Our orange tabby Edna died last year at age 19. We got her at 5 weeks old and never in her life would she ever eat any kind of canned cat food. I had never seen a cat like that. We free-fed Edna, left the dry food in one of those little hoppers so she could get it when she wanted it. She loved snacking and would take a piece or two of kibble and go about her business. She was never overweight and had a beautiful coat all her life. When she was young, she loved Deli-Cat which is carried at the grocery store. I am sure cat experts would be horrified at that, but it was Edna's favorite. When she got older, her belly couldn't handle Deli-Cat anymore, so we switched to a senior cat formula, still the dry type. She also loved treats. I think it is more the idea that it is from your hand, makes it special, so you might try feeding Rowdy just one kibble at a time. And yes, cats do like to get between you and whatever is taking your attention, whether TV, a newspaper or computer. You are doing great with her. :)