Running Off With Chunks!

[FirstRescue]

Good news, and bad news.

Good news is the kittens tried their first raw chicken toes today, and they were a big hit. I cut off the nails and chopped up the toes pretty small (pinto bean size), but they still had to work to chew them. I thought the soft feet might help with their teething.

I had the main part of the chicken foot leftover, and without a cleaver, I couldn't cut it down to size. I gave that chunk to Pixel just to see what she'd do. Oh boy! She hunkered over it, chewed it, played with it, and then started to carry it off of the feeding mat. I guided her back to the mat, and was delighted to hear a low growl! This is a cat who has no food jealousy issues at all with me or with Cleo, and here she was being protective of her prize chicken foot! My little predator, I love it. Pixel did let me guide her to the mat, but she tried a few more times to carry off the chunk. I'd guide her back, and she'd growl some more.

I'd just as soon not have the kitties drag raw meat all over the house. Can I train them to eat on a mat? Or give them raw meat in the bathroom, close the door, and be resigned to cleaning the floor three times a day? Or should I give them only smaller pieces to help prevent the running-off syndrome?

 

[Ardina]

Ah the joys of feeding chunks. I have a similar problem - my kitten Mishka is a food thief who steals chunks from Saipha's bowl and runs off with them. Even though the exact same food is in her own bowl.

The only solution I've found that kind of helps (at least with her own chunks) is to feed on a wide plate rather than a bowl so she doesn't feel as much need to move around with it. Other than that, I just clean the floor regularly. I'll be following this thread avidly to see if anyone has a better solution!

Edit: I just remembered someone had posted a picture of their feeding setup a while back - they placed the food in a large, clear, plastic bin. The cat would jump inside, and the bin would contain the mess. And then they would just wipe the bin down afterwards. Might be worth a try!

 

[FirstRescue]

Hmmm, interesting thought, on the bin. That would be tricky for the blind kitty, but she's not the one running off with chunks (yet). Might be worth a shot with Pixel the Predator, though.

Your idea of using a wider plate made me think I should also try feeding them directly on the mat (maybe a much larger mat than a dinner placemat). Half the time they take a tidbit off their plate and drop it on the mat, right next to their plate, and then eat it from there. This serves no purpose that I can see, but cat logic, right? Maybe they just like ground level, for some reason.

 

[orange&white]

I saw the title of your thread and had to laugh out loud.

I feed two cats with good "table manners" who eat over their saucers...and one slob. She eats in the bathroom and drags every larger piece of food off her plate and then eats it off the ceramic tile floor. I thought about getting her a mat, but decided that I would then be cleaning her saucer, the mat and the floor instead of just her saucer and the floor. I'm resigned to regular floor duty.

If I give her a whole piece of meat, she wants to carry it all over the house, toss it in the air several times, pounce on it, etc.

This is a thread I posted about my slob: Gizzard Hunting Kitten

Raw feeders have more fun....and the cats definitely do!

 

[FirstRescue]

Lol, I loved your post about your Mighty Gizzard Hunter. There's nothing more fun than watching a cat tossing around its favorite toy. I bet that gizzard was fully dead by the end of the day.

I do hope your Slob ate it in the end. The germs are one thing, but what I really dread is a well-hidden "present" rotting away in some corner...

 

[Ardina]

I keep trying to write a reply, but Saipha is demanding that I pay attention to her by alternatingly draping herself across the laptop, using the keyboard as a scratcher, and gnawing the corner of the screen. Time to go serve Her Highness!

 

[orange&white]

Lol, I loved your post about your Mighty Gizzard Hunter. There's nothing more fun than watching a cat tossing around its favorite toy. I bet that gizzard was fully dead by the end of the day.

I do hope your Slob ate it in the end. The germs are one thing, but what I really dread is a well-hidden "present" rotting away in some corner...

Yes, she did end with the gizzard in her belly. I watched her through to the end of "the game". I do sometimes wonder if I'll find any dehydrated "gifts" under the bed....if I ever move it to thoroughly clean underneath. She's something of a grazer and takes a long time to eat her normal meals, so I don't always watch.

 

[dhammagirl]

I guess I'm lucky, my Zeke usually just takes his chunk, or whole prey, out of his saucer and onto the newspaper I have his dish on. It's a great use for old newspapers. I put down several pages as his eating area, and remove and toss a page or two each day.

 

[FirstRescue]

I'm glad there are still people who read newspapers. I might have to become one again! Lucky for you that Zeke is well-behaved. Do you give him whole mice or something bigger?

 

[dhammagirl]

I'm glad there are still people who read newspapers. I might have to become one again! Lucky for you that Zeke is well-behaved. Do you give him whole mice or something bigger?

I give him whole jumbo mice from Hare Today, which are usually around 1.5 - 2.5 oz, and occasionally a whole extra small guinea pig, which is usually around 4 - 5 oz, and whole chicks.
If he gets a big piece of bone in one of his rabbit chunks, sometimes he'll take it to a mat at the bottom of the nearby stairs to work on it. It's a cheap mat that I can toss in the washer now and then.

 

[FirstRescue]

I gave them a little more chopped chicken feet and a little chicken heart as a treat today. Both treats went over pretty well, and no one dragged the heart around, just the feet (maybe because the feet require a lot more chewing).

They decided that the newspaper I put down under their plates was not to their spec, and took their chunks over to bare floor and to carpet to play with them. Sigh. It's like they can home in on the areas for maximum damage

And when they were done eating, they acted like...well, like wild animals. Very frisky. Maybe just a coincidence, as they always get a little playful after they eat, but it was fun to watch.