A question that probably shouldn't be asked...

Now I know we all know that pets love human food. I was never priveledge enough to have animals growimg up, but my boyfriends family has 4 dogs and now my baby kitten. The dogs eat human food they will stare at you until you are done. I dont believe animals should be eating human food other wise what would be the purpose of dog food. I dont plan on giving my kitten human food when he grows up. My mother in law told me her cat would eat anything and everything. I had planned on giving him high quality cat food. Is it fair that my tinkerbell gets human food and he doesnt? what do you think?

It is much, much better for your baby not to receive human foods. Many cause upset to his delicate digestive system and some are even toxic to him. Please feed your baby a steady diet of a high quality kitten food, in both canned and dry formulas.

I didnt plan on feeding him hman food when he is a baby but what about when he is older like 3 or 4 months?

It isn't advisable. Keep him on kitten foods and feed him when you and your family sits down to eat your own meal. This will discourage begging behavior.

Once they learn that the stuff on your plate, table, counter is yummy- nothing is safe. I fed a childhood cat anything he wanted from my plate and just like a dog, he begged and got in my face (everyones face) when we ate. They do best to never know what it is you are eating. I don't even let them sniff my food, they know when we are eating they need to go elsewhere- like the bathroom to make a mess.

Just out of curiousity, how old is your baby kitten? He should be with his mother until almost 4 months old. I maybe have missed a previous post where you might have talked about him...but just wondering.

Animals should not be fed human table scraps ever. I assume you are referring more to table scraps. I mean my dog gets vegetables in his food as the vet recommended, he is overweight. We also use baby carrots as a treat because he loves them. But feeding table scraps is a whole other story.

There could be a lot of bad ingredients in there that aren't healthy for the animal, could cause upset stomach or even death. I wouldn't take a chance.

Kittens specifically need good kitten food until they are 8-9 months old or so. They should be on their mothers milk or bottle until a month or so old and gradually switched to wet and dry food.

Nevermind I just ran across your other posts!!

I know he should be with his mother. And yes you missed another post. The mother abandoned all three kittens we found them 5 days later and one died. I took the other two to the vet the one was put to sleep and now i am doing my best to keep this one alove and healthy.

IMO aren't dogs and cats here for us to spoil? I don't see the harm in having a little taste of human food now and then. As long as the dog/cat eats their food and the people food is not more then about 10% of their meal, it will not hurt.

There are things you should avoid that people don't realize can harm the dog/cat. Onions is one, raisins and grapes are another.

Our cats always have had a bit of cooked chicken as a treat - they love it. They also get a taste of almost any meat we are eating. And cheese too. So does the dog - in fact her evening meal consists of a scoop of dog food and a little leftovers - she'll eat anything you put in front of her.

Now if you are feeding mainly people food, I can see a problem up the road but as long as they eat their food and are not picky, go ahead and spoil them a little

As far as the begging - our cats and the dog are taught that you won't get anything if you beg at the table. The dog waits patiently on her bed while we are eating cause she knows that after dinner she will be fed.

Also with a dog, the pack leaders eat before the lower memebers - so feeding your dog BEFORE you sit down tells the dog they are the pack leader and not you!

I spoiled my 3 cats when I first got them by letting them lick clean our icecream bowls when we were finished. It became a bit of a hassle for a while because they would be in our faces while we ate anything out of a bowl. But we taught them to wait patiently until we were done. I don't think an occassional treat hurts them.

Dont you love when cats take the TP off the roll and when you yell who used it all or didnt replace it all u get is a meow and a purr...

Well Miki got a diarrea after eating some chicken, so I'm not sure. But of course she was a stray and had probably never had table food. I think occasionally is fine and in small amounts. Table food can lead to weight gain, trust me. Haley (in my siggy) as a yorkie, should weight anywhere from 5-7lbs. Because my grandmother feeds her table food, she weighs 9lbs (last time at the vet). Same thing applies to cats. I do believe a little icecream is ok. I used to have two cats, Milo and Missy (both were boys, but I was young at the time and didn't know the difference. ) and they would come right up to you while you were eating a vanilla icecream cone and while you were licking it, they'd start licking it. It was like an icecream frenzy.

ok so can I please have a list of what is ok for cats to eat...My dog eats everything and I don't want to start my cat on that habit. So whats ok for him? And how often?

Only use people food for treats - not normal meals. Some safe foods are boiled chicken, beef, turkey or fish (use fish sparingly cause it can be addicting). Also lamb is ok.

Cheese, cottage cheese, green beans are ok cooked. Some like tomato and some fruits (like cantalope).

Avoid onions, spicy foods, any kind of small bones (chicken, pork, etc.) The small bones when cooked will splinter if the cat eats them.

My rex LOVES lettuce - I guess its like grass to him but he loves to eat salads - with or without dressing I also had a Russian Blue male that would kill you for your salad! Also my female rexes loved peach ice cream. They would lick the bowl when you were done. My male rex got sick (diarraha) from anything with milk in it and he avoids ice cream - he won't touch it if you leave it on the floor - smart cat.