All cat carers know that cats are stubborn and they will normally get what they want when they want it. In many cases it is the humans' fault as they seem to underestimate the thinking capabilities of the cats. Cats not only have a large brain comparing to the rest of their body but also they have good short and long term memory and also they are easy to train (when they want to and there is something to gain) and they will learn from us!
When my cat wants to eat he will go through a long list of things that he will do to get his dinner or breakfast more likely, things which he knows will annoy us and make us eventually give in to his demands.
So the first thing he will try in the morning it will normally be the usual feed me now, I'm starving, 'having eaten for days...', 'meow', in many different begging and rather pathetic tones to loud and demanding ones. Then when this doesn't seem to work he will go to phase two: the litter tray. Digging and covering in the cat tray it can be really annoying when it is consistent and goes on for what it seems to be forever...and at the early hours of the morning, the sound can easily drive you off the bend! If this doesn't work then it is phase three the climbing of the rails at the staircase and the mad chase of himself... At this point my partner has already given up and has decided that it is time to get up and feed the cat which of course results in the cat's mind as a total success since he got what he wanted, getting up one of the humans so they can feed him....of course there is always phase four which never fails, the chasing of the other two cats which ends up in a lot of growling, hissing and meowing and which of course never fails to get up both the humans!
