Mister Gato's new tactic

I don't have a picture of this yet, due to poor planning and the unnaturally early hour at which this occurs, but Mister Gato has an enormously amusing new dominance tactic that he has been practicing of late.

I have turned into that most lamentable of creatures, the early riser. (The work I get done between about five in the morning and around nine o'clock, when my colleagues around the country start to come online, is usually the most productive of the day by far.) One of the first things I do upon waking is feed the animals. Mister Gato gets his crunchy kibble in his little dish, and the dogs get theirs.

Well, lately, Mister Gato has been hunkering down for a few seconds in front of the dog dishes and ceremonially eating a little kibble (one or two nuggets) before he moves on to his preferred breakfast. The bemused Chow Chows stand by and wait for him to finish tasting their food, having learned early not to trifle with the cat while he's eating.

Judging from the faces he makes, I don't think Mister G. likes the taste of dog food very much. It is absolutely clear, though, what he is doing and why.

There's not a good expression for it in American idiomatic English, but the Brits have a perfect one. (See also.)

I'll try very hard to get a picture of this soon.