Help Simba keeps eating bits off the floor!!!!

My kitten keeps eating dinner bits that my children knock onto the floor when they are eating- before i even have chance to sweep up!
He gets fed enough of his own food soo why does he want ours? No matter what we are eating he wants it, i dont give him anything from our plates so why does he think he can have it?
Also he jusmps on the table alot when we are eating and the only way to stop him is to put him in the next room but i feel awfull doing that.
Any advice?

I find that my cat Buttons will eat petty much anything he can get a hold of that is mine. He used to be a constant violator of the kitchen table top and the counters where the dirty dishes were waiting to be washed. The funny thing is after a couple weeks of us attempting to dicourage this he learned that it was bad behavior. Then everytime he was up there if we even moved he would jump down and run to his cage and look sorry. This might be because we would give him a little "time out" in his cage when he was bad(though i can't be sure he hated it because he loves and sleeps in his cage).

Anyway, he has learned to not jump up there while we are around(we keep them in their own room while we are not home/sleeping). He still is interested in what we eat but he won't get on the table. I think you just need to work at this and train him that what he is doing is bad.

Be persistant. Every time he gets on the table pick him up and put him on the floor, and you must do this every time, and he'll soon learn.

As for food that falls on the floor, I think you're fighting a losing battle there!

Originally Posted by bengalsmum

My kitten keeps eating dinner bits that my children knock onto the floor when they are eating- before i even have chance to sweep up!
He gets fed enough of his own food soo why does he want ours? No matter what we are eating he wants it, i dont give him anything from our plates so why does he think he can have it?
Also he jusmps on the table alot when we are eating and the only way to stop him is to put him in the next room but i feel awfull doing that.
Any advice?

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Kittens can be VERY PERSISTANT in trying to get food. I wouldn't worry about him getting a few scraps off the floor. (That's a benefit to having pets, they help keep the floor clean! )

If you ever watch kittens eat with other cats, they just sneak up and stick their face in the bowl. The more persistent kittens are the ones who thrive by getting lots of food. So your kitty's behavior, while "naughty" to humans, is normal to him. And when the behavior is reinforced, by getting a bite of food, they just keep doing it.

When Garfield and Festus were 3-6 months old, they learned to snitch food off the kids plates by sitting behind them. Then when the kids were looking the other way, the kittens would stretch up onto the table and eat a bite or two! What stopped it was teaching the kids to be very firm in never letting the kitties get a bite of food, and setting the kitties on the floor if we noticed them in the kitchen chairs at meal times. I also was very diligent about ensuring the kids clear their plates when they leave the table, so no treats are left on the table.

It does get better as the kitten gets older, so if you need to remove him to another room when he jumps on the table, don't despair. In a month or two he will be so much better!

Our 5 month "brat" is hard headed too about jumping on counters or the table. But we keep an eye on her with the water squirt bottle handy.

Doesn't matter if they get enough to eat or not, people food is fair game in their eyes Especially any meat (chicken, fish, beef).

For us the best solution is to put them in a separate room till you are done eating and clean up. They will eventually get the idea that its no free food on the table/counter and get bored. Sometimes this may take years to sink in

I will sometimes give Zakk occ treats- a bit of meat, chicken or cheese, but I draw the line at him eating from my plate. Of course, the other night we had spaghetti with some cheese on it. I didn't clear the plates right away, and found him licking away at spaghetti sauce! I guess he could taste the cheese. Remember to clear your plates and rinse! The other kids aren't as interested in human food- but I think the kittens might be learning...

Because its the "grass is always greener" complex - All cats must have what you are having no matter if they are full of their own food.

My cats eat bugs - Kill them, then eat them.