Thursday, July 30, 2009

Kittens? and food?

can a less than a half a year old kitten eat human food? if so name so? should i stay away from sweets? please give me the 411.

and to the smartie pants outt ther i know they eat cat food but i was just wondering about human food occasionally
Answers:
Most of us are guilty of sneaking a tasty table scrap to our pets during or after dinner. While there is not anything inherently wrong with giving your pet an occasional morsel left on your plate, there are some very good reasons to limit your handouts to treats made for cats. Giving cats a bit of leftover lean meat will not cause problems, but unfortunately, many people do not stop there.

Once a moocher, always a moocher.

Once you reward begging behavior with table scraps or something off your plate, you can expect to see the same hopeful eyes looking up at you every meal from that day forward. That is fine if you do not mind your cat disrupting your dinner. If you do mind, you will have a hard time training your cat to stay out of the room now that she knows she just might get a handout. Also, some dinner guests do not appreciate a cat that jumps on the table for her share.

Table scraps are the quickest route to weight problems.

Many times scraps are nothing more than empty calories. And since you probably save that hunk of fat or sweet morsel you know your cat will like, she gets all the wrong food for a trim waistline. Overweight pets, besides not looking their best, have a higher risk of many health problems.

Table scraps do not offer the nutrition cats need.

The more you fill your cat up with your food the less likely she is to eat her own. And since our nutritional needs are not the same as our cats', your cat will get less of the vitamins, amino acids, and minerals she needs and probably more of those she does not need. Cats are obligate carnivores which means they must eat meat and generally do not digest vegetable matter very well.

Table scraps are a leading cause of digestive disorders.

The rich foods we eat can wreak havoc on your cat's digestive tract. A simple, consistent diet keeps their system functioning as it should. Throw in your very different foods and spices and do not be surprised if your cat has bad gas, bad breath, loose stools, etc.

You could end up with a finicky eater.

If your cat develops a taste for your food, she may stop eating her own. After all, which would you prefer, dry cat food or juicy steak and hamburger every night?

You may create a thief.

Pets that are used to eating human food are more likely to devour the turkey leftovers you left unattended on the kitchen table. Or bury their heads in the garbage can to get at that fish you 'forgot' to give them. As you know, many bones, chocolate, and other food items can be dangerous to your cat.

Treats are a better choice.

A cat treat gives you and your pet the same satisfaction as giving or receiving a table scrap. It promotes that special bond between you and your cat, it gives your pet a new, delicious taste to savor, and it makes both of you feel good.

Quality cat treats, however, are usually more nutritious and tend to have far fewer calories than most table scraps.

There are other benefits, too, depending on the type of treat you buy. Hard treats are good for your pet's teeth as they help scrape off plaque and tartar that can cause dental problems. Many cat treats have added vitamins and nutrients, like taurine, which they do not get from table scraps.

Treats also do not encourage bad behavior. In fact, it is usually the opposite. Treats can be used during training to reward good behavior, but be careful not to overdo it.

As with anything in life, treats should be used in moderation. Too many treats can add weight and affect your cat's meals. As a rule, treats should never account for more than 10% of your cat's food intake. Your cat's food is her sole source for the nutrition she needs, so do not 'fill' your pet up on treats before meal time. Remember, no chocolate, no bones that splinter easily, and no high-fat, greasy foods.
no human food, i fed my dog and cat human food and after a while they had surgery. my bad.. So just to warn you.
NO
you can feed a cat 1/2 milk %26 1/2 water if you pulled it from the mama too soon.
Any cats I've ever had have never shown any interest in people food.
Anyway, I've heard it's very bad for them.
no human food especially no sweets or milk sweets can be like drugs for your kitten and milk gives them diarreah give them treats like whiskas and stuff like that never give your cat human food there are far too many preservatives and hormones in food to give to pets that can hurt them
white rice, peas, carrots, ground cooked meat and a scrambled egg every once in a great while will not hurt your cat. But stay away from anything processed and milk.

Cat food is certainly the best thing for your cat but a treat every now and then will not hurt her.
Human food is for HUMANS. Cat food is for cats. Why would you want to give him human food? Would YOU eat cat food?? It's not good for them, they require different nutrients than we do. And if you can't afford cat food then give him up for adoption so someone who can take care of him properly, will.
well i have a half year old kitten too but i feed it human food and nothing ever happens of happened to my other kitty.
it's best not to feed them human food, but on occation I'll give my cats a small piece of my hamburger or piece of my chicken as long as it is meat I might give them a small piece and I don't do it every time I've only done it about 5 times.
Human food is bad for animals, period. It's nutritionally prepared for humans, not animals. Occasionally, a nibble of turkey or chicken isn't going to kill them, but with all the human preservatives, it's best just to keep them on Kitten Chow while they are kittens, then at a year old, move them to regular Cat Chow.

NEVER sweets, the sugar and other junk in them are extremely bad for their teeth and digestion.
No sweets and a cat's diet should never consist of more than 10% human food. A kitten should have kitten chow though, they need extra nutrients for growth.
Any vet will tell you not to feed your feline any human food, but, like anything, the reality is.

don't feed her human food. The vets known what they are talking about. If I had a dime for every time a client brought in their cat with either pancreatitis or diabetes from the unhealthy human diet I would be a rich man. Please, stick to canned and dry cat food. It is formulated for felines (brand dependant of course) and contains everything they need. Chocolate will definately kill your cat and pretty much any other sweet will prove to be toxic as well. They're just not made for our diet.
A kitten that young needs milk- you can feed it any cooked veg's %26cooked meat it will eat,Also bread --NO sweets
I wouldn't give them any human food, period. It just isn't healthy for them.
don't give a kitten human food cause than they'll want more and they won't eat cat food!
As long as your cat is getting a high quality cat food, there is nothing wrong with a bit of human food as a treat. My cats get treated to shrimp one night a week, and when I make chicken, they get their fair share. Cats are carniverous.that means they are flesh eaters. A couple of my cats enjoy a bit of cottage cheese from time to time and that cartoon about Garfield and lasagna is for real. Just don't overdo it.

My guys are healthy and happy and no cat has ever died from eating some roast beef, some chicken or some mashed potatoes for that matter. By the way, my 21 year old black male, named Shadow, feels it is his right to peruse my dinner plate to see if he might like some of it. I don't think he'd have lived that long, if he hadn't been fed a healthy diet.

Hey, humans like treats, why not cats?
Some kinds of people food are fine:

chicken, turkey, hamburger, beef,cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt.

People who raw feed their pets feed a variety of "people" foods. Look up raw feeding and it wil lgive you a listing of appropriate foods to feed.
only sweets u can give a cat is ice cream cuz its milk but only mabu a few t spoons and thats it but only vinnalla only u can giv it any kind pf meat speghty eggs grinders bnut not the hole thing just the stuffing in it any thing wid fish chineese food a little ricemy cat eats jello but even that only a little even some fruit
but not wid so much ascid like oranges
No, kittens less than a year old should eat kitten food unti they turn one. I would not feed it any human food.
there r sooooooooo many chemicals that producers put into OUR food, it is just NOT a very good deal to feed ur cat /kitten anything but a GOOD brand of kitty food. I recommend IAMS, My kitties all eat it. It helps thier coats and all around heath.
And NO SWEETS. VERY BAD THING.

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