Anyone else dealing/dealt with a feisty, food-obsessed kitten?

[courtneykp]

I've posted before about Mew and her food aggression, which she has outgrown for the most part. Now, she has moved on to wanting people food, and has came up with some ingenious methods to get it.
1) purr like a little angel while looking longingly at the food.
2) do "tricks" and then look at you as if asking if she gets a treat.
3) literally climb up your whole body while you are in the kitchen (doesn't matter if you are cooking or not anymore).
4) get in your lap and wait for you to look away
Does anyone have any tips for dealing with this? We've tried saying no and ignoring her, but neither has any affect...

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• courtneykp
• Jun 18, 2014

This is the little booger for reference. She is only about 9-10 weeks old.

 

[lamiatron]

awww what a cutie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

damn. i could not say no to her!!!

i had the same issue with my cat Charlie when we first got him, and most recently my girl Jet started too. 

I have carriers for both of them. I will put them in the carriers when we are eating (me and the bf). they get to watch us, and they meow, but then they simmer down. i had to do this for a LONG TIME. now they roam free when i cook or eat, and neither are interested in what I've got..unless i've got cheese...that's a different story. once we were done eating we let them out, with pets, and treats to follow.

you could try that. they have to watch you eat your food and i guess somehow understand that its not their turn to eat. then reward them with a treat afterwards.

Another thing, you could keep your girl in a different room when cooking. her climbing all over you while you're cooking is not really safe for her or you. just an idea.

i hope others chime in with more advice on this matter.

 

[courtneykp]

Ive also tried feeding her so she is in another room while we are eating. Maybe I should invest in a carrier lol thank you!

 

[lamiatron]

Ive also tried feeding her so she is in another room while we are eating. Maybe I should invest in a carrier lol thank you!

yea we've tried that too!! feeding the kitties at the same time we sit down to eat...all that does is make the cats scarf down their food and then run to us in the hopes that they'll get some mercy tid bits! LOL. 

the crate/carrier method has worked well for us. i hope it works out for you as well!

 

[jcat]

That sounds like Mogli. He gets fed right before we sit down to eat, and if he begs or tries to steal food from our plates, he gets shut up in the living room till we're finished eating. He's allowed to stay in the kitchen while I'm cooking as long as he behaves himself. Usually he climbs on top of the cabinets for a bird's-eye view of the stove. :lol3:

 

[lamiatron]

That sounds like Mogli. He gets fed right before we sit down to eat, and if he begs or tries to steal food from our plates, he gets shut up in the living room till we're finished eating. He's allowed to stay in the kitchen while I'm cooking as long as he behaves himself. Usually he climbs on top of the cabinets for a bird'-eye view of the stove.

omg! Charlie used to like to watch too. Until one time i turned around for literally a second, and when i turned back around i see charlie on the floor, with burnt whiskers ;( he got too close to the stove! but that's what happens. His curiosity got the best of him.

 

[courtneykp]

Mew is still a bit too small to make it up to the countertops, but that doesn't stop her from trying! :lol3: Mew does the same thing when i feed her, she just inhales her food and runs to us for ours. She's a bit spoiled because my bf shares with her. Her favorite is macaroni and cheese . I tried putting her in a separate room today, and she cried and cried until i caved and let her out. She's just too cute for her own good

 

[lamiatron]

Mew is still a bit too small to make it up to the countertops, but that doesn't stop her from trying!

Mew does the same thing when i feed her, she just inhales her food and runs to us for ours. She's a bit spoiled because my bf shares with her. Her favorite is macaroni and cheese

. I tried putting her in a separate room today, and she cried and cried until i caved and let her out. She's just too cute for her own good

definitely has to be a team effort. tell the bf not to give anything to the cats, if you're not giving anything. i'm more like your bf. I always want to share, and my bf is always telling me no. our cats, they just get more persistent as they get more desperate, and as they get older and stronger, they don't even care. they just jump into our food...and next thing you know, you have cat fur all over your dinner : / 

no matter how much Mew cries, keep her in the other room. and when you guys let her out after eating, reward her with her food or her treats. 

 

[courtneykp]

I'm guilty of sharing with them occasionally, too. :lol3: Its hard to say no to their sweet little faces! Thank you for the advice! I am getting 2 crates on payday. :nod:

 

[lamiatron]

I'm guilty of sharing with them occasionally, too.

Its hard to say no to their sweet little faces! Thank you for the advice! I am getting 2 crates on payday.

good luck with the crater training. i feel that works the best because they are crated, and they can see you eating. they'll feel bad and they'll meow..but eventually they will learn that its your time to eat and not theirs. they need to SEE you to associate it. Cats are such interesting creatures

 

[plan]

Ive also tried feeding her so she is in another room while we are eating. Maybe I should invest in a carrier lol thank you!

This is what I do. When we're about to eat, I fix up a meal for Drogo, tap my thigh twice and say, "Okay buddy!" and he runs up immediately and starts doing small jumps, chirping excitedly and doing his "dance" of circling around as he follows me. Then I put the food and water bowls down, and he's way too busy diving in to notice that I'm closing the door behind him.

There is a time limit though, which is not all that different from when you have an infant who can feed herself small finger food in her high chair. At a certain point, like my little year-old niece who cries when she wants out of the high chair, my little buddy Drogo will finish his meal, groom himself contentedly, and then it's only a matter of time before he starts crying and pawing at the door to be let out.

I would suggest taking CourtneyKP's advice and trying feeding your kitten while you eat, especially since it's a good idea to feed kittens 3-4 times a day anyway. The problem with giving in, or feeding table scraps, is that it sets a bad precedent and your kitten is going to know she can get more food (and human food) if she does her little tricks and cute meows. Then she's never gonna leave you alone.