My cat's begging is starting to annoy me

[Scratchy22]

I am losing my patience with my cat's constant begging for food when i am eating. He knows when his time to eat is as the alarm rings, i give him alot of treats and hide them around the house, he has 3 cat houses and we play every day but damn if i am to eat a piece of chicken he constantly cries and cries and cries and ignoring him doesnt work. I am beggining to lose patience with him. And no i didnt hit him. What should i do?

 

[ArtNJ]

If they never ever get table food they don't usually beg much. Maybe they still do for the really smell good foods, but generally not a problem. The problems get bad if you give table food now and then. So if you want it to stop, you have to never give table food and put the cat on the floor immediately if they jump on the table to beg. Can smack the table with your hand to make a noise if putting down isn't working. If your cat is really bad with certain foods, you could put him in a room. I've never found it necessary but some cats are a lot more pushy about food than others.

I only feed cat food, and I've always found that giving leftover chicken is a no good deed goes unpunished thing. I make sure to put it in the cat bowl and not do it from the table, but for hours thereafter the cat will refuse to eat cat food and stalk me. Its just not worth it. Unless you are doing some kind of natural foods diet for the cat, stick to cat food.

 

[Maria Bayote]

Keep him contained in a room each time you are eating, if possible.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ Don't ask me. I always share with my cats. When it comes to steamed chicken I have no choice. Sometimes I even get a taste or two .

 

[LovelyStyle]

I am in the same situation. My cat is glutenous. She has been extorting me to feed her 3 times overnight. If I don't feed her, she will not let me sleep. Seeing that I live in a loft, I'm often at her mercy. Sometimes I can get her into the bathroom, where I have a comfortable bed for her. However, she inevitably gets out, when we need to get in there.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Maybe something here in these articles might help.

There are a number of vets who are very concerned that cats don't become overweight, but on the other side of this, you don't want to underfeed your cat either especially if he/she is less than a year old, and even later if your kitty is a big breed cat ;

More activity might help to keep a cat less active overnight.

How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat? [Answered] - TheCatSite

Have you ever wondered just how much food you should be feeding your cat? Let's say you know which cat food you want to feed, whether dry, canned, homemade cooked, or raw. How much of it should be made available to your cat on a daily basis? Overfeeding is a constant worry for many cat […]

thecatsite.com

19 Common Foods That Are Harmful To Cats - TheCatSite

Many owners like to enrich their cat's diet with the occasional treat, often a piece of food prepared for the human residents of the house. However, there are common foods that are harmful to cats and it's up to owners to know what they are and avoid them whenever possible. Seemingly innocuous...

thecatsite.com

7 Proven Ways To Get Your Cat To Be More Active - TheCatSite

Looking for ways to get your cat to be more active? Our article provides seven proven strategies to boost your cat's activity level.

thecatsite.com

Playing With Your Cat - 10 Things You Need To Know - TheCatSite

We have all you need to know about playing with your cat! Tips, tricks, hacks, and how to keep your kitty happy and healthy.

thecatsite.com

 

[vince]

I gave up long ago. My cats seemed to have come from the shelter complete with bad habits. They taught them to the little feral kitten I took in later.

They even get up in my face and try to swipe food off the fork between the plate and my mouth. If I try to eat behind closed doors, they make a royal ruckus. The only way I can eat peacefully is to go out to a restaurant.

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

I eat in a different room or outside. lol

 

[nycats]

My 2 OG cats don't beg for food because I never give anything I'm eating to them. My youngest, on the other hand, comes looking for handouts because my BF sometimes gives him what he's eating (He loves my youngest and claims he's HIS cat). I also foster kittens, and they have no boundaries. If they get annoying, I put them away in bedroom till I'm done eating. You just gotta train them and be consistent. You can NEVER give in if you don't want them begging. The same approach though somehow hasn't work on my BF smdh.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

The only way I can eat peacefully is to go out to a restaurant.

~ Yup ... I hear that !

 

[kittenmittens84]

I’ve never given my kitten person food and he is still absolutely relentless when it comes to trying to get my dinner if I’m eating anything with butter or meat in it. He also loves bread and has previously gnawed through plastic bags to get bagels or English muffins...

I generally just feed him his dinner at the same time that I’m sitting down so he’s distracted. I’ll put some water in it or put it in a puzzle bowl sometimes to keep him distracted for longer too.

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you increase his food? Kittens need all the food they can eat, up to the age of a year, or longer

 

[RufusGizmo]

I would put him in another room. I have one out of four that is just terrible, the two little kittens i just got, I have never given them anything, so they are not interested, and the other older one does not like people food. the other older one is simply terrible. sometimes when I lock him up though he gets a little crazy, he has some behavioral issues. i have started to on occasion, just give him a little of what I'm having on a plate before I eat, and sometimes that is enough for him. I would never ever start giving a cat people food again to avoid this.

 

[Caspers Human]

If they never ever get table food they don't usually beg much.

My experience, exactly.

When I was a kid, growing up, the rule was, "People eat first. Animals eat afterward."

It's okay to, occasionally, give your pet a bite or two of your dinner but, if you let them eat from the table, they will learn to beg while you are eating. If you never feed them at the table, they won't learn to beg.

As a kid, the rules said, if you wanted to share a bit of food with the dog or cat, save it on your plate until you are finished eating then put what you want to share into the pet's food bowl and let them eat from there. That way, they get to share your dinner with you but won't learn that begging gets them free food.

Alternately, you could prepare the pet's meal at the same time you cook your own dinner. The pet gets his dinner while you eat your dinner and, at the end, if the pet behaves himself, you can share a little bit of your dinner in his food dish.

It's kind of like the way a kid gets his dessert after dinner when he learns to clean his plate.

 

[maggie101]

I use trixie puzzles. Use a pill cutter to cut treats in tiny pieces. It's actually fun to do!

 

[recurringecho]

A lot of good ideas up top! I agree with trying to feed your cat at the same time as you are eating. At this point, if you don't want to remove your cat from your dining area while you eat, I think it will just be a battle of your and your cat's stubbornness. How long have you had him? When I got my cats, every time they jump on the table, I did a quick, short hiss and immediately drop them back on the ground. It took a few weeks but they got the message in the end.

I am in the same situation. My cat is glutenous. She has been extorting me to feed her 3 times overnight. If I don't feed her, she will not let me sleep. Seeing that I live in a loft, I'm often at her mercy. Sometimes I can get her into the bathroom, where I have a comfortable bed for her. However, she inevitably gets out, when we need to get in there.

I wonder if getting an automatic feeder can help with that.

 

[maggie101]

I have had Peaches for 7 yrs. She has never gotten down from the kitchen counter when preparing my 3 cats food. It's impossible with her so I let her eat on the counter. She usually doesn't bother me when I'm eating. Maybe because they are fed regular meals,set times

 

[elliesvictim]

I’m in no position to give advice on this thread. I constantly give my cat human food. I tried to limit it to food she supposed to eat, so if I’m eating Indian food I’ll give her chicken from the middle of the chicken pieces so it’s got no spices on it. If I’m eating pizza I’ll look for bits of meat that have no sauce or spices on them. So much so now that she knows what foods she can’t have any of, so if I’m eating a pizza covered in garlic sauce she won’t beg for any cause you knows she can’t have any. So the best advice is what someone else said never to let them eat any human food but yeah, that ship has sailed.
She also has begging down pat. She doesn’t whine or moan when she wants food. She just sits in front of me looks at me as if to say “I’m not begging for food I just really like your company”. Works every f?$@ing time

 

[Furballsmom]

She just sits in front of me looks at me as if to say “I’m not begging for food I just really like your company".