Feeding your cats from your own meals.

I was raised with dogs, not cats. I know that with a dog, if you EVER share scraps from your table, or your meal you can pretty much prepare to be begged every time you eat from then on.

With that in mind, I have opted to never feed my cats any human food of any kind. I don't give them bits off my plate and I never give them any leftovers etc.

I do this because I don't want my cats to beg. but is it the same with cats as dogs? Right now, I eat off the coffee table. I had to move my dining room table due to room restrictions with my office furniture. The cats will both jump on the table to investigate my plate. But i pick them up and put them back on the ground and that's the end of it. They don't come back, and they don't beg.

I want to keep it this way, but sometimes I want to give them a treat or a bit of my meal. Am i correct in my assumption that just like a dog they'll beg if they ever get the hint they can get food out of me?

You're correct. Cats will beg if they get the taste for human food. Mine's never eaten human food, and I can leave my own plate unattended and not worry that he'll bother it.

They'll beg alright.
I have first hand experiance with this....I live with three little beggers

I have two beggars. Anytime I go into the kitchen, they come running in. I don't mind it though since I know it's my fault. (and who can blame them? I'm sure our food tastes better)

If you want to give them a treat of left overs, wait a little after you finish and then put it in their bowls so they don't see your food go into their dish.

is there anything besides chocolate you shouldn't feed your cat?

Thanks for the responsese. That's what I figured. No treats for kittens!!

Mer636 here's some info you may find surprising:

Things not to feed your cat:

Onions, Garlic, & Related Root Vegetables

Onions contain a substance (N-propyl disulphide) which destroys red blood cells in the cat, causing a form of anemia called Heinz body anemia. Garlic contains a similar substance in a lesser amount.

Tomatoes, Green (raw Potatoes)
These foods are members of the Solanaceae family of plants, which includes the Deadly Nightshade, and contain a bitter, poisonous alkaloid called Glycoalkaloid Solanine, which can cause violent lower gastrointestinal symptoms. The Feline Future web site offers a rare description of a cat which was close to death from ingesting just one cherry tomato (See the link on the sidebar).


Grapes and Raisins

These foods' toxicity has mainly been found in dogs, in quantities of varying amounts. The ASPCA advises: "As there are still many unknowns with the toxic potential of grapes and raisins, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center advises not giving grapes or raisins to pets in any amount." That's good enough for me.

Milk

Although milk is not toxic to cats, it may have adverse effects. Simply put, adult cats fed a nutritious diet don't need milk, and many cats are lactose-intolerant, which means that the lactose in milk and milk products produces stomach upset, cramps, and gassiness. If your cat loves milk, and begs for it, a small amount of cream may be okay, two or three times a week. (The more fat in the milk, the less lactose.) Another compromise is CatSip, a product made from skim milk with an enzyme added that helps the digestion of lactose. Catsip is available in supermarkets such as Safeway, Albertson's and A&P, as well as pet products chains, such as PetSmart and Petco.

My father used to take a little of whatever meat he was having, put it on a plate, cut it up, and give it to Zane. I know that one isn't supposed to give a cat people food, but Zane is so used to it that I don't want to stop now.

I will Not give my two girls any food off of my plate. Hubby and I eat while sitting on the couch most of the time and we didn't want to have to fight for our food. While I am preparing food in the kitchen, I have been known to "drop" a little cheese or spinach every so often. As a result, the girls know that they can beg in the kitchen, but not while we are eating. My girls are Not allowed on the kitchen counters and they are also not allowed to put their feet up on the cupboards so they are polite when they beg in the kitchen. Mostly it consists of starving pathetic looks and the occasional flop onto the floor where they commence to writhe around in the most obvious and pathetic manner possible.

I will give my cats a taste of anything that want to try (except what they cant have) a lot of things they just want to smell, some things they want to taste.
And my cats do not beg. (Except Laura will hunt me down if Im eating cereal) Mine look and stare at me, but I can leave a plate on the coffee table or the table and mine will leave it alone completely. Im not sure why because I never restricted them. Maybe its because they know I will let them smell it and taste it if they want to, Im not sure though.

Originally Posted by fastnoc

Tomatoes, Green (raw Potatoes)
These foods are members of the Solanaceae family of plants, which includes the Deadly Nightshade, and contain a bitter, poisonous alkaloid called Glycoalkaloid Solanine, which can cause violent lower gastrointestinal symptoms. The Feline Future web site offers a rare description of a cat which was close to death from ingesting just one cherry tomato (See the link on the sidebar).


Grapes and Raisins

These foods' toxicity has mainly been found in dogs, in quantities of varying amounts. The ASPCA advises: "As there are still many unknowns with the toxic potential of grapes and raisins, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center advises not giving grapes or raisins to pets in any amount." That's good enough for me.

Click to expand...

I didn't know anything about these 2!
My cat actually LOVES tomatoes, I give her a small piece once in a while but I guess I should stop that for now on.

Besides all the no-no foods, I also heard that the reason you should not give any human food to Cats(and pet animals in general) is because of the seasonings(mainly salt, I believe). If human can taste the flavor, that'd be way too much & strong for animals.

My cats are the same way, they seem to just want to smell and check out what I am eating, usually if I do offer some they just walk away (two notable exceptions are egg salad and vanila pudding) I can also leave my plate unattended without worry as well. They don't seem to like too many people foods.

Don't feed the cat from your plate unless you intend on "training" them to be interested in your plate and being interested in begging/stealing. Some cats are bad enough without the human freely sharing, they don't need further encouragement

I can't link to the thread, but to the OP of this one go to fur pics and videos forum and look for the "Enjoing a bowl of ice cream on a hot day" thread, Heehee heee, cats are not little beggars at all!

Tiger is always interested in what I have but if I don't want him jumping up n my lap while I eat I just say "No go lie down" and he does

Oh, holy cow, will they beg. My parents tend to eat at the coffee table mostly and the begging is so bad, they'll try to climb up into the plate. Of course, my parents think it's cute, so there will be no end to that... It's funny that they're so relaxed about it now. Growing up, there was a strict rule about not feeding the animals from your plate and not letting them catch anything that may have accidentally fallen on the floor. They didn't want to deal with begging from the dogs. Apparently, cats are a different matter to them.

Anyway, I do not and will not feed from my plate simply because I have a guilt complex and if I do it once and they beg for more, I will, inevitably, wind up doing it every time. LOL

As I grew up, the golden rule was never EVER give people food to the cats.

Nowadays, I'm still not lax about it at all, because of Zorro. When we rescued him, he was very sick and unhealthy, due to the fact that at four weeks his old owners separated him from his mama, and commenced feeding him mainly cows milk, and people food whenever he wanted it, like toast, chicken, chips, even chocolate! Needless to say, he was very sick when I got him, and I have nursed him back to health. Now, 4 years down the road of no people food at all, he will still try and steal food whenever he can, mainly meat, chips, and bread products. He even gave me a big scare when he was about 1, getting into the Halloween candy and ripping open about 4 bags of chips, and licking all the chocolate off about 3 different kinds of chocolate bars. Thankfully he was okay, but now I know I will never, ever feed my cats from my plate, or leave food unguarded with him around, its kitty food only for them!

Eek! I'm glad he was okay after all that!

ETA: That was in response to Kernil - forgot to quote.