Cat food treat aggression

Hey everyone! I'm new here, but I have a 9 month old kitten named scout. He loves to cuddle with me on the furniture and at the end of the bed, etc. Total sweetheart, until I feed him a treat. Doesn't matter what it is or the brand or how he's eating it, but he will hiss and even growl when eating the treat. When I'm feeding it to him from my hand, he will also batt at my hand with claws out and hiss, knocking it out of my hands most times. Has anyone ever heard of this and know of any way to work on this while he's still young?

Hi jbrannan, where did you get your kitten? It sounds as if he's had some competition for food at some time. Is he neutered?

It sounds like food aggression. He's obviously not like this when you place food in his bowl or you would have mentioned it?

He certainly sounds uncomfortable/ threatened when you handle his food. My first thought would be to give him treats by placing the treat in his bowl or a treat ball and see if he's ok with this. 

Hey @moorspede, I actually got him from my aunt (accidental litter of kittens, but she's spayed now). He's been neutered.

He's not like this around his bowl of regular food, he's actually very happy and purring when I put his wet or dry food together. Just only around treats thus far.

I've tried placing treats in a few different toys, and he still growls or hisses at the toy and while he's eating the treat. Also when I place it in the bowl. Still growls while eating it more than anything.

I can only think it's because you've handled it beforehand. I don't know how you feel about what I am going to say, I'd stop giving your kitten treats because it is clearly threatening for him and just give him cuddles, play and praise or you could try sliding the treats into the bowl without touching them. This is very interesting, food aggression is fairly common but I've never heard of this behaviour before.

M moorspede it doesn't matter if I handled it beforehand or where it is when he's eating it. He eats a treat, he growls hisses, sometimes runs away with it thinking somebody's gonna take it from him, which of course has never happened... it might just come down to like you said, just no more tasty treats for poor kitty. another thing to note, is that he takes the first treat fine. No batting, hissing or growling while he eats, it's only after he finishes eating one treat that he gets like this.

How do you typically handle food aggression in a cat? I've been reading quite a few articles on the subject, but no one states how to actually handle the problem. Maybe I can try a few of those things before nixing treats all together. Also another thing to note, he doesn't do this off territory or with catnip. So if I'm in a petstore with him, he eats treats happily and plays in catnip just fine.

Thanks for your insights! Of course he would be weird like that, takes after me. Lol

The most common type of food aggression comes from cats who have been living on the streets, it's because they are used to fending off competition.from other cats and involves the food in their bowl, or from households with more than one cat. I agree, there hasn't been enough research, food obsession is another area which is under researched.

Are you saying that he takes treats from strangers? Or does he take them from you? This is very interesting because it then becomes a territorial thing rather than an obsession thing.

You can use catnip as a treat? That's great! My cats don't respond to it.  If you have the money perhaps you could hire a cat behaviourist who may be able to work out why your kitty does this. 

My case is slightly different: I have two six-month-old kittens who get along beautifully, will eat fairly close to each other... but if I bring out treats of *any* kind, Joakim gets growly if Katniss is anywhere near him. It doesn't happen with kibble or wet food, and they eat right next to each other quite often when one of them knocks over a No Bowl mouse. But treats... Jo goes berserk when they come out, too, while Kat can't really deal with them, no matter what kind of texture, even if the texture is just like the kibble she has no problems with. She just doesn't seem to be able to chew them, or figure out how to get them from the floor to her insides. Completely confusing. Also, I have no idea how to try to train them, given their different but equally unhelpful reactions to treats. Neither one seems to react to catnip so far.

It's all very confusing, in a lovable kind of way.

Kittens don't respond to catnip, some start responding at six months while for others it can be as late as nine.

My cat is a little like that in that food inside the bowl is ok but when you put it on the floor its too difficult. I've been meaning to talk to the vet about it when her checkup is due. Perhaps her teeth aren't aligned correctly. She tends to lick her food, maybe the sides of the bowl help her lick it from there?

It's so weird: Katniss can eat kibble off the floor. Just not treats. 

kirochka said:

My case is slightly different: I have two six-month-old kittens who get along beautifully, will eat fairly close to each other... but if I bring out treats of *any* kind, Joakim gets growly if Katniss is anywhere near him. It doesn't happen with kibble or wet food, and they eat right next to each other quite often when one of them knocks over a No Bowl mouse. But treats... Jo goes berserk when they come out, too, while Kat can't really deal with them, no matter what kind of texture, even if the texture is just like the kibble she has no problems with. She just doesn't seem to be able to chew them, or figure out how to get them from the floor to her insides. Completely confusing. Also, I have no idea how to try to train them, given their different but equally unhelpful reactions to treats. Neither one seems to react to catnip so far.

It's all very confusing, in a lovable kind of way.

Click to expand...

I have two five month Kittens Crush and Rusty, and the exact same thing happens here. They get along beautifully. No food aggression for wet or dry food (but Crush eats the fastest and the most). However, when treats come out, Crush eats his first then goes and steals Rusty's, and will growl/hiss when Rusty gets near it.

JimmyC said:

I have two five month Kittens Crush and Rusty, and the exact same thing happens here. They get along beautifully. No food aggression for wet or dry food (but Crush eats the fastest and the most). However, when treats come out, Crush eats his first then goes and steals Rusty's, and will growl/hiss when Rusty gets near it.

Click to expand...

Also they are both brothers from the same litter, both neutered