Why is it that dogs will eat just about any food item that passes near their snout, while cats are far more selective? Is it that cats have a more refined sense of taste and style, or are they just malcontents?

Through the years, I’ve witnessed dogs wolf down decade-old pantry remnants like they’re being pampered with some scrumptious culinary feast while cats will turn up their nose at something you could have had a 3-star Michelin chef prepare specifically for them.

My dogs, a golden retriever, Shakira, and wirehaired fox terrier, Scooter, follow me around like I’m a slot machine that frequently pays out jackpots in the form of indescribably delicious treats. These treats range from genuine meaty morsels to pieces of their relatively bland dog food kibble, even vegetables.

Whether it’s a piece of smoked turkey breast or a month-old baby carrot, the dogs don’t discriminate. Their eyes dance with anticipation, their mouths open up like feeding time at Gator Land in Florida — and they “tonsil the treat” in its entirety as it skips across their taste buds on a rocket ship ride through the gullet to the gut. Their eating style could be termed “inhalation.”

Why do dogs “gorge with gusto” and cats “consume with caution?”

It’s simple, Marty, answers my colleague Dr. Janice Willard. You just need to look at how these critters fed themselves way back before they were even living with humans.

Dogs evolved from the wolf, which are pack animals and hunt in a group. They catch big prey, but infrequently. So it was feast or fasting for them. They might only score with a big kill every few days. In between times, it was eat whatever you could find.

Hunting in a group meant eating in a group, creating intense competition for food. Protection of food and rapid ingestion (what you termed inhalation) were thus survival skills. In addition, all the canid family tends to be opportunistic feeders. Look at coyotes and jackals: They never met a calorie they didn’t like. Even the wolf has eating habits that are decidedly cosmopolitan. And some scientists now believe dogs evolved from the wolves because of their prowess as scavengers.

Marty: So that explains why my old Labrador retriever Sirloin, in what had to be the pinnacle of dietary indiscretion, went exploring in the nearby woods and dragged home and snacked on a rotting skunk carcass?

Janice: Afraid so

Marty: So what about our barn cats, Tommy, Colby, Krissy, Bones, Scrat, and Varmit? Over the years I’ve tempted, lured, cajoled, tricked and plain pleaded with them to eat bits of leftover meat and practically every treat on PetsMart’s shelf. But they’ll have none of it (although they do seemed amused by my pleading).

Janice: Domestic cats evolved from a small desert feline that specialized in hunting small prey like mice and birds, perhaps the earliest “fast food.” They had no need to either gorge themselves or scavenge because their natural prey was plentiful and easy for them to catch. (Although starving feral cats will turn to scavenging to survive). This also explains why cats prefer to nibble small mouse-sized meals all day while there are dogs who act like they want to bolt down an entire moose if given the chance. The last piece of the puzzle is that kittens learn a lot of their eating habits from their mama, who in the wild teaches them how and what to hunt. So feeding a kitten a variety of foods will lead to less pickiness later.

Marty: But the happy ending to this story is that after years of searching for treats that would make my cat’s tails swish with excitement, I’ve finally found two different cat treats that I GUARANTEE your cats will not just crave, but come running like dogs when you open the lid.

Kitty Kaviar is dried Bonito filets that have been carved wafer thin (they’re transparent like Limoge china. My cat’s love the all-natural fish aroma, too.

Another line of treats that even Morris the Cat would dive head first for are Liv-a-Littles. These treats are made with freeze-dried chicken, beef or cod, and my cats will literally get up on their haunches and beg for them.

No matter what you feed your pets for food or treats, remember to feed in moderation. Fat cats and pudgy pooches may be funny in cartoons, but the health problems they suffer in real life are dead serious.

Tips from the cats

With the holiday season upon us, I decided to ask one of my cats for some tips for a purrfect meal, straight from the cats’ mouth:

No grazing: Smelling that food around here 24-7 actually spoils my appetite, and I always feel a little full. How about twice a day for a half hour then get that chow outta here? I could use a 24-hour fast every once in a while, too.

Mix up the menu: If you had to eat the same thing every day, you would become finicky, too.

Fine dining with a view: I would like to make a permanent dinner reservation where I have a nice perch off the floor somewhere all by myself. I am not anti-social, it is just that cats are solitary eaters.

Dinner ware: That flimsy bowl you make me eat from is too narrow and makes my whiskers bunch up and then I get food on my handsome face. I demand a nice flat bowl that has enough weight that it won’t slide around.

Moisture: I like variety, including moist meals. Eating dry stuff every day is like eating sand.

Freshness: Keep the food fresh. Remember, you are not fermenting my dinner, you’re feeding your best friend.

Aroma and reality: The gamier and less processed the food, the more curious and appealing. Those processed foods lack the natural vitamins and enzymes that my body needs.

— Dr. Marty Becker is a veterinary contributor for ABC’s “Good Morning America.”