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Our Cat Likes People Food
Is this weird? We adopted the cat a few months ago and while he eats hs pet food, he hangs out in the kitchen whenever I am in there and sits at my feet when he sees me eating. The cat LOVES gravy; he smells it cooking and meows piteously until I give him a little. He also loves ham and meows for that. I found him eating out of my son's discarded bowl of honey nut cheerios ( but he doesn't like milk alone!). I know this isn't a pet health board, but should I not let him eat these things? Do any of you let your cat eat people food?
I changed my pic here to one of my little furry guy. He currently loves anything pork, especially my pulled pork.
Our younger cat loves baked goods. We discovered it the first time when I brought half of a giant carrot-raisin muffin home in my work bag. I noticed him sniffing around before I went to bed; by the next morning, he had opened my bag, opened the paper bag the muffin was in, and eaten the whole thing out of the wrapper. We've tried to be more careful since, but recently I came down and tried to figure out (pre-coffee, obviously) why I had left two packs of Tastykake krimpets on the couch. He had opened the box I left on the coffee table, pulled two packs onto the couch, ripped open the plastic on one and eaten half a krimpet, and ripped open the second one before we woke up. He's a weirdo...
I also give my sweetie people food, but only rarely. Sh'es on a holistic raw food diet basically, but she will eat gorganzola, 5 year old cheddar and feta cheese. She goes nuts over Polish ham, and cleans off my plate when I eat pot roast....there will be a few stands of beef but mostly, she goes for the gravy. If she sees me eating a bowl of cereal, I'm done.......I have to eat it quickly as possible so that she can have the remaining milk and bran flakes in the bowl. I've pretty well cut her off from most of this stuff, as she had been putting on a little weight. She's only a pound over weight, and by April, she'll be in her trim 10 pound weight again. Milk my cat has no problem with but they are susceptible to diarrhea [some cats], but not mine. I give mine broiled chicken livers which she absolutely loves but only on special occasions....like on her b-day [in 2 weeks] and holidays, and then only a very small portion. She loves Genoa salami and all deli stuff as well, the stronger the taste, the better she likes it, but normally it's only her strict raw foor diet with some Pure Chicken Bites/Greenies twice a day for treats.
re: fldhkybnva
I buy a commercial brand called Nature's Variety Instinct. It comes in frozen bags, and I buy the duck/chicken medallions. I'm sorry that I never brought her up on home made raw food from the start.....as I wasn't aware of the different types of diets kitties ate.....mine started on kibble for a few years and I gradually introduced wet food like Wellness brand until I read more about holistic diets, hence the Instinct brand she's on now. Next cat...it's going to be a raw chicken back in her bowl, now go get it kitty!!
re: fldhkybnva
Mine would walk away from it. I wish I had brought her up different, but I'd sure like to get her to chew on chicken necks or backs, cuz I had to get her teeth cleaned last April.......so I resorted to brushing her teeth now, but I guess even chewing raw chicken meat would be of some benefit for teeth as well
re: fldhkybnva
I wonder if chewing on all that muscle meat would be good enough for dental hygiene........not as good as chewing on a bone, but maybe some benefit, but at least it's raw that you're giving him, just be sure that everything is really cleaned up well. There was a recent FDA notice I read about raw foods....mostly common sense stuff, and I'm not really concerned about salmonella...the cat can handle that as they pass all the bad stuff pretty quickly since they're not built like us [way shorter intestines], but take care of other things like the report mentions here http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/R...
re: suzigirl
Fanny has a habit of coming downstairs when I'm doing laundry. I'd throw a few items in the basket and then throw her in as well and she just got into the habit of jumping in herself. And then she'd go for the "ride" upstairs and stay in the basket for a half hour, having a little snooze. I think Fanny has enuff of me "smooshing" her......she's such a big baby!
re: barrylmahoney
I actually didn't plan on two. I wanted a adoptive agency to keep an eye out for something different like your Fanny. She was aware that I had Bengals before and a breeder dropped them off at about four weeks old saying they were unsellable because it was a crossbreed. She sent me a pic and i was sold. I was in love with the wild side of the bengal and the dog like companion and talker side of Siamese. I got the best of both breeds. And I got to poo poo on the bad breeder and have a beautiful litter of sweeties.
re: barrylmahoney
LOL It looks like they were separated at birth! Cookie was born around July of 2011 in Southern California. I found her at a Petco cat adoption/rescue. They didn't have much information on her beginnings or early life but that it was not good.
I didn't even want a cat but when I saw Cookie, then called "Lindy", I couldn't resist her!
Here she is sitting in the far reaches of my kitchen cabinets.
Seen here, Cookie is dunking her toy or is she drowning her prey?
re: Kate is always hungry
yeah, they look so much alike, very surprising!!!. Drowning her prey? Mabe it was a little to dry for her to eat, and needed a little moisture. LOL!
Fanny ["Tear Drop" was her original name] I found at my local grocery store ad on the bulletin board. I was acccepted by the owner's young son to take Fanny home with me. I brought her for a visit about 6 months later, and the old owner couldn't tear herself away from Fanny. It was more of a reunion.......Fanny's mom was there, as well as one of her uncles and a half brother that was from her mom's second litter. Here she is a few years ago in my backyard.
So tonight I was baking some cupcakes for a milestone birthday party on Saturday night and a lost a bit as I was filling up the paper cups. Cookie came into the kitchen, and before I could wipe it up, she licked it off the floor! So nice to have a feline baking assistant!
re: suzigirl
The sneaky one stole it from right under my nose almost literally. I broke off a piece of a new Feta to give it an honest at-room-temperature taste before deciding that I didn't like it. I put a nice chunk in a small ramekin which I left on the table literally 1 foot away from me as I lay here lazily on the couch in the reclined position and I went to go nibble 10 or so minutes later and what do ya know? It was gone and a cat was at the other end of the table noshing on it (I couldn't see him since my lazy position involves my feet up on a few pillows).
re: fldhkybnva
He's been gone since 1999. He never got up on the table or counters for any reason until his last year or so, when he was mentally off. I couldn't set out our salads on the table any more before dinner; he'd get up on the chair and eat the feta off. Not until he was 17 y.o, though.
re: mcf
Oh I'm sorry, I wasn't aware. My lovely guy not only jumps on coffee tables with Feta but the kitchen table when I'm standing right there, he's pretty ballsy despite having none. I can no longer prep food, leave it and go into another room. Last week I set a steak out to come to room temperature and then the thought occurred to me that I left fresh meat out and I entered the kitchen to find my steak being wrangled on the floor. I just cracked up laughing.
re: suzigirl
mine will also eat feta.......but I buy greek/bulgarian feta and she gobbles it up. This morning, I had some peanut butter on my toast and there was a smidgen left on the plate. Fanny came to me and wanted what I had to eat, so I let her lick the peanut butter from the plate. She thoroughly enjoyed it, but that won't be in her regular diet....too much fat in that stuff I suppose. I just hope she doesn't ask for strawberry jam the next time either.
re: barrylmahoney
She will! Cookie will not leave me alone when I'm eating a peanut butter & strawberry jam sandwich! She jumps on my lap and tries to stick her nose in my plate! I have to give her my crust trimmings or there's no peace to be had! I'd take a picture of it but I don't want to get my camera sticky! LOL :)
So tonight I'm eating a cold roast beef sandwich on a Kaiser roll. The meat came from the kosher delicatessen and Cookie, is practically on my plate trying to get her share! Like I need to pay $12 a pound for kosher for my cat!
I caved. I gave her some.
re: suzigirl
LOL They are gorgeous! Cookie better keep me laughing because that's the only way to tolerate her biting! She stalks and attacks as if she were a tiger! I think she may have been from a litter where the breeder was trying to breed a Toyger. She has the color and the shape--very low and long body and definitely the attack of a tiger!
re: fldhkybnva
If I'm eating near her and she can get within reach of my food she sniffs and paws at me to share with her. When I typed that she starts with a sniff, lick,and bite if ignored, I also meant that she does that to me! She will bite with her front teeth (incisors?) and then quickly pull out the fangs (canines)! OUCH!
re: fldhkybnva
One of my dearly departed catherd members was a Licker par excellence. She seemed to have a certain number of licks to accomplish in a day, and she did try mightily to accomplish that goal. I wear my hair very short (<3/4"), and that cat luuuurved grooming my head all night. Funny morning hair? Not cow licks, but cat licks! My husband always joked that I must have accidentally bought the salmon-scented shampoo.
re: cayjohan
Both of my girls love to chew my hair. I tell them they're not supposed to, but they don't seem to care :) And Sophie loves to groom my hands & arms - if I happen to give her a scratch or nuzzle while she's grooming herself, she'll switch over to me and go to town.
I love that you sprinkle fresh catnip on their eggs. I should try that with Sophie when she gets in one of her moods and turns up her nose at her food. She loves the stuff and always licks her catnip toys so maybe it will encourage her to eat. Thanks for the idea!
re: goodhealthgourmet
I'd say try Cat Thyme (Teucrium Maru) on the eggs too, but after seeing how it effects cats I'm not sure it would be a good idea (if catnip is kitty dope, cat thyme is kitty crack, I once saw Cassia try and chew her way through a metal mesh wastebasket to get at a fragment I threw away). Japanese Cat vine doesn't ever bear thinking, anything that makes a cat so tripped out that they will smash their heads into walls because they can't judge direction or distance anymore is NOT something I want in mine's)
re: jumpingmonk
I've never seen cat thyme; is it widely available? Ours love to snack on the catnip greens that grow through my garden. One loves the nip, then just tips over and purrs, one eats the nip but is never affected in any way, seemingly, and my third, a little six-and-half-pound pound geriatric, gorges on cat nip and decides it's time for a brawl! It's pretty funny watching a feisty little guy doing the "put 'em up, put 'em up" with a mellowed out cat three times his size. On second thought, maybe cat thyme isn't something I need around here. I'd never heard of Japanese cat vine before, either; that sounds a little over-the-top from what you describe!
re: fldhkybnva
Our Harry has never developed a taste for the recreational aspects of catnip, either. He'll eat it fresh, but that might be a function of what we call OCF ("Other Cats' Food") around here, so....catnip on eggs, in another cat's dish? Okay! Straight nip, dried or fresh? Not a whisker twitch.
re: cayjohan
Widely, I don't know. Assuming you are in the US, try Mountain Valley Growers, they sell plants (you have to order at least 6 plants at a time, but given how extensive their herb offerings are, finding 6 plants in their lists you want isn't usually a problem. Plus, it doesn't grow all that fast, so an active kitty will probably need 2-3 plants to allow you to harvest leaves from one while allowing the other plants to recover.
Oh I should have also mentioned it is a different active ingredient, so even if you cat doesn't react to catnip, they can react very strongly to cat thyme.
I don't know if ANYONE sells Japanese Cat Vine (actually lets call it what everyone else calls it, Japanese DRUNKEN cat vine. They probably do, but I've never looked. If cat thyme is kitty crack, Cat vine is kitty PCP (actually a very apt comparison. Cat vine is in the Kiwi fruit family and it was from another vine in that family that PCP was first synthesized (in fact, PCP was originally created as a tranquilizer for big cats).-
re: jumpingmonk
Wow, thanks for all the information! From the sound of it, I'll be sticking with our seasonal garden-variety cat nip. As kitty PCP (fascinating tidbit, btw) is probably not what we want to introduce about here. Interesting, though, on the cat thyme..It might be useful for me in getting my old guy to eat sufficiently.
re: goodhealthgourmet
The dearly departed Moka that I mentioned didn't particularly like catnip, so she got some minced up grass (no euphemism, just grass pullings from the garden weeding) on her eggs. She loved grass on eggs. We discovered her grass affection because she was always pulling grass from our guinea pigs' cage and snacking.
re: goodhealthgourmet
Your furbabies are very dark! All I can see are three light eyes! LOL They must be very beautiful. Post another shot of them! :)
I'm really thinking of getting a small video camera to record Cookie's antics. I was trying to video her with my little digital camera (before it broke) but my the time I found it, turned it on, and set it to video, she stopped doing whatever she had been doing.
re: goodhealthgourmet
So gorgeous! Your Sasha reminds me of my son's Bombay. Both Sasha and Sophie are gorgeous! For the record, I am a black cat fan, too. I just thought of this thread when making scrambled eggs for lunch - for me, and for Harry and Richard, who had a sprinkling of late season fresh catnip on top. (I roll my eyes at myself sometimes, really.) But since you all are sharing your beautiful four-legged people, I'll not pass up that chance. Harry is left, Richard is right.
re: suzigirl
Oof, are they ever a lapful. At almost two and 3 1/2 years old, they're still growing for their breed. The collective lapful is up to a combined 35 pounds of muscle and fur. I'm not sure they are even cats anymore; between size and temperament, I think they are dogs in disguise!
re: mcf
No, they're both completely black from head to toe. Sophie was sitting in direct sun when I took that photo - I guess a combination of too much light and the crappy iPhone camera made her look lighter.
And yes, there really is something extra-special about black beauties. I personally think they're *good* luck :)
Semi-related, for the cats that like people food and primarily eat wet food on a daily basis, what do you do when you go away? This issue just dawned on me as I prepare to go away. It's only for a long day trip but I imagine I will eventually be gone longer than that. Do you leave the food out or supplement with dry?
re: fldhkybnva
If you won't be gone overnight, just feed him right before you leave and as soon as you get home. I do the same thing as mcf - a pet sitter comes twice a day while I'm away to feed my girls and give them some play & snuggle time. (Well, technically Sasha gets all the play & snuggles while Sophie cowers under the bed.)
When you do go out of town for longer stretches I wouldn't recommend just leaving kibble out for him. Unless he loves to drink water you may come home to a very constipated kitty.
re: goodhealthgourmet
He's not a big water drinker though seems to go to the bathroom as if he is, I guess that's the liquid from the wet food. I think he'd be very sad if he was here alone longer than a day, he's quite the playing and cuddling type. There are a few cat fanatics around who I'm sure would love to visit him. I'll be out of town this Friday but as the crazy woman I am, I didn't want to leave too long so I'll just be gone for 14 hours or so. In a few weeks, I'll be going on a few overnight trips so I'll be sure to find someone to keep him company.
re: fldhkybnva
Search Google and Yelp for cat sitters or pet sitting services in your area. Once you've found a few you can check the reviews & ask around to find out who's best. (If the location in your CH profile is accurate I can ask my cousins who live near you if they know of any good sitters.)
And yes, Take is getting all of his liquid from his wet food (which is how it's supposed to be since cats don't drink much water). That's one of the primary problems with dry food - moisture (or lack thereof). Cats need water with their meals, and if they don't drink it when they eat kibble it can cause dehydration, constipation, severe urinary tract and kidney issues, and other major health problems.
re: goodhealthgourmet
One of the ways I knew my cats were having issues with Wellness Core grain free dry food is the amount of water they were guzzling and the boulders in the clumping litter. I mentioned to the company rep the other day how damaging it was to my three cats and how many similar stories I'd found about it online when searching for answers.
Man, is she loving that pouch stuff from Wellness. None of my cats, even Freddy, would eat the canned.
Zoe has early stage renal issues, and is peeing often on the newer foods, but not as large boulders lately. She doesn't concentrate urine very well, so still needs Miralax to poop comfortabiy and she's definitely drinking more than normal and some days, a lot. She's 14 1/2 and the vet says her numbers are good enough that she should be around at least a few more years.
re: c oliver
They all drank plenty of water.
That's fortunate! I wish my Sophie would drink water - her digestive system gets completely screwed up from kibble, and it's the only thing she'll eat when I'm gone and someone else feeds them. Sasha actually does drink from their fountain, but she'll also eat anything anyone gives her so she gets plenty of water from their wet food. My previous kitties never really drank water.-
re: goodhealthgourmet
Did they always get some wet food? If so, I wonder if they just never accustomed themselves to a dry diet. "Kate the Cat" developed a hyperactive thyroid maybe in her last year. I would grind up her pill and put it in perhaps MAX a teaspoon of canned food and HOPE that she would eat it.
re: c oliver
No, the rescue shelter had them on dry so that was all they knew right after they were weaned (which, based on some of their behaviors/tendencies now, was likely too soon). I transitioned them to wet food a few months after I adopted them - they were *extremely* shy and skittish so I didn't want to make major changes until they were settled & felt safe. They still love kibble so I give them a little of the really high-quality stuff as a treat & to add texture to their canned food occasionally.
re: c oliver
...why did you switch them to canned food?
You mean besides all the reasons I listed earlier about the potential health risks of feeding them a dry diet?Because Sophie has serious constipation issues unless she gets moisture *in* her food, and will NOT drink water to alleviate it.
Because they both have dry & flaky skin which improves greatly on wet food.
Because the marked increase in their energy level and playfulness after switching to wet food was (and still is) pretty amazing.
Because cats are physiologically designed to consume meat, and do not possess the capacity to metabolize/digest the grains and plant proteins that comprise the bulk of dry food.
re: goodhealthgourmet
Just to put a fine point on it; in very rapid order, Zoe lost muscle mass from a 20% reduction in protein intake, her butt and rear haunches were skeletal, I could feel all her bones. It happened so quickly.
Since the vet lit and the vet herself said low protein is not proven as good for CRF, but low phosphate is important, I switched her to the food you recommended with the lowest phosphate flavor. She's gained only .2 lbs, but feels so much heavier and firmer all over. Took a few weeks to regain. Her coat is so much thicker and smoother. Vet said labs were really good, should be no problem keeping her around another few years at least.
Now I have to find a very low carb, high protein food that has no carageenan for Freddy. The problem with natural instinct is that it's much higher calorie and he gained on it before I realized it. Back to the catinfo.org food chart for the best healthy indulgence flavor for him, too. Maybe the same one. Thing is, the Merrick has so much more bulk that he doesn't whine for food after finishing it the way he does on the NI stuff...
re: goodhealthgourmet
I am so glad I found this thread, he is loving the food and loving the supplemental "human" food of fresh meat. I love the comments I get when people knows he eats fresh meat of "oh that cat is going to have worms" uh no that cat is a cat and should be eating meat. You don't get worms, why would he? He's a boisterous, happy little guy so I'm overall very pleased with the eating situation we have established here so far. Oh great, he pees and poos more than that. And, for some reason he likes to go when the rest of us do...wha!!
re: c oliver
Longevity isn't the whole story. My Maurice lived to 18 and died after years of progressive kidney failure... I wish he'd felt better and not had to be put down at that age due to the effects of diet.
The first sign of trouble was that he was drinking plenty of water. If all your cats are, contrary to their normal behavior, that's a sign, too.
The smart money says that "quality kibble" for cats is an oxymoron.
re: mcf
You can take that up with my vet. Our cats stayed happy and healthy up til the end. Even the 20 y.o. had under a year when she was declining. The only cat who drank TOO much water was diagnosed with diabetes. He got insulin shots twice a day and ate prescription kibble. Our dogs also don't get canned food.
I know there's a million replies to this, but WARNING... if your cat likes people food they will have serious dental problems. We have three cats - one only eats cat food (and a little chicken). Her teeth are fine. One eats ANYTHING and we try to restrict her to catfood with occasional treats because she's 15lbs. She has a bad tooth. And the third is an inveterate food thief and she climbs onto the counter and licks our plates and bowls when we're not looking - she's a skinny active thing so we figured it wasn't a big deal, but today the vet told us that she has badly abscessed fangs and she needs them removed! Our poor baby girl!
re: Kajikit
Zoe just had to have a major scaling procedure for gum disease, but not the tooth removals we expected, after a lifetime only eating cat food, most of 13 years dry food, now only wet for the past year and a half. I think macronutrient composition and maybe genes play bigger roles.
These felines didn't evolve eating manufactured feline diets, after all. :-)
I cooked steaks the other night and explained to Malgato that cats don't eat cows. She apparently disagreed and sat at my feet until I gave her a few tastes. Who knew cats eat cows.
re: gaffk
They apparently like a nice glass of cabernet sauvignon with their steaks:
my cat love olives, deli ham, turkey & roast beef, chex cereal sometimes cause she thinks they're like snacks. I use to be able to fool her with regular dry food, especially kitten chow, she'd think they were treats if i put them on the floor instead of her bowl. oh and sometimes peas. she likes round things to play with and then eat.
re: clamchowderrlambchop
We used to trick our Siamese cats way back when. Meaning, when Pounce first came out! They were totally addicted and cried loudly every night at 10PM on the dot for their daily dose. Whenever we ran out, we'd put dry food in the can and shake it, and they'd gulp them down without a second thought. The sound of the shaking sent them into a total frenzy.
re: Kat
One of my cats loves to play fetch with ice cubes and he will sit by the refrigerator and whine and beg for ice cubes! He will carry them around in his mouth.
If I ever can't find him, I just press the button on the fridge on the ice dispenser (that selects cubes or crushed ice) and that "ding" noise brings him running every time!
LOL, well, I am the OP and have to say, what a great thread this has turned out to be!!! One year later, I am much more comfortable giving some people food to our little furry guy who has developed a keen interest in watching me cook.He is a true pig fan, loving pulled pork, ribs, ham, bacon, chops, anything pork. Not really a fan right now of any other human food other than pork and will never, ever eat canned cat food. :)
re: suzigirl
Little Take loves to do this as well. His favorite spot is camped out laying on a paper grocery bag in the middle of the floor. Although, I seem to have created a monster, I can't keep those paws off the table. All of a sudden after never venturing there before, he is fascinated with the table and I can't leave any food unattended or else he for sure will find it to nibble on. He even investigates an empty table. I have tried to separate the people food and cooking but perhaps I need to separate them farther or perhaps someone has ideas as to how to control this new behavior. If only he were more graceful, he usually gets caught as his clumpy feet hit the floor with the "kaboom" of an elephant.
Kee kees! I love them. I've had cats that will eat anything I'm eating, and others, like the two my wife and I have now, who won't touch any human food.
However, our one cat loves ice cream. I give her a tiny taste when I have some. She also becomes very interested when I'm eating cereal and will get a tiny taste of the last bit of milk.
Do please careful not to overfeed the little furballs, for their own health.
re: EarlyBird
I don't think any of us are over feeding cats! I have one fresser who has lost 1/3 of his body weight on a low dose of insulin and high protein, low fat in the past year. He came to us in deplorable condition after having dry food out all day; something is wrong with him and he just cannot stop eating if allowed.
My first cat, Kitty, the tuxedo, loved sour cream, spaghetti sauce, and turkey. Her last Thanksgiving was spent sitting up and begging like a dog for a huge amount of turkey.
Cookie, my current cat, a rescue, is the least finicky cat I've ever seen. She will gobble up her canned food immediately. She expects, no, demands her share of whatever I'm eating. For some reason she loves peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches, bagels and cream cheese. She loves bread--especially if it's buttered.
re: fldhkybnva
When Cookie sees me eating, ANYTHING, she stands up with her front paws on my leg. If I don't respond with food, she swats me with her paw. If I continue to ignore her, she jumps on me then walks up to the table. Needless to say, I shoo her away if it's something with onions, garlic, chocolate, or grapes/raisins. I usually fold and give her a chunk of my meal.
re: fldhkybnva
With my cats over the years it's usually been a matter of attempted stealing :) My very first furbaby was a calico named Lulu who never really understood that she was a cat. She wanted *everything* I had, and I mean everything. Eggs, frozen yogurt, pasta, fruit, vegetables, bagels w/cream cheese, even wine - she would stick her face in my glass trying to get it, and once knocked over an open bottle of red hoping to lick up the results. She used to jump up and sit in an empty chair at the dining table while I ate, watching and waiting until I was finished eating, hoping there might be something left behind for her. Her ultimate food-related antic occurred during a visit at my parent's house when Lulu was still a kitten and we were staying with my folks during my college winter break. Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table visiting with an old friend, and there was a croissant (left over from our Zabar's brunch) sitting on a plate on the table. We were deep in conversation and never even saw it coming - Lulu jumped onto an empty chair, PULLED the plate toward herself with her paw, snatched up the entire croissant in her mouth, and bolted off with it. We were all laughing so hard we couldn't even go after her. Her brother Felix wasn't as interested in checking out my food, but he'd always eat it if I gave it to him.
My current angels - Sasha & Sophie - are just as curious about whatever I'm eating or preparing and will try to get to it to have a sniff. I'll occasionally offer them a taste if it's safe for them, and Sasha pretty much always eats it (though she had no interest in cucumber or strawberry after a sniff and a lick). Sophie is much more finicky, but if there's turkey or tuna involved she'll *inhale* it. If she even hears the crinkle of the butcher paper from the sliced deli turkey she comes running to the kitchen, and of course she's only really interested in the obscenely expensive no-salt-added Diestel turkey I buy from Whole Foods. Sasha is fascinated by avocado and papaya skin and banana stems - which I learned when I caught her licking the latter and chewing the former while they were ripening in the fruit bowl - so fruit now ripens in the microwave. I've tried everything to keep them off the counters, but they always jump up at least once when I first get started on prep - after I shoo or move them off they'll just wind in & out of my legs waiting for me to drop something :) And they can't resist jumping up to stick their heads in the bags when I bring home the groceries.
Neither of them has any interest in my yogurt or cottage cheese - when they get curious I offer them a taste on my finger, but it never gets more than a sniff and maybe a tiny taste followed by a snub. But they do both love grated Parm-Reg; I learned that when Sophie went through a phase of barely touching her food and I tried sprinkling it on top. It got her to eat a little, and of course once she wandered off her sister swooped in to snarf down the rest. They go berserk for canned sardines too, so I share mine with them whenever I eat them. They've gotten very particular about salmon - they'll eat a portion of what I give them if it's canned cat food salmon, but all of it when it's MY canned or freshly cooked. They're so spoiled, and I make no apologies for it!
re: goodhealthgourmet
" I've tried everything to keep them off the counters, but they always jump up at least once when I first get started on prep - after I shoo or move them off they'll just wind in & out of my legs waiting for me to drop something :) And they can't resist jumping up to stick their heads in the bags when I bring home the groceries."
The vet recommended the ScatMat and it works!!! I had to turn it to high for Freddy, but a normal cat wouldn't have needed it. Took a week or two, at most. If it bothers you as much as it bothers me.
I don't mind sharing my food, my bed, even my pillow, but counters??? Never!
re: goodhealthgourmet
I felt cruel, but counters are my own verboten spot... Freddy has paws like Sasquatch and he's fat; I spent a week feeling guilty about how often he jumped on it, then realized he didn't feel it. Cranked it up to larger animal size and we we done within a few uses. He left paw prints every night, all over, now won't chance the stove or any counter despite my having put it in only one spot mostly, and the one next to the stove maybe once. Clearly, his ignoring it on regular shock (which I gave myself several times!) meant it was less than cruel, just unpleasant, as I experienced it. Haven't needed it for new furniture, thanks to two sided sticky tape and cat nip spray on new scratchers, so it's put away.
re: fldhkybnva
Yes, tables, too, and so far, so good on that front. Though if I walk away from the table and Tom's not there to guard my plate, Freddy jumps on the chair and grabs what he can.
Water sprayer worked brilliantly with my other two, to keep them from ever coming near or darting out an open door to the outside, and as a warning, but not so preventive except for the door thing.
re: mcf
They've learned that the dining table is a no-no. Sophie will still occasionally test me by sneaking up there, but if I make even the slightest move in her direction she jumps down and bolts :) Sasha is great about staying off the table - even if I have one of their food dishes up there she knows better than to go after it.
I sort of hate discouraging their natural instincts because they're not really doing anything "wrong," they're acting like cats. And TBH I don't care all that much about them counter-surfing when I'm not working in the kitchen - I always clean the surface thoroughly before preparing food anyway. But keeping them off when they're interested in the food I've got up there would be nice!
I'm anti-spray bottle because they can end up associating the unpleasantness with *you* more than anything since you're doing the spraying. I tried the sticky tape for the counters in our old place, but they figured out how to jump around/over it since I couldn't cover the entire surface and it wound up being more of a nuisance for me than it was for them. I've been told that the sensor on the air spray cans are hit or miss, and my girls are already so skittish about loud noises that I wouldn't use the alarm setting on them so it seems like a waste.
Now that we've settled in here I'll see how it goes. I still need to get some cat shelves up on the walls. Our old place actually had a built-in windowed ledge really high up the living room wall so they'd jump up there when they were freaked out by something or wanted to survey the scene. Here the highest spot is the top of the refrigerator, and they have to jump onto the counter next to it if they want to get up there to hide (which they do occasionally). I don't want to take that "safe" space away from them until I give them another one.
One of my cats has no interest in people food (save for tuna, but does that really count?) but my boy Rosco goes absolutely nuts when we break out the vegetables and leafy greens. He reacts very positively to spinach and cabbage in particular. The strange thing, however, is that he really has no interest in consuming them. He'll chomp on them a few times without actually eating anything, instead preferring to bat it around for a minute or two. He is also a very avid muncher of plants—can't keep any in the house for that very reason. I guess the two are related somehow? When I first brought him home, I found my bamboo plant with teeth marks in the leaves. Nothing was actually eaten, so maybe he just uses them as a palate cleanser. :)
re: Baskerville
My older boy, who passed away this July, was a nut for corn husks. Not the corn itself, like my Siamese, just the outer parts. I'd forget every winter and then when I bought some home from the farm stand in July he'd scream for it. I think he ate some of the silk, but mostly he just chewed and chewed the husks, putting little holes all over them. Who knows what goes on in their minds?
I don't. They have very expensive dry and canned cat food that I buy for them. My husband has been known to feed my old man cat steak from his fork. Yes, he actually feeds the cat steak from his fork.
I hate to resurrect thi thread after 8 months but it perfeclty adresses my quesiton. I have a 5 month old kitten who loves to "cook" aka sit in the kitchen while I'm cooking. I sometimes will share small bits with him - canned tuna or sardines in water, bits of ham or beef and of course he quite enjoys it. The internet seems mixed on whether this is OK but my thought is that he's a cat, in the wild they eat dead proteinaceous things so if this food is not covered in chemicals it should be fine but thought some here would be able to give me the nod. Of course, he still eats regular cat food with as minimal grains as I can reasonably find - 2/3 wet with 1/3 dry. Is it OK to keep indulging his culinary spirit? He's not the best chef, but he's good company.
re: fldhkybnva
Yes, but not the dry food, very bad stuff for them, even the higher end brands. Read here; http://www.catinfo.org/
I have so many regrets, I just wish I'd known this decades before now.
re: mcf
Yea, which is why he gets mostly wet with less than 50 kernels of kibble a day as per the vet if any. I guess I could try just cutting it out altogether, it's the last resort when he runs of wet. Otherwise, he gobbles that up first and will beg for more even if there is some dry there.
re: fldhkybnva
If he's doing well I'd keep giving him just a small amount of dry food. Feeding them 100% wet/soft food can lead to gum disease because they need something hard/crunchy to keep plaque buildup at bay. I mix a miniature helping (maybe 10-15 pieces) of high quality kibble into my girls' wet food to provide that texture, and it seems to be doing the trick - at their last checkup the vet said their teeth looked great. But you definitely want to keep the bulk of his food on the moist/wet side; it's amazing how quickly a dry diet can screw with their health. I was out of town earlier this month and my little one (Sophie) refused to come out of hiding and eat her meals - poor baby stayed under the bed for the duration of every single visit. By the third day I was in a panic over her hunger strike because she's a runt to begin with, so I finally told the sitter to leave out a small bowl of kibble that Sophie could eat once she was gone. It worked, but for the rest of my absence Sophie would *only* eat the dry food. By the time I got back a few days later she had major constipation issues, and that's no fun for any of us. Fortunately when I'm here she'll eat what I give her...and of course she & her sister are always interested in sampling anything I'm eating!
We like Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free Turkey & Duck for dry food. I call it "kitty crack" because they adore it and would happily subsist solely on that if I allowed them to. It's about the "cleanest" and highest-protein dry food I've been able to find. Tiki Cat & Wellness Signature Selects are our go-to canned brands, but only certain flavors from each because some of them contain icky ingredients like carrageenan. Oh, and they get the occasional can of Trader Joe's "Tuna for Cats" as a treat. I prefer the nutritional makeup of Nature's Variety Instinct canned food over all others, but my girls suddenly stopped eating it. I think it may be a texture issue - the NV is smooth/paté-like, whereas Tiki & Wellness are shreds or chunks in gravy.
I really wish I could feed them a raw diet. I tried several times throughout the year, but they just wouldn't go for it.
re: goodhealthgourmet
Not fer nuthin, but Zoe just had surgery for gum disease... after 14 years duing which all she at was dry food! I had to transition all the cats to wet to stop Fat Freddy from eating himself into crippling obesity and diabetes. He's lost 1/3 of his 22 lbs.
I agree that Nature's Instinct is the best of what I've found so far... unfortunately, Freddy is so hungry after the right number of calories from it that he drives us crazy with wailing (he's not normal metabolically) and Zoe needs more moderate protein and lower phosphorous, unless we get more normal kidnet tests back. That's from the dry food, we believe.
I also am really bummed that carageenan is in so many "premium" foods.
The highest protein dry I found was where the effects got really bad. For two of our cats. :-/
Glad you're posting, GHG!!
re: fldhkybnva
I think you go by how your cat looks. I've found feeding guides unhelpful, they'd have me feeding about 3 times as miuch as I do. If young, is he growing? On high protein, they don't fatten up, but feel pretty solid.
My experience is that only rare cats will overeat and make themselves obese, Freddy is a freak of nature, probably with Cushing's or something.
re: mcf
You're quite right. He will wail for food and at those times I just give it to him and he gobbles it up, but I have noticed at other times when I feed him when he's not begging for food such as in the morning when I have to feed him at a particular time before I go to work he eats and leaves food if he's not that hungry at that time, to finish it later. I guess I should remember that when fed well, just as us humans, animals can regulate their own weight well.
re: mcf
Well I didn't suggest giving *only* dry food for preventing periodontal problems! I doubt a strictly dry diet allows for sufficient saliva production, and a dry mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria & inflammation. There are also genetic factors that contribute to gum disease, and I know from personal experience that even meticulous oral care and proper nutrition still won't prevent it when your genes and/or your body's indigenous bacteria have the upper hand.
Poor Zoe :( It sucks to go through that surgery & the recovery, I hope she's doing okay. BTW, beware of giving her anything very cold because her teeth might be overly sensitive to extreme temperatures. The surgery heightened my sensitivity like you wouldn't believe. For the first 6-8 weeks after my stitches came out I couldn't put anything in my mouth unless it was lukewarm; even room temperature was too cold. 4+ months later my heat tolerance has returned, but I still can't chew anything straight from the fridge, and the mere thought of putting something iced or frozen in my mouth is painful.
re: goodhealthgourmet
Zoe's been a very happy camper since recovering from pain the day after surgery. She wasn't suffering apparently before it. Since Jasper's gone, she's so much less timid and fearful since he was very aggressive her whole life. She's showing only much more contentment, no fear of playing with a mouse for fear of his hearing it and coming running to pounce on her. Freddy has gotten aggressive with her once or twice, since Jasper's gone, he was the alpha and enforcer.
Zoe isn't bothered by fridge food so far, no signs of it, but good reminder to watch for it.
I Just wish I'd known to keep them off dry all those years, other than little snacks.
re: fldhkybnva
Mine do, but Zoe refused wet food all of a sudden as a kitten, and I tried everything.... had to take weeks to get her to make the transition to wet, and have to go slowly blending in a new food any time there's a flavor change.
I have her on a much less than desirable food right now as an alternative to the crap moderate protein Royal Canin the vet suggested. Looking for normal protein with the lowest phosphorous I can find with quality ingredients and no carageenan once I get her lab results.
re: mcf
I know it's beyond frustrating - some of the canned varieties that are lower in phosphorus have changed the formulas and now contain carrageenan.
I assume you've seen this, but just in case:
re: goodhealthgourmet
Thanks, yes, but found better info at catinfo.org... I'm waiting to hear Zoes labs from yesterday. Weeks after surgery to clean under her gums and scale her teeth, her bp is back to normal and her creatinine was never above normal. Hoping better dental health from severe infection/inflammation has improved her kidney numbers, too.
Vet has agreed that if the phosphorous is low enough, and there's no strong evidence that protein restriction is necessary, I can go that way.
Will know more when she calls. At least she's off the bp med already.
re: goodhealthgourmet
If you want to try the raw food, mix a little with the food that they already like, and slowly add more. I have four cats and two were raised on raw before I got them, so they love it. One of the new ones didn't like it but I did the mixture thing and now she eats it straight. I still do canned and dry most of the time, but their fur is so soft since I've been giving them the raw regularly.
re: Missmoo
Thanks, that's how I tried to transition them each time but they kept eating around the raw! When I really mushed/blended it together enough so they couldn't pick & choose, they just refused it completely. Sasha was willing to have a few bites now and then, but she's an oinkster and has a really good appetite so eventually she'll break down and eat something. Sophie OTOH is incredibly stubborn and strong-willed, and her appetite isn't nearly as good. I swear she'd rather starve than eat something she doesn't really enjoy.
I may try again soon, because I haven't been loving the look of their canned food lately. It seems as though the "gravy" is getting thicker and more gel-like, which tells me the quality of ingredients is tanking. Sigh.
Which raw do you feed yours?
re: goodhealthgourmet
Zoe is really difficult to transition, too, but I found that if I just put the new food on the dish and the regular food on top so she can avoid it, she gets used to the smell for a few days or a week, then I can reduce the regular a little and put some new food under. She avoids it this way until a few smaller meals, then eats it eventually.
re: mcf
It seems many give fish only occasionally due to allergies, but now I'm reading this with beef as well. Do you limit beef and stick mostly to poultry? Take doesn't seem to have an issue with beef so I thought he'd be fine to continue it but don't want to cause any intolerance issues.
re: mcf
Nature's Variety just came out with a new line of canned food under their Instinct brand. It's called "Pride," and instead of the pâté style it's minced or flaked protein in gravy. Not yet as widely available as their other products since it's new, but I tracked some down at one of the Petco locations here. My girls went CRAZY for the "Rockstar Rabbit" and I have a couple of others for them to try.
As always with NV, no carrageenan. Phosphorus levels are pretty low for some of the flavors, you'll just have to check each one to find the best options. All the info is here:
re: goodhealthgourmet
Thanks, this may be dopey but how do I figure out the mgs of phosphorus from the %?
Their other foods are very high phosphorus, so I don't know if that's on their radar. Even their lowest one that the catinfo site lists is close to 200mg per 100 kcal.
I found something else that might work; lots of other fiber/starch foods, but not a high % overall, and lower phos: http://www.petco.com/product/106439/Wellness-Healthy-Indulgence-Cat-Food-Pouches.aspx
The vet agrees that the need for reduced protein is not well established, but really wants phosphorus limited. http://www.petco.com/product/106439/W...
Looks like something I could get Zoe onto, over a week or so.
re: mcf
PIggybacking on my own post to say WOW, Zoe just gobbled down a whole pouch of the new food in addition to her old one! She even ate a serving of the new one, the chicken, duck, shrimp Healthy Indulgences without any old familiar food on the plate, first try.
Thanks for the tip, GHG, it's spendy, but no terrible ingredients, and the ones I might not otherwise want are fiber, which she needs; I still have to add Miralax to her food every meal.
I guess I'll order a case now that I know it passes muster.
re: coll
That's why I didn't buy a case! But this a.m. she lapped up the whole pouch AND cleaned the plate, She's never done that.
When I first got Jasper and Zoe, they ate canned, then rejected it. I tried and then donated so many different foods that the pet store owner told me I was no longer permitted to buy cases.
Problem is, this has chicken in it, not just duck and shrimp, and chicken raises the phosphorus a lot, so I have to call the company and email the vet at catinfo for an updated analysis.
re: mcf
That's great! I've been passing over the Wellness pouches because they have potatoes in them (and some of the flavors contain oat fiber), but Natural Balance makes a similar product sans potatoes, and my girls lapped up the one I gave them.
Re: the Nature's Variety Pride, I'll bet you could figure it out by calculating the values of % dry matter for P,F, C & phosphorous and comparing them to some of the options on the CatInfo chart. Or just call the company and see if they can get you the info ;)
re: goodhealthgourmet
This one has oat fiber and sweet potato, guar gum, but she needs the fiber *and* a laxative, and it's still under 10% carbs.
Planning to call the company today. They don't list phosphorus at all, but actually, they don't make the flavor catinfo listed, so I think it's the duck/shrimp she lists minus the mention of chicken. Not as low as Hi Tor Neo, with numbers the vet loves compared to what her office sells, but with crappy protein ingredients.
None of these foods are everything I want...
re: mcf
Thanks so much for all of your advice. It seems my little guy is in agreement that he's a feline, and as such a carnivore. I returned the old food and have now been giving him canned Nature's Instinct. Initially I continued with the6 oz can wet and 1/4 cup dry, but as I incorporated more of the occasional raw food, he won't touch the dry food and so has been on all wet with added raw food of fresh meat every other or every few days. He seems to be doing quite well and I haven't noticed any issues. While my vet really encourages wet food and very limited dry food, I'm not sure how they feel about raw food. It's amazing that I have to explain to people that cats didn't evolve with processed cat food just as humans didn't evolve with processed food and if it's OK for us, it shouldn't be OK for them. I just wanted to respond and thank you as at least I seem to have been able to get rid of dry food for the most part with a tbsp or so when he's hungry at a random time of day.
re: suzigirl
Yea, he's growing fast. Yesterday, I guess he was laying on just the right spot and the 6.5 lbs of feline sent my arm right to sleep. Wow, learn something new everyday. Thanks for informing me about mackerel markings, and now I'm well-read on various Tabby markings. This will be helpful as people often comment that his markings are so distinctive, just yesterday a colleague tried to described them but ended up with "stripes, well not stripes, kind of swirls." Now we know. He is quite happy to have another Auntie, I think he has more relatives than I do :)
re: mcf
mcf or perhaps goodhealthgourmet, I have just a quick question. This cat is a natural and has taken to the probably 50% raw food diet like a champ. However, now my well-behaved champ has started wailing like a banshee whenever I enter the kitchen and jumping not only the table but I just caught him on the counter top. Any tips? Perhaps I could email either of you a few questions about best choices.
re: fldhkybnva
I've touched it many times and it's not my favorite sensation, but it's not painful, just startling. Freddy didn't even feel it on the kitty setting. I didn't need more than one, once he got off that one counter, I moved it to the one he used to get up and leave paw prints on the stove and the other side of the kitchen for a few days and done. It's in storage, no more kitty prints every a.m.
Some folks find the discomfort of aluminum foil noise and instability on counters helps, but not with Freddy.
re: fldhkybnva
My house call vet recommended it when I complained of FF's littery paw prints on my stove and counters every a.m. I had to turn it to high, and he still jumped up more than once before giving up at that level, but the effect was fast, and after the second surface for good measure, complete, and has lasted months at this point. I certainly never heard him hiss, meow or howl from it. I wouldn't have used it if it were more than unpleasant.
re: mcf
Well, this fella likes to jump when I'm a room away wide awake so maybe I can leave it there when I'm not cooking and hopefully if it only takes a few transgressions it won't have to stay long. The vet thinks he shouldn't get more than 6 oz of food a day which is barely enough to keep him quiet, so imagine a lot of leaping in the next few days.
re: fldhkybnva
Freddy is only getting 5.5 oz of food per day; he's at least 10 y.o. and a fairly sedentary cat. He's very hungry all the time, but no more so than when he was eating constantly all day long and morbidly obese with uncontrolled diabetes. Now he can run and play and he looks and feels great.
So all I traded was a hungry sick cat for a hungry healthy one. :-) He's definitely not normal, I strongly suspect Cushing's, but hard to diagnose or treat in a cat, very hard. So he's doomed to be hungry life long.
If your cat is normal metabolically, the more protein he gets, the less hungry he should feel, especially with very low carbs.
re: fldhkybnva
mcf swears by the ScatMat for keeping them off the counters, but I haven't tried it yet. Does he just do it around his meal time, or all the time? My girls stand in the kitchen and wail like their fur is on fire while I'm preparing their food if they're really hungry. I haven't figured out how to shut them up...other than by getting it prepped and on the floor in a flash so they can start eating ;)
Have you ever watched "My Cat From Hell" on Animal Planet? There was an episode where Jackson worked with someone whose cat would walk all over the counter and eat food *directly out of the pan on the stove* while he was cooking! They used clicker training to get the kitty to hang out on a stool at the kitchen counter and watch him cook instead. I'd love to do that with my girls, but the setup in our current place doesn't really allow for it. My Cat from Hell is available on Netflix now and it might be On Demand if you have any interest in looking for the episode.
re: fldhkybnva
My all-time favorite cat was a little 6-lb calico. She had no interest in "people" food--just Iams and tuna (chunk lite in water). She lived 19 of her 21 good years with me on this diet and was as playful as a kitten until her last week. (I inherited her at age 2.)
I currently have two monster cats that were born outside, but brought in at 6 weeks. Again, tuna and Iams. One eschews people food, but loves cat treats. The other will fight you for your chicken and will not believe me when I tell her that cats don't eat cows or pigs. Although they weigh in at 16 and 19 lbs, and are long enough to reach the kitchen sink, my vet assures me they are healthy. As with people, moderation is the key.
re: gaffk
I have a 6 lb dark tortie! :-)
I also have a voraciously hungry 14.2 lb cat down from 22 obese lbs on insulin and grain free, high protein low carb food and the best controlled diabetic cat the vet has ever seen. But he's not happy about it. Got him at about 8 years old as a foster and he's stuck around trying to eat everything in sight and some stuff in cabinets if he can get in.
re: mcf
Oh wow, I just scanned the link you sent, thanks so much wonderful information particularly the listing of C/F/P for different products. I've only had him for 2 months, but he's already my best buddy so like a child that I don't have I want the best for him which only you cat lovers can really understand.
re: fldhkybnva
Paw size is usually a better indicator than tail length, but none of it is an exact science. My little Sophie is only 8lbs and 16 inches long, but her tail is longer than that of her sister Sasha, who clocks in at at little over 10lbs and nearly 19 inches.
Regardless of how big he's going to get, you have a handsome guy there!
My cans get wet food as an occasional treat. The problem is with even the smallest can there is waste since they won't touch it once it has been refrigerated.
I recently found packets (not tins) of sardines in water at Ollies for 59 cents. The cats LOVE them! Plus they will eat the leftovers, even cold! One packet equals six servings. 10 cent per serving - great, undying kitty love - priceless!
The sardines looked great - big meaty pieces. I wasn't in the mood so did not try them yet. Oh, these were in the people food aisle!
Our now cat likes dog food. Dry dog food. He was bottle raised and wanted dry cat food but got stones. Puts his giant face in next to the 75 lb dog in the dog's bowl and causes the dog to eat double-fast. All I have to do to get the finicky dog to eat is to say the cat's name. Cat only gets one or two crunchy bits then.
I had a great cat, (there are cats and then there are great cats), who loved to watch me clean fish, whatever the catch of the day was, redfish, speckled trout, red snapper, the bounty of the Gulf. He'd perch himself up on the counter and watch me, but never attempt a swipe at the fish. Man I loved that cat. When I was a kid, another great cat would come running when Mom or I was pounding out round steak for chicken fried steak because he knew the raw scraps were his. Then there was the day we turned our back and a whole steak became his. Punishment, no way, that steak was his we loved him so much.
re: James Cristinian
Yes, I now have 2 cats. My great cat passed a few years ago at the age of 21 and was a kitten until her last few days.
Great cat ( 6 lb calico) had no interest in people food. My current monsters (16 lb tuxedos) will shred me in attempt to get to the chicken\turkey\steak\butter.
Mom & I were guests at sister's house for Thanksgiving and opted not to bring home leftovers. So tonight we went to a local steakhouse for dinner. Mom suprised me by ordering a 9 oz steak (keep in mind, there is also bread, she ordered soup and the steak came with baked potato and veggie). She had about 3-4 oz steak left over.
As usual, declined boxing the leftover steak. But I mentioned Malgato might enjoy it (mom explained to server Mal is a cat). The takeout container arrived at the table with a big "meow" written on it. I thought it was cute. (And yes, we will remove the seasoned exterior of the meat.)
So, has anyone here tried Weruva? It looks like the label is from Wysong, and seems similar to Soulistic. Looks like Jasper's favorite is no longer being made in cans, just the pouches. He's mad for the chicken and tuna in pumpkin soup, followed by the polynesian fish goop in "gelee."
re: goodhealthgourmet
So, this a.m. Jasper turned up his nose at the food he hungrily gulped down for two days... Soulstice Golden Calypso in pumpkin soup. He really likes the Polynesian blend in gelee, but he's not eating today. He definitely goes through adrenal cycles where he's all on and hungry or all off and hungry, but not up to eating, no appetite. Managed to get his steroid into him in greenies as a sandwich instead. When he has high cycles, he's charged up, and even once jumped onto the counters (big no no they never do here) to try to eat ground coffee and vitamins I'd set out for Tom in the a.m.
re: mcf
boo :( hopefully he'll get his appetite back quickly. at least you got him to take his meds. counter-surfing is a big no-no here as well, but the girls still try to do it when they think i'm not looking. i catch them every time - they haven't quite figured out that Mommy has eyes in the back of her head!
re: goodhealthgourmet
Kitchen counter-surfing isn't allowed in my house (although I did walk into the kitchen several weeks ago to see Alfie peering down from atop the refrigerator!). But bathroom counter surfing is allowed. Buster is a faucet drinker, and that is where he does so. They also both like to "help" while Momma is putting on her morning makeup - usually when I'm trying to put on eyeliner or mascara. Nudges on the elbow are a BIG help. Thanks, guys. :-)
re: mcf
I hope you haven't donated the friskies yet. That may have to do until you get the tummy on track, otherwise switching just causes issues too. Been having a few rounds of that here. My bf keeps switching to 'find what they like' and its biting us in the ass. Appetites were down but are getting better.
re: suzigirl
I haven't donated it yet, and I'll keep a few cans around, but he's so much shinier and more muscly on the better food even after a day like yesterday, when he ate so litte. Today, his appetite was better, not big like when he's in an adrenal high, but he finished one of the Soulstice cans, a little bit of one he doesn't love, and then some BG turkey that he normally doesn't go for that Zoe left in her bowl. He really loves the Soulstice in gelee, the one with chicken and tilapia, and aromatic chicken, and maybe one more.
re: suzigirl
<Friskies and fancy feast are it here.
LOL...both of my beautiful cats lived to 20 yrs. They were both raised on Friskies and fancy feast, food that, when I'd adopted both of them, they'd been fed and were used to. They ate nothing else throughout their lives and they'd only drink out of the toilet bowl. Boy, do i miss them.
re: suzigirl
It's not about how long they live, it's also how well. My 13 y.o. cats look half that, and move like very young cats. I mean, My beloved Maurice lived to 18 on crap food that I thought was fine, but he died of kidney failure, after several years of very geriatric stiffness, slowness and signs of aging.
re: suzigirl
I didn't mean to say you didn't properly care for your cat, just that some cats may do poorly on certain foods, like the Friskies crud I've been forced to use with Jasper at times. There are people who are robustly healthy on bagels and Ding Dongs, too, but I'd end up blind and with amputations... so for me, too, diet is a choice for QOL, not longevity.
re: suzigirl
All I can say is, thank heavens for crap food, because though he was hungry, Jasper couldn't eat anything else this a.m. and that's how I get his prednisolone into him. Got some Friskies shredded crud in gravy and he wolfed it down. I can't wait for the order of FortiFlora to arrive, because whatever they put in it, really attracts them and increases the palatability a LOT. Had everything to do with getting Zoe and Jasper to accept the new foods. Gets Jasper to eat stuff after he's turned his nose up. I'm very worried that his lower energy and appetite days seem to be increasing. We never did invasive procedures to diagnose lymphoma/vs IBS and I know he's on borrowed time due to steroids and he's my main man, feline wise.
re: mcf
I agree. Crap food has its place. When my last kitty was getting up there in years it was a literally a lifesaver. It kept her somewhat interested in food. I have to check out this FortiFlora. We have not so good tummy days around here and if i can find a way to help, I will. I hope he gets back on track. I hate the hands tied feeling you get when a kitty, unlike a child cannot say this hurts or that feels funny. They suffer in noble silence. Unlike me.
re: LindaWhit
Thanks, LindaWhit....that's good to know :).
I don't have any regrets feeding the food I did to my beloved cats. They were healthy and grew old. I guess that was all I cared about and to change their diets, I think, wouldn't have made them too happy.
We food our old, female rescue dog a 'holistic' food that was recommended to us when we adopted her. That's all she's ever eaten, loaded with minerals and omegas and enzymes and who knows what else. Is she healthier than my cats? Her blood counts always come back fine and she looks healthy but no more healthy than my cats. I just think there's alot of genetics and breed and hereditary involved in animals and food source is just one part of the equation.
re: suzigirl
My littlest one has rejected wet food for over a decade. I took a while to first add water to her dry food, then, once it was really most, I started mixing in the BG turkey a little bit at first, then a quarter, then half her meal. After a few weeks, she made the complete transition, but only to that one variety, turkey. Jasper is a tougher customer because we want to keep up his lean body mass and weight. He has cycles of what's not even appetite loss, but an aversion to the food he seeks when he gets it in front of him. Having had adrenal disorder and cycles, I know what he's going through, and at least the low appetite days are very limited for now, even on steroid drug daily. Something else I can suggest that must have something in it to drive kitty appetites wild is FortiFlora probiotic for cats from Purina. Add an envelope to mud and I swear they'd eat it. Pricey, and I don't think we really need it any more; Zoe's diarrhea seems to be gone since the day we switched from canned gravy goo to BG turkey. No more Flagyl needed or probiotic.
re: mcf
Update: Fat Freddy is down to a still chubby 17 lbs from 22. His glucose in a day of testing at the vet's office was 66-104, so his insulin is cut in half and now he's losing even on more food, though still only half a grain free, low carb 5.5 oz can twice daily, Merrick BG chicken and quail. Zoe can't handle and new food without gastric meltdown, so she's on grain free turkey for life. Jasper is still eating Friskie's turkeys and giblets in slime gravy. i had to increase his prednisolone slightly due to appetite loss, and he's had a couple of minor vomiting episodes again that scare me, but I'm told it's IBS, not lymphoma because he wouldn't have lived this long with lymphoma. He's eating two cans a day again, hoping he adds a lb or two. Freddy still needs to lose at least 2 or 3 lbs. But he's bounding up and down stairs, much more youthful and active since getting down those first 5 lbs.
re: coll
you mean the Instinct line from Nature's Variety? i wanted to try it but my store was completely out when i went shopping.
this search for a good canned food began because i started the girls on Nature's Variety frozen raw food, and a couple of weeks in Sophie stopped eating it. now that i've found some canned options she'll eat i'm hoping to mix some of the raw in and see if i can get her to go for it. i have 2 large bags of that stuff in the freezer and it wasn't cheap!
re: goodhealthgourmet
Ha ha, I realized after that it is just Instinct, must be the rabbit that made me think otherwise.
Anyway, no matter how healthy or tasty the canned food, they always get tired of it after a few weeks. If not for my sort of diabetic male, I wouldn't bother at all. I have been feeding them all BG dry chicken for a couple of years though and they never tire of that.
I feel like a heel admitting this but like your post I have a huge scrounge that sits under me while I prep at the counter and while I cook at the stove and often stretches himself up on the cabinets or the stove to get the best view while I cook in hopes to get a tter view. Kitty spread eagle style like he is being frisked by the cops. To cute for words. But much to his detriment we had a SNAFU the other day. While making a muffaletta sandwich he got Italian dressing in the eye. Oh the horror. :-( I was moving the sandwich to wrap it and drip... right into his poor little eye. He ran like a scalded dog and when i tried to corral him to rinse his eye things got worse. Way worse. I tried to get my sweet bf to hold him so I could check him out and can I say coleslaw? We were shredded
re: suzigirl
My kitteh does this as well. She goes especially crazy when I am butchering the beef filet into steaks and bits. She gets a taste or two when I do this. She's not a particularly greedy cat, she just "wants a taste". Hrrm, that last sentence makes her sound like a Hollywood Mafioso type. :)
re: suzigirl
I think they're in a lot of cat foods that are supposed to be hypoallergenic as a source of not grain carbs with protein. I'm not sure if they're good for them or not, since my cats are doing much better on food without them than with, including the rx allergy diet. BG turkey seems to be working wonders on the two who eat it exclusively, from gut health, to weight, muscle and coats... the third one, Jasper, is a work in progress; I still have to mix it with a lot of slimy Friskies turkey shreds to get him to eat it.
re: mcf
i started giving the girls BG chicken, quail & turkey since Sophie was being such a brat about the raw. they LOVE it. they're also really digging Soulstice - chicken in gravy & chicken/skipjack combo. i've been mixing canned, raw & a tiny bit of kibble together & both of them clean their bowls at every meal..and try to steal some from the other one if she's lagging behind :)
re: goodhealthgourmet
It looks good, the only things I might take issue with are the added starches/gums... I think that's what creates the diarrheic slime in two of my cats. BG has a little of gum added, too. Also, not sure how I feel about sunflower oil. Looks pricy, too, but have not worked it out oz for oz. I buy BG in 5.5 oz cans.
re: mcf
the price at my store is *slightly* lower than BG for a 5.5 oz can. make sure you're looking at the gravy varieties, not gelée. they contain some xanthan gum but none of the other gums, and no carrageenan - BG contains guar and carrageenan. i don't worry about the sunflower oil - it may not provide the ideal EFA ratio, but it doesn't do any harm and you can always add a little flax or fish oil.
re: mcf
tapioca starch isn't inflammatory. i'm sure the amount of xanthan is really minimal, and it shouldn't cause a problem if he's okay with the carrageenan in BG. the omega-6's from sunflower oil aren't ideal, but the fat content in these foods is relatively low so i imagine they don't add much.
totally understand your concerns, though.
re: goodhealthgourmet
The only thing I think might be inflammatory is sunflower oil. My two who ate the slimy gravy stuff get diarrhea from it; may be from the gums or food starch, I dunno for sure. I bought a wider selection of BG cans today because if the other two turn up their noses, Freddy will gladly eat ANYthing. And I bought some small cans of Soulstice in various flavors that were gelee to see if I can use it or BG to entice Jasper away from his Friskies turkey shreds in slime obsession. So far, I've gotten away burying a bit of bg turkey in it, but only got him to eat one meal of it, which totally got rid of his loose stools for a day.
re: mcf
Evening report; gave Jasper BG salmon, to see if he'd accept it in place of the Friskies I have to use to get his daily steroid dose into him. He gobbled it up, this cat has NEVER liked kitty fish meals since kittenhood, and he's 13. It may not last, but I have a bunch of other candidate foods to try. Will see how it goes in the a.m. with his meds in it (chicken flavored prednisolone drops). YAY.
re: goodhealthgourmet
Thanks! I'm so glad to report that he ate it this a.m. with the medicine in it, so I now have all three officially off of crud food. Also, the BG costs more than double the Friskies per case, but it takes half a can instead of a whole one for him (and a third for Zoe) to stop eating due to satiety, owing to more quality protein and less liquid/sliminess making them feel full. So while it's more expensive to buy, it's not that much more when one considers consumption. Of course, Freddy is always hungry after eating lately (down to 18.3!) but hoping next week's day of glucose testing will lead to a remission diagnosis and cessation of insulin which really drives hunger.
re: mcf
Jasper loves Soulstice, and especially the chicken and tuna in pumpkin soup, as he's such a gravy lover. It has tapioca starch, but it's very thin, so hoping it won't give him diarrhea. Off to buy a supply of large cans by the case today. Thanks for the recco, GHG. He also loved, I think it was, chicken and shrimp in gelee, but that one has added gums and I'm worried about the gastric effect if he gets much of it. Zoe will only eat the BG turkey, Freddy will eat anything that can't run away and Jasper is picky, but has accepted a few new foods lately of higher quality than the two unused cases of his Friskies I'm going to donate now. He really needs plenty of quality protein especially, since he's on steroid meds.
re: fishyman45
One of my friends' cats was obsessed with tomatoes for some reason. I'm not sure if she loved the acidity or what, but she would really go crazy when tomatoes were being prepped.
Elvis' real owner wasn't the most of, uh, attentive caretakers, and after one particularly insistent push, I finally let him into my apartment. Having not grown up with animals, I was somewhat perplexed with what to do with this bossy cat. I finally hit upon the idea of putting a plate of my not-very-successful experiment with turkey loaf in front of him.
Elvis gave a cautious sniff of the turkey-vegetable concoction, and then, slowly, measuredly, turned his head back at him and gave a meow of, "Seriously? I am allowing you to worship me, and that's the best that you can do?"
Vegetables were not his thing.
Years ago, we came home one day to find that someone had left the butter out on the table, and a perfect divot had been licked into the top of it. Our cat looked nonchalant, but we knew who was responsible. That same cat used to also knock over glasses of milk (after we had drunk most of the milk) and stick her paw into the bottom of the glass so that she could have the last few drops.
Interestingly, my current cat has absolutely no interest in people food. The only thing of ours that she wants are our glasses of water, with which she is obsessed.
I had a cat who would kill for cantaloupe. Flesh, seeds, whatever. Rip your arm off if you didn't share.
All cats I've had loved meat intended for humans. One of our cats now loves the dog's dried food. All I have to do to get the dog to eat his food instead of beg ours is to say the cat's name. (We can't give the cat dried food because he gets stones.)
Didn't the Far Side cartoons introduce the Dreaded Hamwart (hamwort)? Cats so addicted to ham that they were endlessly clever about securing some?
I just have to say that out of every board on Chowhound this has been my absolute favorite! I am a cat lover til the end of days myself and I currently have four here.One is my cat and I an caretaking my two children's cats.So fun to read about the antics of other people's cats about food issues. I only have one who is as others have put it a "beggar' and she is a chub now from her love of noshing and napping:)
I used to have a cat that would sit on the table right next to me as I drank my coffee with milk in the morning. As soon as I put the cup down she would immediately start licking up the little bit left at the bottom. I could never figure out if it was the coffee she was after, or the milk.
re: medrite
My dear departed Elvis used to love to drink the tea out of my mugs. (My grandmother used to comment approvingly that "He is a very Chinese cat!"). I finally figured out that the taste of the tap water was not agreeing with him anymore, so I'd make sure that he got filtered water in his bowl. Even with that though, I'd still finding him sneaking drinks out of my tea from time to time.
The people food that I learned not to leave out in the open were sushi/sashimi and cheese, the sharper the better. Guaranteed that if any of those were around, Elvis would be swiping them in no time.
Other than that, Elvis wasn't a big beggar. He did like to hang out in the kitchen when I cooked and I'd save him a few scraps of bacon or pancetta if I were cooking with them, or a bit of leftover meat or fish. If I were cooking something with pan drippings, I'd usually drizzle a bit over his cat food (Friskies or Fancy Feast on special occasions), and he's always appreciate the thought.
When i got my cat (as a kitten) he immediately killed my kale plant by eating it. At first i was concerned, and then i became curious. He likes every vegetable within the brassica family. Kale is a favorite (he knows when it's in the fridge and will beg for it), broccoli is a close second (i'll look for the stalks with the most leaves). Cauliflower? check. cabbage? check.
He'll eat other veggies (cooked carrots & sweet potatoes - especially in stick form), and of course likes yogurt (not so much on the milk) & cheese.
Doesn't like other greens such as lettuce or spinach.I purposely will now give him a 'salad' every night.
BTW, his cat food is grain free and has veggies in it. If i had more time, I'd make all of his food myselfGrowing up, i had a cat who i accidently gave broccoli to (fell on the floor while cooking - burnt his nose, but two seconds later - devoured)
I was adopted by two brother cats last Thanksgiving. One (Alfalfa) eats whatever canned or crunchy cat food is put in front of him. Like he *inhales* it. Let's just say he is no longer the svelte kitteh he was a year ago. :-/ The other (Buster) *only* eats finely chopped white meat chicken for his protein (not even tuna, or tuna juice), but will also eat the crunchies. So a couple of bags of frozen chicken tenders is bought every couple of months, and 3 tenders are defrosted and cooked in the microwave for the week's breakfast and dinners.
As for anything I drop while prepping dinner - protein, yes, they both go for it. Veggies? Nope. They both *will* eat some mashed cooked carrots or canned pumpkin, should I have some to give them.
I did used to have a cat that would lick the butter off of peas but left the pea on the floor for the other cat to eat.
OK, so much for my well-behaved cats! Although, this might have driven any carnivore over it's limits.
I roasted up 3 pretty good sized marrow bones for myself. The cats went nuts. You should have seen the looks they gave me when I only gave them the meat trimmed off the outside when I was all done. They did get the fat from the tray after it had cooled, and worked on that for awhile.
I don't know about the gravy, ham and cheerios but cow milk isn't good for cats. They have a hard time digesting it. I keep goat's milk around as a treat for my cat though. She loves it and it's much easier for her to digest according to my vet. I always err on the side of not giving if I don't know whether it is ok for them but I assume that most meats and fish are fine.
re: bg90027
I have never figured this cow's milk thing out. When I have taken in feral kittens I am instructed to give the KMR Kitten Milk Replacement. You mix the powder with water, put in a ting bottle and feed to kittens so they grow up big and strong. And what is the main ingredient of that KMR........cow's milk. Go figure.
re: escondido123
Growing up we had Siamese cats several times and they were always the ones who would eat people food. One would wait up for my brother to come home and eat ham and wedges of cheese with him. Another Siamese cat once ate three quarters of a canned peach before she would walk away sated. Yet another had to have her morning bits of sliced ham or she wasn't happy.
The cats I have know don't really care for people food except for one, who will eat very small bits of ham, turkey or chicken, but nothing exotic. She would probably throw a canned peach at my head if I tried to serve it to her.
I'm pretty sure my cat is a 'hound. He loves arugula (will actually paw through the grocery bags looking for it), licking the juice off a granny smith apple, shrimp (but has to be high quality--no preservatives), plain refried beans, and meringues.
Ask your vet about specific foods. I know some (grapes, chocolate, cherry tomatoes) are dangerous for cats, and any milk you serve should be lactose-free.
Two feral sisters born on my old street got snatched up as kittens, one by me and the other by another family down the street. About 10 years later, the other family moved, but LEFT the cat. A couple of months later I figured out the cat was living in my boat in the back yard. Of course we took her in, much to the consternation of her sister.
They both loved any meat, and were affectionally known as the "Carnitas Sisters", needless to say what one of our favorite foods were, and are!
re: suzigirl
I appreciate your interest suzigirl, they were both quite amazing animals. After my girlfriend(now wife) and I moved in together(1988) the first kitten started hanging around and was friendly and we noticed foil in her poop, from eating out of garbage cans. We started feeding her outside, but could not take her in, as it was strictly forbidden in our rental agreement. A month or so later she showed up one day with a pretty serious cut in her paw. We took her to the vet and had her tested for diseases, had her foot sewn up and had her spayed, as long as she was there. Only after all that did we beg the landlord to allow 1 cat, and he agreed. Only then did we dare to name her Cleopatra, AKA "Big Puss".
I was lucky to have learned the sisters name from the family that left her before they moved, so we knew Dusty's name when we took her in. They were shorthair torties, one brownish and the other greyish.
That old neighborhood(San Gabriel, CA) had a huge feral colony, due to a neighbor who fed them indescriminately. We started trapping the mothers and kittens born in our yard and had them tested and spayed/neutered and vaccinated, then we released them and fed them in the back yard, but only "ours" and the pegnant moms who sought shelter in our yard. We used to get vouchers from "Actors for Animals" to help defray the cost of the vet, still it was around $60 for test, vaccines, spay/neuter with disolvable stitches. We probably "did" 20 - 25 cats in our 20+ years in that house.
You learn not to get too attached(although we did) to the ferals we fed, as feral cats have a very tough life, and a short average life span. When they stopped showing up for meals I would start looking on nearby streets and in the 2 animal shelters they might be in, although I never found one there. I have found a couple that were struck by cars, and have removed them from the street(imagine 250 lb. man bawling as he is removing carcass) so they had a small bit of dignity in death. Of course this also cost us money for the shelter to dispose of them.
The luckiest of the cats whom we "did" were taken in to be indoor pets, each from an injury or some circumstance, even though we were supposed to only have the one. We had up to 5 cats at one time, and when we moved after 22 years we packed up 4 which are our present family.
To bring this back to semi-chowhoundish, only 1 of our current 4 is really interested in people food, mainly any kind of meat, but her intrest makes the other ones really interested, only to see what all the hype is about. I really enjoy feeding my cats small scraps of meat. I used to feed the backyard feral cats meat scraps at our old house, it was good for cat/human bonding, and made me feel good about sharing our good fortunes. You may think that we are good people for doing all this for stray cats, but I tell you in no uncertain terms that we got/get way more out of it than the cats do, so maybe I am kind of selfish. Sorry this is long, but thanks for allowing me to tell this story. Please everybody, spay/neuter your animals, you cry(I do) in animal shelters.
re: DWB
What an amazing story. It is people like you that truly touch my heart. You can cry all you want picking up those lost little souls and giving them a dignified walk home as I am welling up for their lost lives writing this. It takes a big heart to respect them enough to do all that you and your wife do for the "forgotten". That is why I adop. The two precious angels I have were obtained because of a breeder that had Siamese and silver Bengals and a mishap occurred and she dropped them off at an adoption place as she couldn't sell the "mutts". They were four weeks old. She said they couldn't make her money and were "useless". Not to me. I took them as tiny babies at 1.2 lbs and 1.8lbs. I paid my adoption fee and she said it was all inclusive but when I went back to her when they were old enough to spay/neuter and get shots and chip she said I was nuts to think she could afford that. I could give the kitties back. I'm sorry, what? Now who's nuts? I volunteered at the ASPCA and got the "kids" fixed and still put in my time today. Once you volunteer you are hooked. You want to talk up the good in the kitties and fit them to a good pet parent(like you). I wouldn't change how it went down for all the money I could make in a lifetime.
I just had a piece of toast with strawberry jam. Left the room and when I came back Leo had licked off most of the jam.
I have two stunning Siamese/silver Bengal mix Cuties who get slices of lunchmeat tossed to them while we eat our lunch on the weekend. Only on the weekend though. Not to many people treats as i want to keep them svelt. The deli people know on Friday I get two slices of ham, roast beef or turkey. Sometimes liverwurst as its their favorite but it isn't very healthy. My kitties are the world to me. I had one prior that was a mackrel tabby that was almost 18 when we lost her. God love her amazing soul. :-)
re: meatn3
They are stunning quirky little things. He has the typical tom tom with the big boy body and blue eyes. She's the slinky Siamese body and blue eyes and they are both buff (color) and spotted. As soon as my sweetie gets home he can help me post pictures. I am glad to show off my babies. :-) I will include my dearly departed too. They are named Romo,Cashmere and Sis(passed)
i just discovered that the girls love egg yolks...and since i always have a batch of hard-cooked eggs in the fridge, it will be a great occasional treat for them.
note: i actually gave it to them in a fit of desperation to shut them up. since i transitioned them to a raw diet, they now cry & howl *incessantly* every time i go anywhere near the kitchen. if this doesn't stop soon, i may have to switch them back to kibble!
re: goodhealthgourmet
Just got power back at 2:53 a.m. able to keep Freddy's insulin cold all week and he continues to loes, down about 3.5 lbs as of yesterday! Only about 5 more to go, but he's getting so much more active and moving so much more comfortable at his new weight and health status. He was so happy with all the use of the fireplace for heat this week, just basked in it.
re: KrumTx
Thanks, yeah, getting to be a habit up here! Last year home alone 4 days with no power, but had hot water and the weather was good. This year I still had hot water and cooking gas, but discovered that temps in the 50s that feel great outdoors aren't so pleasant indoors.
But I have no damage to my home, no flooding (almost no rain) and no aftermath other than the inconvenience of gas lines that are flashbacks to the 70s. So many people on the other shore are wiped off the map and there dunes separating homes from the ocean have been destroyed. The noreaster coming midweek scares me because so many trees and big limbs are weakened and still falling days post Sandy.
I think all cats are little furry eccentrics.My Ivan (Tzar Ivan) loves seafood, organ meats, raw meat, and egg yolks. I've spoiled him because when I cook I always slight off a piece of meat as a 'tithe for the Tzar'. He hates veggies unless they are old dried leaves which he eats for the crunch factor. When I get a lobster I share it with him, same goes for shrimp. With the lobster he usually gets the guts and I get the meat. Once and only once I had quails and I fed him the extra bits of legs. He had fun crunching up the raw bones and eating the meat. He's a slim, healthy boy with lots of energy. And he recently discovered lunch meat turkey (which my parents gave me because they were going on vacation). I don't care much for turkey so he's welcome to it.
My ex-cat Gussy is not interested in people food except for tuna water. But he does have very strong opinions about coffee. Each morning I pour my cup of coffee and carry it with me to my spot on the sofa. Once the coffee cup was placed on the end table and I had settled down Gussy would jump onto the arm of the sofa and noisily sniff the coffee cup. Then he would look at me with a "ewww - yuck" expression and begin vigorously digging at the arm of the sofa - with the same focus and intensity reserved for his litter box burials. Same ritual every morning for 10 years...just not a coffee sort of cat!
I love cats and dogs but I can't stand the thought of keeping pets in my house. Ever since having kids, pets just lost their appeal to me. I used to have a cat that refused all people food, even tuna. But she went crazy over the occasional cracker, I never saw anything like it. She didn't even eat cat treats or soft cat food.
I have one cat who's pretty normal: in addition to both wet and dry cat food, she loves dairy products and anything meat or fish. The other one (who, oddly enough, is tubbier) doesn't like dairy products or freshly cooked meat (both love packaged meats like cold cuts. But she'll chase, then eat, grapes and blueberries! and both like baked goods (not chocolate goods, luckily). If I leave a bag with bagels or a danish on the table, the whole thing will disappear and I'll find it, with the crumbs, behind the couch, under the table, or under the bed.
My now deceased black-and-white shorthair had a strange liking for anything thin and stringy. When I bought corn on the cob, if I didn't put it away immediately, she'd start eating the silk!
One day my husband saw something sticking out of her mouth; he grabbed it and proceeded to pull about a foot of dental floss that she had retrieved from the trash can and had almost swallowed (which would have resulted in a bad digestive emergency).
It's not surprising that cats -and dogs- have such diverse culinary preferences. After all, one of the many reasons why we choose them to be members of our families is that they have incredible personalities.
What you DON'T want to know is what my HUSBAND does to bologna :)-
re: ratgirlagogo
the plastic bag thing is common - there are a few theories on why, though no one knows for sure. my Sophie licks them but fortunately doesn't actually chew & swallow any of it. definitely try to keep them from eating the bags, as the plastic can cause potentially fatal gastrointestinal blockage.
re: Michelly
my dear departed Lulu had a thing for baked goods (and pretty much anything edible). when she was still rather little we were visiting my folks, and Mom & i were sitting in the kitchen chatting with an old friend over coffee. there was a plate of croissants on the table, and Lulu jumped onto the the table from out of nowhere, snatched a croissant that was almost as big as she was, leapt off the table with the entire thing in her mouth, and raced off with it. we were laughing for about 20 minutes.
and yes, i've had to be rather careful about leaving my used dental floss lying around. i tend to floss while i'm lying on the couch with the girls, and occasionally i'll lose track of a piece and forget about it...i discovered one embedded in the "contents" of their litter box last week. not safe!
Don't ALL cats like, even prefer, human food? I had a cat who was particularly fond of vegetables, esp. asparagus and carrots (cooked). And during a particularly antipasto-y period in my life, I discovered my first cat was quite fond of soppressata. When my vet advised me to give him an egg once a week, I made him a 9 Lives chicken and cheese omelet on Saturday mornings.
And every dog I've known has preferred both meat and veg to either kibble or that smelly junk that comes in cans.
Bananas. Tao-cat would chew on the stems when the 'nanners were in the fruit bowl, and eat the fruit after you'd peeled it for her.
Maggie-cat's only people food is the water from canned tuna; she won't eat anything but dry cat food, and she couldn't care less which brand it is!
The weirdest think any of our cats has ever eaten was green peas. I hate peas and had picked them out of whatever I was eating. I think she did it just to spite me.
What is weirder to me is how some of our cats have loved certain things--like ice cream or yogurt, but others won't touch those things, ever.
It's also weird to me that other people manage to have cats that don't insist on getting up on the counter and table to inspect things constantly. No matter how early or hard I try, I've never been able to keep a cat from doing this.-
re: splatgirl
I've had three cats. The two that we tried to keep of the counter never listened and went where ever they wanted and took what ever they wanted to eat. With my Siamese I took a different approach and never told him no and let him do as he pleases (what my mom calls my Montessori kitty). Except for when he wants a sniff he doesn't bother us at the table and doesn't jump on counters were we don't want him.
re: splatgirl
splatgirl, if you have countertop-curious cats, you might want to try the trick we used. My now-departed Moka was a horrible offender with countersnooping, but was (mostly, we needed an occasional reeducation) cured using a booby-trap of empty soda cans stacked in a double-decker row along the counters, set back enough so she couldn't spy them from her floor-bound vantage point, but close enough to the edge that she couldn't avoid them. A few episodes of the crash-bang-clatter of aluminum cans raining down seemed to convince her that countertops were off limits. It sounds a little mean (at least it did to me at first), but it's harmless to the cat. My mostly touchy-feeliness toward my cat herd was trumped by not being able to leave the kitchen even for a few seconds without Moka being up on the counters. The can trick solved it. It helped with feeding time as well - Moka was aggressive in stealing food from the other cats, and our old, old man Mosey is easily distracted from his much needed food. I started setting an empty aluminum can next to Mosey's food at feeding time, and the food-stealing stopped.
re: splatgirl
a lot of cat food formulas contain green peas - kitties like them!
cats jump on counters & tables because:
1) they've seen food there (it only takes one time!)
2) they're drawn to high places - they prefer to traverse elevated territory because it gives them a better vantage point and offers a sense of safety they can't get when standing on the floor.and of course there's also the matter of just wanting to see what they can get away with ;)
if it's really a problem for you, get one of the sensor-triggered air canisters that blasts them with a harmless puff of air when they jump up there. (i'm not a fan of the water-bottle method because they can start to associate displeasure or fear with the person squirting them.) also, if you provide them with an approved climbing area like a tower or those sisal-covered wall shelves, they'll have a more appropriate place to indulge their desire for height.
i'm actually having luck training my girls without any extra deterrents - a stern "NO" (not loud, just deep), followed by scooping them up and depositing them back on the floor. they now know they're not supposed to be up there and only dare to try it when my back is turned...and as soon as i catch them and they see me coming toward them, they jump down :) my concerns about them running around up there have nothing to do with sanitation, as i clean the counters obsessively. it's a safety issue - i'm afraid i'll accidentally leave a knife out, or one of them will jump on the gas stove when it's blazing hot, or even worse, lit.
re: goodhealthgourmet
All good ideas! The pop can thing would crack me up, but it would take me a year to save up that many cans! Inside out loops of packing tape on surfaces is a favorite around here, bonus that it's disturbingly funny to watch them freak out trying to get it off of themselves. Our current owner is kind of oafish and petite but chubby and thus ill-suited to counter jumping. The problem is our dining table tucks into a slot in the island, which suits her perfectly-- chair seat to table top to island counter. And she's getting worse and worse with the dinner patrol, although still not as bad as some of our past, passed cats. At least it's not this AND the insistence on dripping faucet water only like my cat in college.
Have you ever seen the signs that say "cat hair is a condiment"? Eu but true.
re: goodhealthgourmet
The company I worked for added peas to their formula, turned out the did it to up the protein level...in a devious way as far as I was concerned. When I see protein, I assume meat product.
I've had cats that would eat regular peas by the bowlful, and others who would eat around them so that when they were done, there were just 5 or 6 perfectly clean peas remaining.
We've had quite a few cats over the years.O'Malley loved the cream filling from twinkies or ding dongs. He also loved soft serve ice cream.
The one cat we have left now is a little pickier. Lizzie loves canned tuna and the occasional piece of chicken. She really likes to smell what ever we are eating, just to make sure she isn't missing out. She also had diabetes, (she's in remission), when she was first diagnosed, we changed her diet to wet food, so now every morning at the crack of dawn she meows her head off wanting us to get up & feed her. It's driving me insane!
All of the cats have always preferred drinking water from our glasses. We keep one out strictly for them & refill it during the day. Lizzie also likes to drink out of the fish bowl, strangely enough, she nevers bothers the fish.
I would fear that ham (served often anyway) would have too much salt. I'd pow-wow with the vet about treats & which ones, am currently leery of them. Agree with others posting that there is just no telling what cats will like to eat. Had one that liked cheese. Remember though that onions can cause leukemia I believe or at least affect white blood cells, some other foods are dangerous so I trust you have read up on that. We had one that had a special meow for mackerel he loved it so much. We felt it had too much salt so he (and we) only got it rarely. I have read that the problem with some of the human foods that they may like is they won't eat enough of what they should and may have deficiencies as a result.
In my childhood, the pet that ate the human leftovers had a shorter life than is more common with those who eat pet food.
re: HappyHattiesburgr
if cats or dogs eat alliums (onions, garlic, shallot, leeks), it can lead to ANEMIA, not leukemia. it causes destruction of red blood cells and can result in kidney failure. that's why you should always read the labels on baby food before feeding them to your pets - some contain onion powder for flavoring, and it's highly toxic to our furry friends.
re: goodhealthgourmet
This reminds me, raw egg white is also a problem. Contains avedin, which binds with biotin, and can make the cat deficient. Yolks are fine. I put only yolks in my homemade raw food.
Also, chives fall into the onion category. I had an Aerogarden set up at one time with chives growing indoors, and one of my cats mowed them all down in a matter of minutes. The one-time exposure was not a problem, but I when I looked it up I did find that chives are not something a cat should have on a regular basis.
re: MelMM
i figured everyone could extrapolate the warning to include all onions without providing a comprehensive list, but i guess i'll now mention scallions/green onions too. BTW, avidin is also a problem for us humans - i've always said that Rocky Balboa & his imitators would benefit from a nutrition lesson ;)
re: HappyHattiesburgr
I have to say that it really irks me, considering that until quite recently all domesticated animals ate actual food rather than processed food made largely from remains no human would eat, to see people freak out about animals doing the same thing today rather than falling into line with what pet food companies want.
I feed my dogs a home-cooked diet, and I actually have to be careful that they get enough salt. I have found that they need added salt, that what's in the food is not enough. (Meat has quite a bit of salt, but that isn't all I feed them.)
I remember hearing a few years ago the top guy from the Westminster dog show talk about how the lifespan of his breed is actually contracting, which he believes is due to the quality of commercial dog food. When you consider that the human lifespan, despite all our stupidity and bad habits, is expanding, to see dogs' contracting really says something.
re: foiegras
well humans may be living longer, but it doesn't always mean those extra years are healthy or enjoyable. but i agree with you that it's disturbing to hear that about shorter life spans, and to see so much of the crap that passes for "food" for our pets. (then again i could say that about the majority of food humans eat these days!)
my girls are my babies - i don't (and never will) have kids, so they're it, and i treat them as such.