an invite!

Yes, the animals in these games are certainly an easy sell. You can get rid of bears, too, with just a little bit of honey.

Let's not forget, these are GAMES, not real life! And good thing if your dogs won't eat food from an intruder because REAL LIFE people are MEAN!!!
(Well, not EVERYBODY.)

Some great links!

Our cats are rationed with Whiskas catmilk (another marketing triumph), and are pampered daily with cooked fish which pretty much has to be frozen cod from Marks and Spencer (i.e. posh fish): interestingly, they will sometimes eat other cooked meat and fish which they would not otherwise touch if it is part of one of our (human) meals.

On the gaming front, I think that any animal which is hungry enough can probably be distracted by food so this is plausible for stray or wild animals but not so much domestic ones and especially trained guard dogs (although some of those are probably kept hungry to improve their edge): it is also plausible for a cat (hussies that they are) to offer at least token friendship to a total stranger in return for food'n'fuss - I think that dogs are probably generally a little harder to win over!

Of course these are games, not real life. That's why it's reasonable to expect them to be entertaining, not rendered boring by repetition of cliches. I am looking out for continued amusement in my dotage by urging game developers to develop. If a sequence with a cat is planned, why not do a bit research on cat behavior? For example, barn cats and feral cats will sometimes pack up to chase a dog out of the territory. In that context, pity the adventurer who gives the single puss in view a can of tuna because far from disappearing more cats will arrive. Turning expectations on their head adds some interest, even if the variation is as minor as scooping a white cat from a loft to chase a menacing dog off screen. That last was in a good casual game loosely based on Village of the Damned.

Thanks everybody for your input!