I have never seen a cat do this before, my red MC, Merlin likes to eat with his paw, out of his paw. I took a video of it
the purring you hear in the back ground is Louie, he has the loudest purr and never stops, the vet has to pinch him, this makes him stop purring long enough a few seconds, just long enough to be able to hear his heart. You see a glimpse of Louie at the end of this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgs_mntbOSw