Emotional Eating

There's a common stereotype about emotional eaters. You know, the people who eat when they are down. The image is that after being dumped by her boyfriend, a woman sits home and eats an entire lasagna, a half gallon of ice cream, and a package of cookies. Of course, everyone recognizes that this type of eating is unhealthy and will lead to serious weight gain. Food is not actually a substitute for love, companionship, or happiness. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get this idea across to Beckham.

We were away from the house for 40 hours this weekend. From 8am Saturday to midnight Sunday. Before we left, we made sure the cat had full food and water bowls. Normally, I only fill the cat's food bowl every 5 or 6 days. But sure enough, when we open the front door, the cat is yowling it's so happy to see us, and the bowl is empty. The cat immediately started eating the second more food hit the bowl as if it was starving. I have visions of the cat just living with its head in the bowl while we're gone. "I'm so lonely; nobody loves me; I'll just devour everything in sight."