My cat won't eat unless I'm doing something else

Ziggy is a 6-year-old orange tabby and he is very food-motivated, but he refuses to eat unless I am doing something else. If I sit next to him, he stares at the bowl and then walks away. If I am on the phone or cleaning, he eats. Biscuit, my 2-year-old mix, is fine, but Ziggy is a puzzle. I work at a restaurant so I am usually busy, but I need him to eat when I am resting. How do I handle a cat that only eats when there is a distraction or stressor present?

lol this is weird. My cat Milo is a 2 year old tabby and he is basically a vacuum cleaner for food. He will eat anywhere. But I have seen this before. Maybe he is scared of you? Like, are you loud? I am not being rude, but cats are weird. I tried using a automatic feeder for a friend and it worked. Check out Milo ignores the bowl but eats from the dispenser if you want to see that setup. It might just be that he needs the noise of the machine.

Oh no. I feel so bad for Ziggy. My cat Pepper is a 1 year old calico and she is scared of the vacuum. She only eats when the vacuum is on because she thinks it is a big monster that will keep other things away? I don't know. It is so confusing. I wrote about it in Pepper only eats when the vacuum is on. Does Ziggy have a specific thing he likes? Maybe you can sit in the room but not look at him?

This is a common issue with persian mixes. My cat Pumpkin is a 7 year old persian mix and she gets hairballs, but she also refuses to eat if I am too close. I had to start grooming her while she ate to keep her calm. It is a distraction for her, but it makes her feel safe. You might try sitting in the same room but reading a book or something. See Pumpkin needs to eat while I groom her for how I set up the routine. It is not about the stressor, it is about the routine.

Thank you all for the input. I am a marketing manager so I appreciate the structured advice. I have a 5 year old dsh named Nacho and he is healthy, but I worry when cats skip meals. I remember reading that if a cat does not eat for 48 hours, it can be dangerous. I posted about this in Nacho skipped dinner yesterday a while back. For Ziggy, have you tried warming up the food? Sometimes the smell is not strong enough. I found a great thread on Adding broth to Ziggy's food that might help with the appeal.