cat eating people food?

Local H Jay

so it's not really a problem, but my new cat spaghetti will find and eat any food left unattended. she's eaten bits of sandwhiches, mac and cheese, and some pizza crusts. she does eat her own food and we make sure to have fresh water and a full bowl of food at all times.
is there any food cats cannot eat? and will she get sick from eating these things? how would i get her to stop? she climbed right up onto our stove to eat mac and cheese left in the pot while we ate in the other room.

Shogun

You have to teach the cat that it does not belong on the stove, tables, etc etc.

Local H Jay

i usually grab her and place her on the floor whenever i see her on there, but what's the best way to show her that being up there is bad?

Shogun

Local H Jay wrote: »

i usually grab her and place her on the floor whenever i see her on there, but what's the best way to show her that being up there is bad?

my room mate has a cat and he makes this hissing sort of sound whenever he wants the cat to stop doing something like scratching up the couch. It seems to work because I can make the sound when my room mate isn't here and the cat will respond.

Sir Carcass

Cats are generally lactose intolerant.

ceres

They absolutely, positively, 100% cannot have chocolate. Same with dogs. They shouldn't really have sugar either, but chocolate is especially bad. It's been a long time since I worked at the vet's office though, and I can't remember why.

Daenris

A firm 'No' accompanied by putting her on the floor. Some people use a water spray bottle and just spritz the cat when they tell them No. It's important to pair it in order to condition them, so that eventually you only need to say No to get the cat to stop.

My cat who we've had for 5 years still (very rarely) will get on the counter, but she knows she isn't supposed to and jumps down as soon as she sees us.

In the short term, put away food if you're going in the other room, or put lids on pots or whatever so that the cat can't get to it.

There are foods cats can't have... garlic, onion, tomatoes, potatoes, chocolate, and a lot of cats are actually lactose intolerant so milk/cheese/butter/ice cream. There are almost certainly more that I'm forgetting, but a quick google search should turn up a decent list from somewhere.

Peen

There's actually a pretty large list of things your cat should avoid:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=0+1770&aid=1029

This is also an opportunity for me to say that one of my cats loves green olives. I mean loves them, if I'm having some he must have one too. He's weird.

Local H Jay

okay sounds like i need a spray bottle
we will definitely be more conscious of the food we leave about as well
i had no idea cats couldn't eat so many things

Sir Carcass

One of my cats will eat anything you put in front of her. The other won't even eat from a can of fresh tuna, but will eat dust balls off of the floor. We don't feed them anything except cat food, though, usually.

mts

my one cat loves him some spaghetti. i like to think that is why he decided to try and eat the pull cord on the blinds this morning

SwashbucklerXX

It's not a great idea to have a cat who steals food scraps. Some human foods are toxic for cats (chocolate especially, and some cats are lactose intolerant), and it seems like she's mostly going for carbs, which probably isn't good.

There are a few things you can do:

1. Try to feed your cat a food that's recommended by your vet, and not the grocery store stuff. Yeah, it's more expensive, but the grocery store stuff is crap. She could be happier with a quality diet.

2. Create a cat-unfriendly environment on your tables/counters. Some people suggest sticky tape on the edge of the counter. Also, get a citrus-scented cleaning solution. Most cats hate citrus. A spray bottle is all well and good, but mostly it teaches a determined cat not to jump on the counter when you're around.

3. Establish new habits... put your leftovers away before you eat, or cover the darn pot . Throw out scraps right after you eat. You'll get used to it quickly... I used to have a dog who was a master food thief, and it didn't take long for our entire family to automatically act in ways that would keep food away from the dog.

Buttcleft

ceres wrote: »

They absolutely, positively, 100% cannot have chocolate. Same with dogs. They shouldn't really have sugar either, but chocolate is especially bad. It's been a long time since I worked at the vet's office though, and I can't remember why.

Theobromine Poisoning