My cats try it on all the time, so them screaming "I'm hungry!" doesn't actually mean anything. I feed them first thing in the morning, so they lie in wait for me on the landing and mob me on the way downstairs. However, if Pellinor gets up earlier than me - a rare occasion! - he feeds them. They still then lie in wait for me on the landing and mob me on the way downstairs, screaming, "We're starving!" Admittedly, they do give up fairly quickly, as if they're shrugging, and saying, "Oh well. It was worth trying." If they were really hungry, I suppose they'd scream more.