Cat just eats with my hands

[ragdollamour]

Hello everyone,
my cat just wants to eat with my hand and its very time consuming for me. Has anyone else faced this issue and what did you do to ?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. A lot more information might help to come up with ideas. How old is your cat? How long have you had the cat? How long has this been going on? Were there any health issues, or other events, that went on beforehand? New food, new residents (people or other pets), or other changes in the household?

 

[neely]

If you don't mind I have a few questions: 1. how old is your cat? 2. how long have you had the cat, e.g. since they were a kitten, recently adopted, etc.? 3. have you tried different types of bowls or plates? 4. where is their food bowl set up? The reason I asked is because if you continue to feed the cat with your hands you'll set a precedent that will be more difficult to change.

ETA: Sorry FeebysOwner - we must have posted at the same time but great minds think alike!

 

[ragdollamour]

Hi. A lot more information might help to come up with ideas. How old is your cat? How long have you had the cat? How long has this been going on? Were there any health issues, or other events, that went on beforehand? New food, new residents (people or other pets), or other changes in the household?

Hi, he is 6 years old. its been going on for a more than a year and started as he stopped eating on his own. I shifted houses and that's when it started and now he just doesn't want to eat alone.

 

[ragdollamour]

If you don't mind I have a few questions: 1. how old is your cat? 2. how long have you had the cat, e.g. since they were a kitten, recently adopted, etc.? 3. have you tried different types of bowls or plates? 4. where is their food bowl set up? The reason I asked is because if you continue to feed the cat with your hands you'll set a precedent that will be more difficult to change.

ETA: Sorry FeebysOwner - we must have posted at the same time but great minds think alike!

Hello, he is 6, I've had him since he was 3 months old. It started more than a year ago when I changed house. There is no fixed place for the bowl. I have two cats and I am trying to make a routine, but he just dosent want to eat on his own.

 

[FeebysOwner]

It likely has become a habit by now. The only thing I would know to try is to start making a fixed place for his bowl and put some food in it, then take him there, and still take food out of the bowl to feed him but make sure he sees you doing so. Gradually try to get him to take a few bites from something like a tongue depressor in between bites from your hand and see what he does. Maybe even a spoon as the next step.

You could also try a paper plate rather than a food bowl, but still use the steps above. There are cats that prefer plates, especially paper plates, to eat from. This isn't a process that is going to change things 'overnight' but at least a place to start to see if you can manage to migrate him back to a bowl/plate.

Depending on how you feed him now, an elevated feeding station is something else you might consider. Some cats don't like to 'lean down' to eat.

If he would manage to start eating some food out of a paper plate or bowl, you will still need to stay with him for a while before thinking about moving to the next step, where you leave for brief seconds at a time during his meal.

Hopefully other members will have some other ideas for you to try. If they do, pick the idea you like best and stick with it for quite a while before you change gears and try another tactic.

 

[ragdollamour]

It likely has become a habit by now. The only thing I would know to try is to start making a fixed place for his bowl and put some food in it, then take him there, and still take food out of the bowl to feed him but make sure he sees you doing so. Gradually try to get him to take a few bites from something like a tongue depressor in between bites from your hand and see what he does. Maybe even a spoon as the next step.

You could also try a paper plate rather than a food bowl, but still use the steps above. There are cats that prefer plates, especially paper plates, to eat from. This isn't a process that is going to change things 'overnight' but at least a place to start to see if you can manage to migrate him back to a bowl/plate.

Depending on how you feed him now, an elevated feeding station is something else you might consider. Some cats don't like to 'lean down' to eat.

If he would manage to start eating some food out of a paper plate or bowl, you will still need to stay with him for a while before thinking about moving to the next step, where you leave for brief seconds at a time during his meal.

Hopefully other members will have some other ideas for you to try. If they do, pick the idea you like best and stick with it for quite a while before you change gears and try another tactic.

Thank you for the advice. I am going to try all this. I didn't know cats like paper plates. Thanks a ton!

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things progress

 

[Alldara]

Once you have his food on a plate, try petting him to encourage him to eat.
I also "air lift" Magnus back to his food sometimes.
If he REALLY missed me during the day, he still does this.

If you have them on a feeding schedule (whether by time or routine), you can ensure his bowl is in the same room as you by having 1 or 2 spots. For example, my cats eat all their food from morning to evening downstairs. The kittens in the kitchen and Nobel in the hallway. However, for bedtime, they eat in the upstairs hallway. (Because Magnus is an affection eater he won't go downstairs at night to get it, I don't want to be woken up at 5am)

If you don't have them on a feeding schedule, set some alarms and try to get them on one. A hungry cat eats better.

On the good news end, this is AMAZING for if he ever gets sick. It's called "affection eating" and it means if something happens he's likely still going to eat if you're there.

 

[ragdollamour]

Let us know how things progress

sure! thanks a ton!

 

[maggie101]

sure! thanks a ton!

My cat Maggie does not like to be where my other cats are eating. I feed her in my living room,Coco kitchen,and Peaches bathroom. Maggie does not hearing my other cats eat and she will leave if peaches comes over since she likes to eat Maggie's food