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I Think My Cat Just Ate A Steak
milehigh
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Well...not a whole one, but I had a ribeye last night, and proceeded to throw the bone away with a bit of meat still left on it. This morning I awoke and had apparently left my cabinet where the trashbag had been open. She'd gotten in there and clearly gone after the bone, which was more or less picked clean.
It was not a well cooked steak as I tend towards rare/medium-rare. She's doing fine and is her normal self this morning and playing with her string on a stick when I prompt her. Is this no big deal or do I need to call the vet? I know they're carnivores by nature, but I'm also assuming domesticated cats' tummies aren't necessarily configured to handle this.
It was not a well cooked steak as I tend towards rare/medium-rare. She's doing fine and is her normal self this morning and playing with her string on a stick when I prompt her. Is this no big deal or do I need to call the vet? I know they're carnivores by nature, but I'm also assuming domesticated cats' tummies aren't necessarily configured to handle this.
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If you are worried, why not call the vet office and ask them? It only takes a few minutes and shouldn't cost you anything. Might make you sleep better.
However, do be cautious about making your bin more secure as if she eats small or splintered bones she may be harmed, as bowen says.
That cat brought home gigantic dead rats all the time and once even a rabbit, I assume some filthy rats to be more unhealthy than a bit of steak.
As mentioned above, the bigger problem is that if she gets into something with splintery bones, she could eat a shard. That's more of a problem with chicken/poultry bones, though, since they're brittle and hollow.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
And her creepin' on anyone coming into my apartment building.
Plus its just better for the cat to be indoors only.
Thank you nurse, we're done here.
Well, little Aerie appears to be just fine. The only bad news I have is that she's going to expect steak from now on.
Cause cat love plus online discussion = full retard. Pretty much any topic once moved to online discussion has a tendency to go that way.
If your cat is an indoor/outdoor or outdoor only cat, and he has a proclivity to hunt then (outside of belling your cat, which just means the cat is noisier) there is absolutely good goddamn thing you can do to prevent them from hunting. I guess you could declaw them, but that's a terrible thing to do.
And how about if, on top of that, I just start infracting people who want to get all meta on it and talk about people who want to talk about it?
Stay on topic.
"I'm not even mad, that's amazing"
Yeah, now that she knows steak tastes good, she's going to expect a bite if you're having it. You can try as hard as possible, but it's been stored in the "this iz delicius noms" portion of your cat's brain, and if she's willing and smells it- and wants it hard enough- she'll steal a bit off your plate or try to knock over the trash to get at scraps (at least mine do this if we make tuna salad or tuna helper...)
One or two small pieces might be okay, but don't make a habit out of it. If she's been a good kitty, use it as a treat. But just because you're having it doesn't mean she automatically gets a piece.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
Our kittehs absolutely lose their minds whenever I make tuna salad. Which isn't often, cause M'Lady Sif can't stand the stuff.
Spoilered picture of a spoiled cat.
Yeah, in full agreement here. Your cat likes steak now.
On top of this, though, I would highly recommend that if you do give her any steak when you're having some that you don't give it to her when she comes up all cuddley while you're eating. Chop some little bits off and put them in her food bowl, or on a small plate that you put next to her usual eating location. The worst thing you can do is give your cat the impression that she can get food anywhere, anytime. Keep eating to the eating area and she wont always be as insistent about trying to steal your food.
I once saved the bone from a porterhouse and brought it home for my cat.
I have never seen him happier.
...or more aggressive.
When I eat steak, my cats get bits of gristle I don't want to eat anyway since their teeth handle it better than mine, and they are pretty happy with that arrangement. They know they won't get it if they're on the table and begging.. that will just get them shoved off the table and no meat. If they aren't around I won't call them. If they pull something off the table before I can stop them it is taken from them and put right into the trash. They need to sit on the floor nearby and be quiet while I'm eating in order to get anything. It is also pretty much the only "human food" I will feed them.
My dad, on the other hand, has a problem. His problem is that he is, for whatever reason, psychologically incapable of not feeding an animal bits of whatever he's eating. He cannot keep my one cat out of his food, and my other cat is actually becoming worse-behaved over time, and it's because he just feeds them nonstop throughout the day. Not just his food, but also cat treats. It drives everyone crazy and we've all tried to talk to him about it, to no avail. I think it is starting to negatively impact their health, and we've only been living here for four months.
I guess the point is "don't be my dad." I'm not sure it matters what kind of limits you set as long as you set some, are comfortable with how involved they are in your meal time, and don't feed them a bunch of crap. Also, secure your trash.
But even then, it needs to be an infrequent thing. People food is not cat food.