Is People food really bad???

I was just wondering if people food is a big no-no or if small amounts are ok?
We had ham for dinner tonight and Pumpkin was sitting next to me and I couldn't resist not giving him 3 little (very tiny actually) pieces of my ham. Is it bad for him? Is certain people food ok and other's bad? I know bones would be a no-no....but what about the meat itself?

Thanks!
Tracy

Certain people foods are perfectly fine. Meats (though not ham, cats really shouldn't get pork) fresh and unmarinated/spiced are fine, fresh fruits and veggies are safe if the cats like them, plain yogurt and some cheese is okay if your cat can tolerate it. But basically in treat-sized amounts. Unless you formulate a balanced diet out of people food and suppliments which takes a LOT of research, you'll want to make sure you're not throwing off the diet he's on by feeding him too much people food. Just treat it like a treat!

Oh, and as a note, bones are safe provided they've NEVER been cooked or heat treated in any way. Raw fresh meat with bones are perfectly safe. My cats get chicken necks to chew on as a treat pretty often, and it's far better for their teeth than any kibble ever could be.

Hummm, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I had a cat at one time, Troika, who insisted on having spaghetti with us. I never saw the like of it, she ate the spaghetti and meat sauce, with the onions. I do NOT recommend onions for cats, I understand they are not good for them, but I'll be darned, that cat loved them.

Bite-sized pieces are just fine. One other cat loved blueberry yogurt.

my mom has a cat that loves spaghetti too!!! You let a noodle dangle for her and she will eat it in bites standing up on her hind legs as she makes the noodle shorter and shorter

I had a cat that loved tomato sauce on anything, not that she was given it unless she was sick then it was a surefire way to get her started on eating. I give mine small bits of cheese or meat, especially salt free chicken, as a treat. It helps to keep them alert to come to their names if they know there is a possible treat in store. And none of them like cat treats.

Gizmo was fed pizza, cheese and tuna fish by her previous owners.

People food is NOT good for cats and Gizmo has been strictly forbidden from ever having any more.

Just as an aside, My cats rarely get cat treats, especially the processed junky ones like Temptations. I'd much rather give them a piece of real meat, or healthy people food, knowing exactly what it is and that it's not got any potentially harmful ingredients. I feel it's much healthier for them this way.

Gypsy once stole a Pop Tart off my desk and ate a few bites of it. I turned my back for a second and she took my breakfast. She also likes tortilla chips and creme filled raspberry fingers. And I've learned to never leave food in her reach.

Sheba likes mozarella cheese. She hoovers the ground when we make a frozen pizza because a few slivers of cheese might fall. And chicken nuggets. It's my emergency food to coax her to eat. If she turns down a nugget, it's time to go back to the vet.

Cody will eat any people food she can get her paws...she especially likes McDonald's fries as she scoulfed down one that dropped on the floor like it was nothing. So we try NEVER to drop anything anymore...she's big enough already!!!

Our Ebony (long haired domestic black cat) LOVED spaghetti and meat balls. He didn't eat other people food but would go nuts for a dish of spaghetti and meat balls. I didn't make it often (takes 2 hours just to make and 6 hours to cook) but whenever I did make it I had to get a dish of noodles, sauce and meatballs ready and chopped up for him before we could sit down to eat.

My Siamese (Susie) loved spicy curried chicken.

Homemade food is just people food made balenced for cats...


I have a different take on people food since one is partially raw feed .... some people food is fine .. If useing it as a treat keep it to 10% of total calories

Well, I think some people food can be bad. My boy cats don't seem to be interested in people food very much. Drizzt once in a while will eat some bits of cooked chicken as a treat - otherwise he only eats his c/d and s/d. He's pretty healthy, too. He does have FUS but it's well under control.

My other boy cat, Bachus, will eat a bit of meat once in a while - mostly chicken or turkey. He prefers cat food though, canned or dry.

The girls on the other hand, well, they'll eat almost anything! So I have to be careful with other foods so they don't get sick.

Snack food like potato chips would be bad due to the salt and fat. They are attractive to cats though. But then, junk food is not good for humans, either! Processed stuff would be bad due to the high salt: look at the sodium content on processed foods like a box of macs and cheese. The pasta would be attractive to cats because of the cheese. My mom has to watch salt in her food so she can't eat many processed foods anymore but make it from scratch to avoid the salt. So I say if its bad for people its bad for cats.

A bit of cooked meat should be OK. Just be careful if you use meat from soup: I think that's how Cattie-Brie got her liver infection - a tiny bit of onion that stuck to a piece of chicken. I didn't realize onions were dangerous to cats...

I don't give my cats cat treats.

We're very strict with what people food our cats eat. When we're cooking in the kitchen -- and only in the kitchen, we don't want them begging for food all over the apartment! -- I'll occasionally let them taste a little bit of what we're making, if it's cat-friendly food (e.g. no garlic or onions or chocolate). Mostly this means they'll get a taste of cooked chicken or a nibble of tuna, and on Mondays they get a bit of shredded cheddar (I always spill some when I'm grating it on our pasta). They don't beg for the food (except for tuna -- the instant the can is opened they're twining around my legs crying for some) and don't get people food very often. Spike forgets that he's a carnivore, and will try to steal salad off your plate ... instead of the chicken sitting right beside the salad. One time my sister tossed a cheesie at Spike, and I watched, horrified ('cause cheesies are gross, IMO), as Spike licked off all the cheese powder ... and then Oz ate the "styrofoam" remains. Bleh.

I found out that my kitty Gaia is a nut for fried chicken! I mean she went bonkers so I have her a little piece, but I usually try to avoid giving the kitties people food cause I HATE when pets beg, so to prevent that, I don't encourage them. My dog on the hand, I will share a small orderof chicken nuggets with him- no sauce please

Gracie would eat tomato sauce on everything if I'd put it on for her.
She just loves it...I do give her spaghetti once in awhile.

Just got my current kitty this weekend, she's three and was raised by a breeder, so maybe that's why she isnt interested in people food at all. I've never seen a cat like that.. We start eating and she goes for a nap.

We had a roast duck for dinner on Sunday and I may have actually taken the heart and fried it off in a bit of duck fat before chopping it up and giving it to our girls as a treat.

Not really that obsessive I don't think. There's a recipe in Your Cat this month for cat friendly chicken kievs. Knowing my luck though, the weekend I may have thought about making those would be the same weekend the mother in law came down to visit.

My cats love tuna. I know people tuna is bad for cats but when I open a can they beg so hard for it that I give each of them a little pinch.

I do the same thing.
Like you I know people Tuna isn't good for them, but when you open a can and you have three sets of sweet little green eyes ( one set is crossed ) staring a hole through you it's hard not to give them a little pinch.

I haven't given any people food to my kitty, but last night I caught her enjoying some of my caramel dip (for apples). I thought that was pretty weird since I thought cats only had a taste for salty foods, not sweet. Maybe she liked the buttery taste of it? I just hope she doesn't turn out to be a little heffer kitty and try to steal my food!