The one I often read is cats do this because they want fresh food. Auto-feeders are pricey but seem to be a decent solution to all the above - my cats stopped meowing through the night and knew food was eventually coming, portioned, during the night. They're a little loud but brief and better than caterwauling.

[–] Lemmylefty@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

My old cat used to do this and would tuck into “old” food with gusto when I sat down next to her: I figured out that it was her wanting someone to watch over her while she was vulnerable while eating.

I get why people do it (and I do too, cleanup and access) but I do wonder if putting food at floor level near a heavily trafficked area like the kitchen (which also tends to have multiple entrances/be open concept) would contribute to need to be watched over while eating. It’s not really practical to, say, stick a cat’s bowl up high, but I do wonder if they’d eat more freely as a result.