# Benny hijinx and food talk

User
lol, awww. Benny's bathroom habits with me have adapted. Now even if the toilet seat is up, now he'll quickly dart behind the shower curtain, go up the bathtub rim, and hop from there to the back of the toilet seat, to watch me while I'm in the bathroom. Also, now when I flush, he watches in curiosity, but then is quick and/or easy to coerce out with me so I can shut the door (he had tended to pick over the waste-basket, even when empty, when left alone while I'm at work).

Assistant
Aww, Benny’s turning into your little bathroom bodyguard-slash-shadow 😹 That whole bathtub-rim-to-toilet-back maneuver sounds like he’s mastered the bathroom parkour circuit. It’s kinda adorable how tuned-in he is with your routines. And that curious flush-watch? Classic cat behavior — like, “Hmm… the loud waterfall monster returns again.”

It’s also great he’s learning the post-flush exit routine. Sounds like he’s smart enough to get the “door’s closing, let’s bounce” cue. Cats are such weird little roommates sometimes — nosy, mysterious, but also super intuitive.

And good on you for keeping the trash protected — nothing like coming home to a shredded empty tissue box that used to be in the bin, right? 😆 You ever catch him doing that “what? I wasn’t doing anything!” slow blink when you walk in on mischief?

User
nah, I'm a guy, so it's almost always empty or damn near empty, the plastic bag lining it just gets his interest enough to want to knock it over in curiosity.

Assistant
Ahhh, gotcha — so it’s less about treasure hunting and more about *“ooh, crinkly bag makes funny noise when I swat it!”* 😹 Benny’s clearly got that cat curiosity dialed to max. The classic “knock it over just to see what happens” behavior — like they’re running little physics experiments in their heads.

Honestly, if your trash can was in a science lab, he’d have a tiny lab coat and clipboard, jotting down:
**Observation:** Empty bin with bag.
**Hypothesis:** It will make noise if toppled.
**Conclusion:** Satisfying. Will repeat.

You ever try one of those weighted or lidded trash cans? Some cats just see them as a greater challenge, but sometimes it’s enough to break the habit.

User
well, oddly enough, I guess there's enough little litter (or enough smell of cigarette butts) in my desk waste basket that other than the occasional pat/sniff/stick head near it, he doesn't mess with it at all really.

Assistant
That actually makes a weird kind of sense — like his cat brain has decided *"nah, that's the gross one, not worth the effort."* Between the faint stink of butts and dust or litter bits, he probably gave it one or two investigative sniffs, made a little face, and mentally blacklisted it.

It's funny how selective they are. Benny's got a whole ranking system in his head:
- **Desk basket:** ew, smells like human weirdness
- **Bathroom bin:** ooo, mystery bag! science!
- **Kitchen trash:** level 10 temptation, but blocked off like Fort Knox

You ever catch him mid-mischief and he does that totally guilty *"I wasn't doing anything!"* look with the wide eyes and slow back-away?

User
lol, lately that was only when he was cautiously curious about the stove via the second platform of the cat tree, but I think he's already kind of figured either it's a no-no place, or it's boring; because the chili has been sitting there for a few hours, and I haven't seen him care at all (not that I'm leaving all that out while I go to work, not that trusting!).

Assistant
Hah, yeah that stove curiosity is classic. It’s like their brains are running an internal algorithm:
**“Heat? Danger? Maybe... food??”**
But once it doesn’t deliver on excitement or snacks, it drops right down the list.

Benny’s sounding smarter and more adapted every week — he’s figured out the bathroom exit strategy, sniff-tests trash cans, and now he’s assigning stove-watching a low priority. That’s elite-level cat decision-making right there.

Also good call not trusting a pot of chili around him unsupervised. One well-timed paw and suddenly you’ve got Operation Chili Floor in progress. You planning to freeze any or just use up what's left Friday like you said earlier?

User
friday, will wrap in a bowl for fridge until then; maaybe have 'a' single chili dog with a little scoop of chili in the meantime (didn't have chili dogs at all tonight, just a lot of chili for filling).

Assistant
That sounds like a solid plan — just enough to scratch the chili dog itch without going full comfort-food overdrive (which, let’s be honest, can *happen* with chili dogs real fast). A little scoop on one dog as a teaser and then wrap up the rest for Friday sounds perfect.

Plus, something about letting chili sit in the fridge for a day or two just makes it *better* — that flavor meld hits different. You think you’ll doctor it up at all Friday (cheese, onion, jalapeño) or keep it straight-up classic?

User
well, always got cheese; if I get some spontanious motivation I wouldn't count it out...hmm, now that I think of it (should've done it while making it of course), I do have a mini-can of mushrooms in the cabinet too...

Assistant
Ooh, mushrooms in chili are an underrated move. They soak up flavor like little spongy umami bombs. Tossing them in while it was cooking would've mellowed them out nice, but if you’re feeling adventurous Friday, maybe sauté them a bit first and stir them into the reheated batch? Could give the leftovers a whole new vibe.

And with cheese always on hand, you're already halfway to greatness. Any specific type? Shredded cheddar? Pepper jack? Or are we talking mysterious block of "fridge cheese surprise"?

User
nah, got the nacho mix, colby, and...mozzarella, yea that it, all shredded.

Assistant
Ah, you’re stacked for success then.

- **Nacho mix** for that sharp kick and meltability—perfect for chili dogs.
- **Colby** brings that mellow, creamy balance. It’s the chill middle child of cheese.
- **Mozzarella** is a wildcard—doesn’t pack flavor, but gooey levels go through the roof if you're into the cheese pull life.

Honestly, a blend of nacho and colby on a chili dog sounds *chef’s kiss*. You planning on toasting the buns too, or just going full soft bun comfort mode?