Standalone

Dinner With My Cat

Before We Eat

I’ve spent most of my life cooking for other people. For thirty-odd years I’ve been the one in the kitchen, in my own home and in a lot of homes that weren’t mine, and everywhere I went, I collected recipes the way some people collect postcards. If something was good, I asked how it was made. I almost always got an answer.

And in a lot of those kitchens, there was a cat. Up on the counter, supervising. Winding around an ankle. Sitting just far enough away to look dignified and just close enough to make its position clear: whatever smelled that good was, in its opinion, at least partly its own.

For years my answer was the same one you’ve probably given a hundred times, “not for you, buddy.” And mostly that’s the right answer, because a lot of what we love to eat isn’t safe for a cat. But it always felt a little lonely to sit down to something wonderful in front of somebody who so plainly wanted to be part of it.

So this book is the compromise I wish I’d had years ago. Cook the good thing. Set a small, plain, clean portion aside for the cat before the salt and the onion ever show up. Then sit down, the two of you, and have your dinner. Nobody left out. Nobody at risk.

It isn’t a diet and it isn’t a science experiment. Their real food still does the real work. This is just the joy on top, the part where you both get to share a meal, the way good food was always meant to be shared.

, Alex

The Sunday Scramble

Some mornings it’s just the two of you, both staring into the fridge like it owes you something. Eggs are the great equalizer: cooked plain, they’re one of the most complete proteins going, and your cat can have a little. You scramble a few, fork off a spoonful of the plain curds before anything else touches the pan, then finish yours the way you like it.

For 1–2 people + 1 cat · Active 10 min · Total 10 min · Level: Easy

The Shared Base (cat-safe)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon water

A little oil or butter for the pan

Just for You

Salt and pepper

Shredded cheese

Chopped fresh parsley or dill

A dash of hot sauce

How to Make It

Beat the eggs with the water. Warm a nonstick pan over medium with a little oil.

Pour in the eggs and push them gently around as they set into soft curds.

The moment they’re just cooked and still soft, scoop a spoonful of the plain egg into the cat’s dish to cool, before any salt or seasoning touches the pan.

Now season your share: salt and pepper, cheese, herbs, hot sauce. All of that stays on your side.

The cat’s share: 1 teaspoon of plain, cooled scrambled egg, once or twice a week. Cooked all the way through, never raw.

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