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Tiny amounts of human foods safe for cats?

post #1 of 16
9/6/11 at 4:07pm
Thread Starter 
Sometimes when I am eating, my cat follows me and watches. She tries to come really close and smells it. I sometimes want to share my food with her since I feel bad she eats the same things every day.

I've read many lists of human foods that are poisonous to cats, so I am aware of what not to feed her like garlic, onions, raisins, chocolate, caffeinated drinks. etc. And I've also read people's posts on the internet about how they feed their cats scraps from their plate.

I don't intend to feed her human food regularly or in big amounts. I'm talking about like a half to one teaspoon of something once a day or every week, like a nibble of canned tuna, or a tiny sip of the water in tuna cans, a nibble of plain baked chicken without skin, a pea size piece of bread, or a spoon of rice.

Would these be safe for my cat in pea size amounts once a day or once a week in addition to her regular cat food? Would other cooked meats be safe for her as long as they are plain/not seasoned with too much salt/pepper or sauces? How about deli chicken or turkey, plain roasted chicken breast without skin, ... just listing some things we occasionally have.
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post #2 of 16
9/6/11 at 4:26pm
One of the longest lived cats in the world, over in France, was regularly fed table scraps from what I read. Know what is poisonous, and the rest should be fine in small amounts.

However, I think its a bad idea:
1) they may soon realize their own healthy food isn't tasty at all by comparison.
2) sets a slippery slope where the cat may become more and more demanding with begging or even stealing while you or your guests are cooking or looking away at mealtime.
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post #3 of 16
9/6/11 at 4:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
One of the longest lived cats in the world, over in France, was regularly fed table scraps from what I read. Know what is poisonous, and the rest should be fine in small amounts.

However, I think its a bad idea:
1) they may soon realize their own healthy food isn't tasty at all by comparison.
2) sets a slippery slope where the cat may become more and more demanding with begging or even stealing while you or your guests are cooking or looking away at mealtime.
I'll make it a rare treat so she will be forced to eat what is in her bowl - not every time we eat it.

Our cat only stays upstairs (I put a cardboard barrier in the hallway that blocks the stairs. She hasn't tried to open it or jump over it. I think it's too high for her to jump, so, so far so good.) she doesn't have access to the kitchen.
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post #4 of 16
9/6/11 at 5:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
One of the longest lived cats in the world, over in France, was regularly fed table scraps from what I read. Know what is poisonous, and the rest should be fine in small amounts.

However, I think its a bad idea:
1) they may soon realize their own healthy food isn't tasty at all by comparison.
2) sets a slippery slope where the cat may become more and more demanding with begging or even stealing while you or your guests are cooking or looking away at mealtime.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TinySalmon View Post
I'll make it a rare treat so she will be forced to eat what is in her bowl - not every time we eat it.

Our cat only stays upstairs (I put a cardboard barrier in the hallway that blocks the stairs. She hasn't tried to open it or jump over it. I think it's too high for her to jump, so, so far so good.) she doesn't have access to the kitchen.

As long as you make it only two to three bites or less then two percent of the overall cats diet diet it is not only fine, it will ensure the cat eats its regular diet. Since it will be such a small part of the cats overall diet it will make it highly unlikely it will stop eating its "proper" diet.
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post #5 of 16
9/6/11 at 5:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
However, I think its a bad idea:
1) they may soon realize their own healthy food isn't tasty at all by comparison.
2) sets a slippery slope where the cat may become more and more demanding with begging or even stealing while you or your guests are cooking or looking away at mealtime.
^This.
I never ever, ever give my cat people food from my hands for this reason. I do not want to start the trend of making my cat think that my food is his food. Then you end up with a cat that jumps in your lap and steals from your plate, bothers your guests, and meows forever if they see you eating something.

If you Must treat, do so in his or her bowl, and Not while you are actively eating.
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post #6 of 16
9/7/11 at 6:41am
I agree with Minka and Cat Person. If you give your cat these foods as "treats"--instead of, for example, Greenies--then it's probably okay.
I let Ritz lick the bowl of foods I wish she would eat more of--certain vegetables (fiber), oat bran cereal and yogurt (good bacteria and makes stool a little softer). Under no circumstances would I give her chocolate in any form (milk, ice cream), deli meat (exact spices are sometimes not listed), tuna salad or flavored meat/fish, grapes or raisins. Regardless of what you decide, read ingredients in human foods thoroughly; you'd be surprised what foods contain. Like lemon, sugar and cornstarch in baby food.
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post #7 of 16
9/8/11 at 8:52am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ritz View Post
I agree with Minka and Cat Person. If you give your cat these foods as "treats"--instead of, for example, Greenies--then it's probably okay.
I let Ritz lick the bowl of foods I wish she would eat more of--certain vegetables (fiber), oat bran cereal and yogurt (good bacteria and makes stool a little softer). Under no circumstances would I give her chocolate in any form (milk, ice cream), deli meat (exact spices are sometimes not listed), tuna salad or flavored meat/fish, grapes or raisins. Regardless of what you decide, read ingredients in human foods thoroughly; you'd be surprised what foods contain. Like lemon, sugar and cornstarch in baby food.
What kind of vegetables, cereal, and yogurt do you give your cats? Brand names and how much?
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post #8 of 16
9/8/11 at 1:30pm
A nutritionist I use to go to had a pure bred Abyssinian, and would routinely feed the cat melons (no grapes) and lettuce. Ritz won't touch any kind of vegetable, even the kind they put in cat food.
A lot of cats like pumpkin and sweet potatoes (cooked, absolutely no spices or fat). Pumpkin is highly recommended for constipation/hard stool issues.
I'd start out with a teaspoon/pea size. Better too little than too much; cats are so much smaller than humans.
As for yogurt, only plain, no flavor, with active, live bacteria, which helps cats with sensitive stomachs. Any brand is fine, Full fat is okay, for the amount you'd give her. I put saccharin in my yogurt so limit the amount she eats. Ritz will occasionally lick the carton.
The only kind of cereal I eat is oat bran (cooked) with saccharin; oat bran (raw or cooked) is also good for constipation issues. (I am NOT talking about bran cereal that is full of sugar and the kind you can buy in the supermarkets.) Again, I let Ritz lick the bowl if she is so inclined. She likes oat bran more than yogurt, but I make sure she only gets a taste. You can find oat bran is health food stores.
Frankly, I wish she liked oat bran and yogurt more; she is prone to constipation.
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post #9 of 16
9/8/11 at 1:45pm
I do feed some of my pets people food, but they all know that I don't do it until after I am done.
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post #10 of 16
9/9/11 at 10:18am
I will sometimes (every couple weeks or so) save Holland some unseasoned baked fish when I make that. But I give it to her in a bowl where she normally eats, not out of my hand or off my plate. She is always interested in what I am eating, and I used to have to put her in another room when I ate. But I've learned that all she really wants to do is sniff my food. Once she does that, she really doesn't show any more interest.
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post #11 of 16
9/9/11 at 10:35am
Holland sounds like Ritz: once she sniffs something she has no further interest. Which is why I left her sniff taboo items, like coffee + chocolate.
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post #12 of 16
9/13/11 at 7:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
One of the longest lived cats in the world, over in France, was regularly fed table scraps from what I read. Know what is poisonous, and the rest should be fine in small amounts.

However, I think its a bad idea:
1) they may soon realize their own healthy food isn't tasty at all by comparison.
2) sets a slippery slope where the cat may become more and more demanding with begging or even stealing while you or your guests are cooking or looking away at mealtime.
I seldom feed my cats human food but will now and then. It's a special treat and in very small amounts. I also put it in their own bowl most of the time. Sometimes I'll put it in a bowl and just put it on the kitchen floor for them to enjoy. I never feed them on the counter or from my hand.

However, Ramsey will go to any lengths to eat any type of pork. I mean even bacon. This cat has a real thing for pig I've seen him try to steal ham off the counter when he thought I was out of the room. Never had a cat before that was this determined to steal food. And it's only pork products. He doesn't go for chicken, beef or fish. Go figure
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post #13 of 16
9/17/11 at 5:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NutroMike View Post
I seldom feed my cats human food but will now and then. It's a special treat and in very small amounts. I also put it in their own bowl most of the time. Sometimes I'll put it in a bowl and just put it on the kitchen floor for them to enjoy. I never feed them on the counter or from my hand.

However, Ramsey will go to any lengths to eat any type of pork. I mean even bacon. This cat has a real thing for pig I've seen him try to steal ham off the counter when he thought I was out of the room. Never had a cat before that was this determined to steal food. And it's only pork products. He doesn't go for chicken, beef or fish. Go figure
well i for one am quite partial to bacon. so i see the allure
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post #14 of 16
9/17/11 at 6:53pm
I give mine bits of chicken every now and then if we have it for dinner. Miagi likes cheetos, lays potato chips, and doritos but doesn't get them all the time since I don't buy them all the time.
Tiger for some odd reason LOVES pizza crust. Angel likes tuna.
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post #15 of 16
9/19/11 at 7:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ritz View Post
Holland sounds like Ritz: once she sniffs something she has no further interest. Which is why I left her sniff taboo items, like coffee + chocolate.
We used to call that "making an offering to the kitchen god." Punkin wanted to know what we were eating, but there was no human food he would eat.

However, before WWII, the pet food industry was basically non-existent and people fed their pets table scraps all the time. Of course, that is one reason I say that the worst store-brand cat food is better than what cats used to get, or what they would get if they were feral.
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post #16 of 16
9/19/11 at 8:33am
Monet LOVES Cauliflower. I'd make it just for him once in a while
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