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over the last couple of months, my cat has decided that he wants to eat using his hands
unfortunately though, he has no proper thumbs to work with!
so whenever he is fed his pseudo-meat-chunks in a bowl, he tries to pick them up but just ends up scooping them out onto the floor one by one, then eating them off the floor
the constant gravy smears on the linoleum is making the kitchen smell kind of funky, and it is a bitch to clean up the few chunks he leaves on the floor when he is finished eating
just wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem, and if so how the heck to fix/improve it! any cat-problem trainers out there? please help me, my house smells of cheap meat D:
And try feeding him from a plate, instead of a bowl. My might not be liking the bowl for some reason, which is why he's pulling the food out of there before eating it.
New Year’s Eve is the best. For one magical night, even the most straight-laced babe feels socially obligated to get blindingly drunk and act like a total whore. Pretty daddy’s girls with blond hair and tight asses swill cheap champagne and toss back shots of peach schnapps until they’re flashing their big, firm tits at any chump who wanders by.
New Year’s Eve is the best. For one magical night, even the most straight-laced babe feels socially obligated to get blindingly drunk and act like a total whore. Pretty daddy’s girls with blond hair and tight asses swill cheap champagne and toss back shots of peach schnapps until they’re flashing their big, firm tits at any chump who wanders by.
One of my cats does this too. It is adorable but fairly annoying as he'll often bat the food around on the floor before "killing it" and feeding. I hear putting dry food in an empty water bottle and cutting a hole so they can "forage" tends to diminish this behavior but so far the food bits getting batted around is less annoying than the 4am bottle-rolling would be.
my cat does this with her dry food sometimes, it's bonkers. i keep her bowl on the kitchen counter by the sink so cleanup is easy. she also drinks water from her paw, like a little cup.
My cat does this. I asked a vet and was told that the reason they pull things out of food bowls is usually due to their whiskers brushing the bowl when they eat. Apparently this would be like pressing your face into a Tupperware box every time you have a sandwich, with the plastic sides digging into your cheeks with each bite.
I switched his dry food to a very wide, shallow bowl and his wet food to a flat plate and I haven't had any other problems.
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
— Robert Heinlein
My cat does this. I asked a vet and was told that the reason they pull things out of food bowls is usually due to their whiskers brushing the bowl when they eat. Apparently this would be like pressing your face into a Tupperware box every time you have a sandwich, with the plastic sides digging into your cheeks with each bite.
I switched his dry food to a very wide, shallow bowl and his wet food to a flat plate and I haven't had any other problems.
Interesting. My cats do this too. They will take each individual piece out of the bowl and eat from the floor. I'm glad I popped into this thread.
For the OP, the dinner mat suggestion is definitely money. I started doing that with my cats about 6 months ago and it's made things MUCH better.
New Year’s Eve is the best. For one magical night, even the most straight-laced babe feels socially obligated to get blindingly drunk and act like a total whore. Pretty daddy’s girls with blond hair and tight asses swill cheap champagne and toss back shots of peach schnapps until they’re flashing their big, firm tits at any chump who wanders by.
If you're using any sort of plastic feeding dish, switch. They can cause irritation as gunk and mold and shit often build up inside/around the edge.
Or you can dishwash them with fair frequency (I.E. every other day). A general rule of thumb is: If you wouldn't eat out of it, don't let your pet eat out of it.
Plastic is usually a bad idea, though. The usual reason I see a lot of people moving away from plastic to ceramic or stainless steel is ease of cleaning and weight, especially with cats and water bowls. Cats instinctively like to drink from fresh, moving water. They will often bat at the water and make a huge mess if you don't have one of those expensive fountains. This is to make the water move a bit, making it easier for them to gauge the depth so they don't get their faces half underwater. Plastic tends to be lightweight, and the cat is as likely to tip the bowl over as to make the water move.
The place mats only offer so much help, to be honest. If you get one, find one that is plastic with the little raised bumps that provide traction to the floor. My cat was raised with three dogs around (a roomate's pets) that would constantly eat his food. Because of this, he buries his food when finished to keep the phantom dogs from eating it (phantom because there are no other pets now). He usually would dig up any towel, place mat, or anything nearby to cover the food with. I'm told this is a fairly common thing among cats, but your millage may vary.
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
— Robert Heinlein
I think pictures of said cat would help us help you more. Most cat problems can be solved by posting pictures. Especially on this forum.
Agreeing with the plate thing, cat's whiskers are sensitive and they use them for things like hunting and creeping about. They can feel very faint air movement, and as a general rule, if they stick their head in a hole and their whiskers fit, then their whole body can. Most cats don't like eating out of dishes where their whiskers are constantly hitting the sides-imagine someone flicking you in the face while you are trying to take a bite of food.
Our cat does the same thing with her dry food (and also scoops water with her paw d'awww), so we got her a mat to put under the bowls like people have suggested. Works fine for us.
We also keep the water-sloshing and accidental food-spillage to a minimum by getting her the "travel bowls" or whatever they're called - they have a ring on top that keeps anything from spilling out. Kind of expensive, but worth it for us.
Cats instinctively like to drink from fresh, moving water. They will often bat at the water and make a huge mess if you don't have one of those expensive fountains. This is to make the water move a bit, making it easier for them to gauge the depth so they don't get their faces half underwater.
Just a word of warning before anyone buys ones of these fountains. We borrowed one to test it out before we bought one ourselves. The cat made it his personal mission to empty all the flowing water onto the floor. It resulted in a not-so-small mess.
Also, the OP has missed one of the unwritten rules of H/A, although not usually infraction worthy; One must post pictures of the animal in question when questions relate to an animal.
"What are you dense? Are you retarded or something? Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the goddamn Batman!"
New Year’s Eve is the best. For one magical night, even the most straight-laced babe feels socially obligated to get blindingly drunk and act like a total whore. Pretty daddy’s girls with blond hair and tight asses swill cheap champagne and toss back shots of peach schnapps until they’re flashing their big, firm tits at any chump who wanders by.
Cats instinctively like to drink from fresh, moving water. They will often bat at the water and make a huge mess if you don't have one of those expensive fountains. This is to make the water move a bit, making it easier for them to gauge the depth so they don't get their faces half underwater.
Just a word of warning before anyone buys ones of these fountains. We borrowed one to test it out before we bought one ourselves. The cat made it his personal mission to empty all the flowing water onto the floor. It resulted in a not-so-small mess.
Those fountains can be a huge pain too... the little motors can clog with hair and gunk really fast. I had to clean mine out every couple of days before I just got rid of it. Now I use those plastic bowls that you screw a liter of soda into. It keeps the water fresh. Abd the cats always gather round it when the water glugs into the bowl.
Those fountains can be a huge pain too... the little motors can clog with hair and gunk really fast. I had to clean mine out every couple of days before I just got rid of it. Now I use those plastic bowls that you screw a liter of soda into. It keeps the water fresh. Abd the cats always gather round it when the water glugs into the bowl.
Yeah, I said glugs.
You give your cats soda?! (j/k!)
Seriously though, where did you find those bowls that let you screw the bottle in? I've been trying to find those, and have had no luck. Unfortunately I live in area with lots of dumbass rich fold who apparently only buy the fountains, since that's all pet smart et all sell.
Seriously though, where did you find those bowls that let you screw the bottle in? I've been trying to find those, and have had no luck. Unfortunately I live in area with lots of dumbass rich fold who apparently only buy the fountains, since that's all pet smart et all sell.
Try Walmart, where the rest of America shops.
Or maybe another pet chain store. I forget where we got ours... I'm fairly certain it was Petco, though.
Seriously though, where did you find those bowls that let you screw the bottle in? I've been trying to find those, and have had no luck. Unfortunately I live in area with lots of dumbass rich fold who apparently only buy the fountains, since that's all pet smart et all sell.
Try Walmart, where the rest of America shops.
Or maybe another pet chain store. I forget where we got ours... I'm fairly certain it was Petco, though.
Love to, but the nearest walmart is about 25 minutes away so we don't really go there very often. I guess I could make a trek down there. The only things near me are pet smart and target, and target has little to nothing for pets except food and toys.
I agree with the place mat idea, the plate instead of bowl idea, and if it hasn't been mentioned the cat might be wary about where he is eating now and would like a more calming/suitable/less busy area to eat. Maybe slowly moving the dining area to a new spot might help?
Posts
This, and have a camera ready.
thanks guys! failing that i will get some money together to get him some thumbs put on
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFvfFiQ2fjQ
cats are so bizarre.
Make him have a Spider-man mat!
I switched his dry food to a very wide, shallow bowl and his wet food to a flat plate and I haven't had any other problems.
— Robert Heinlein
Interesting. My cats do this too. They will take each individual piece out of the bowl and eat from the floor. I'm glad I popped into this thread.
For the OP, the dinner mat suggestion is definitely money. I started doing that with my cats about 6 months ago and it's made things MUCH better.
Or you can dishwash them with fair frequency (I.E. every other day). A general rule of thumb is: If you wouldn't eat out of it, don't let your pet eat out of it.
Plastic is usually a bad idea, though. The usual reason I see a lot of people moving away from plastic to ceramic or stainless steel is ease of cleaning and weight, especially with cats and water bowls. Cats instinctively like to drink from fresh, moving water. They will often bat at the water and make a huge mess if you don't have one of those expensive fountains. This is to make the water move a bit, making it easier for them to gauge the depth so they don't get their faces half underwater. Plastic tends to be lightweight, and the cat is as likely to tip the bowl over as to make the water move.
The place mats only offer so much help, to be honest. If you get one, find one that is plastic with the little raised bumps that provide traction to the floor. My cat was raised with three dogs around (a roomate's pets) that would constantly eat his food. Because of this, he buries his food when finished to keep the phantom dogs from eating it (phantom because there are no other pets now). He usually would dig up any towel, place mat, or anything nearby to cover the food with. I'm told this is a fairly common thing among cats, but your millage may vary.
— Robert Heinlein
you also forgot the first rule of cat threads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypMl2RFTC9Y
Wow, she tied a fork to the cat's paw and then spent forever training that eating behavior.
I wonder why her husband hasn't divorced her for catching the crazy yet.
Also, the cat would really like to have dinner with Tiger Woods and Oprah, plz.
Agreeing with the plate thing, cat's whiskers are sensitive and they use them for things like hunting and creeping about. They can feel very faint air movement, and as a general rule, if they stick their head in a hole and their whiskers fit, then their whole body can. Most cats don't like eating out of dishes where their whiskers are constantly hitting the sides-imagine someone flicking you in the face while you are trying to take a bite of food.
We also keep the water-sloshing and accidental food-spillage to a minimum by getting her the "travel bowls" or whatever they're called - they have a ring on top that keeps anything from spilling out. Kind of expensive, but worth it for us.
Just a word of warning before anyone buys ones of these fountains. We borrowed one to test it out before we bought one ourselves. The cat made it his personal mission to empty all the flowing water onto the floor. It resulted in a not-so-small mess.
Also, the OP has missed one of the unwritten rules of H/A, although not usually infraction worthy; One must post pictures of the animal in question when questions relate to an animal.
here are pictures of said animal sitting in the top of a drying rack, and huddled inside a towel for protection
you can't really see it in these photos but he is absolutely massive for a cat; he almost comes up to my knee
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it's kind of hilarious that this is the post that ends up getting him banned
kpop appreciation station i also like to tweet some
How long do you think until that post with the infraction makes it into someone's sig?
my giant
It's already been done.
Those fountains can be a huge pain too... the little motors can clog with hair and gunk really fast. I had to clean mine out every couple of days before I just got rid of it. Now I use those plastic bowls that you screw a liter of soda into. It keeps the water fresh. Abd the cats always gather round it when the water glugs into the bowl.
Yeah, I said glugs.
You give your cats soda?! (j/k!)
Seriously though, where did you find those bowls that let you screw the bottle in? I've been trying to find those, and have had no luck. Unfortunately I live in area with lots of dumbass rich fold who apparently only buy the fountains, since that's all pet smart et all sell.
Or maybe another pet chain store. I forget where we got ours... I'm fairly certain it was Petco, though.
Love to, but the nearest walmart is about 25 minutes away so we don't really go there very often. I guess I could make a trek down there. The only things near me are pet smart and target, and target has little to nothing for pets except food and toys.
I do and he loves doing both this and dragging the water bowl a couple of feet before drinking. Drives me nuts at night.
edit: sorry, forgot animal thread == photo thread: