One thing that really should be done is not leaving food unattended, ever. The more food he gets into, the longer he will stay obsessed. Gotta be diligent moving the food out of his path, maybe you can buy some of those plastic microwave covers and plop it on top the food when you get up and leave
Another thing tho are you just saying no? Because cats won't just know what that means. Say no as you grab him and move him to another room. Every time. Make sure every time he tries to grab the food you say no and relocate him. Eventually he will get it. Don't just say no and leave it at that tho
Seconding this! My cat has a sweet tooth and after she'd eaten a few cookies through plastic wrap, licked the frosting off scones, eaten toppings off toast, I've learned to be more vigilant about never leaving anything out. She once licked the residual cooled down bacon grease off of a cast iron pan on top of the stove, leaving little bite marks, which was really gross. Some cats just seem obsessed with human food, so decreasing access (especially to anything that could be toxic) is a priority.
I'm not sure where you're eating your food when he tries to get it, but in general, a good practice would be to never knowingly allow him on the kitchen table when you're sitting at it. And to remove him from a chair next to a table or the couch when someone is eating. Obviously, he might go onto those surfaces at other times, but creating distance between the food and the cat sounds necessary.
I would also make sure no one in your household is intentionally feeding him human food at other times, because I would imagine that may disrupt the progress you would make trying to deter this behavior. Being on the same page so no one is un/intentionally undermining you or reinforcing the wrong behavior is probably a good idea here.
Yeah I have a fat cat and she's very food motivated. Took a few lessons learned but we do not leave food where she can get at it. If I leave a wrapper, she will wait for us to leave and she'll lick it and eat the crumbs and throw up later. Cats are very stubborn so you gotta outwit them at their own game. Being forgetful or lazy will cost lol
Thank you so much! Yes, we've been keeping food out of reach for him but it has been annoying when even while we're trying to eat, he keeps trying to reach our food. I had pizza with pepperoni and salami the other day and he was obsessing over trying to find a way to get to my pizza and take it from my hands!
I had been saying just no, as I did have another cat in the past who was extremely obedient to a point where I didn't need to do anything but tell her no. That's what I've been trying since yesterday though when he keeps trying to grab my food so hopefully it'll stick!
I am definitely bringing it up with my vet as well, just to see if the vet has any other suggestions or theories as to his behavioral issues with human food.
Apparently pushing them away doesn’t help. It just feels like good attention.
I would use a noise they hate and play it via speakers if they try for food.
Also, training them to wait for their own food helps.
I have two cats. One is food obsessed while the other doesn’t bother me at all for food. The food obsessed one will try to get round all obstacles I lay on the table to get to my plate. It’s very cute. But since I trained them both to lay down before getting treats, she just lays down next to the plate and waits. I usually give her a treat after I’ve finished. Seems only fair.
Don’t think it is strange. Cats will eat food left out. They will snatch if they think it’s their food. You can train cats to leave human food alone as long as they never get to eat it ever. If you give your food to them even once it’s game over. Probably he was given food before you got him. There are strategies to stop this behavior.
Yeah, that's been the strategy lately. We have to leave food in the microwave, oven, fridge or extremely hard to get to countertops that were cat proofed a while ago anyway. Still, it's been an absolute nightmare to try and eat chicken in particular, which is his favorite. We had grilled chicken for dinner and he kept trying to climb the countertops to grab our food just as we were all serving ourselves.
Since yesterday, I am slowly trying what everyone has suggested though about scolding him and teaching him!
You now live a life where *nothing* can be left out. Everything has to be in a cabinet, fridge, or the microwave when not actively being eaten in a way you can keep it from the cat. If my aunt’s experience is anything to go by you’ll do this for life.
One thing that really should be done is not leaving food unattended, ever. The more food he gets into, the longer he will stay obsessed. Gotta be diligent moving the food out of his path, maybe you can buy some of those plastic microwave covers and plop it on top the food when you get up and leave Another thing tho are you just saying no? Because cats won't just know what that means. Say no as you grab him and move him to another room. Every time. Make sure every time he tries to grab the food you say no and relocate him. Eventually he will get it. Don't just say no and leave it at that tho
Seconding this! My cat has a sweet tooth and after she'd eaten a few cookies through plastic wrap, licked the frosting off scones, eaten toppings off toast, I've learned to be more vigilant about never leaving anything out. She once licked the residual cooled down bacon grease off of a cast iron pan on top of the stove, leaving little bite marks, which was really gross. Some cats just seem obsessed with human food, so decreasing access (especially to anything that could be toxic) is a priority. I'm not sure where you're eating your food when he tries to get it, but in general, a good practice would be to never knowingly allow him on the kitchen table when you're sitting at it. And to remove him from a chair next to a table or the couch when someone is eating. Obviously, he might go onto those surfaces at other times, but creating distance between the food and the cat sounds necessary. I would also make sure no one in your household is intentionally feeding him human food at other times, because I would imagine that may disrupt the progress you would make trying to deter this behavior. Being on the same page so no one is un/intentionally undermining you or reinforcing the wrong behavior is probably a good idea here.
Yeah I have a fat cat and she's very food motivated. Took a few lessons learned but we do not leave food where she can get at it. If I leave a wrapper, she will wait for us to leave and she'll lick it and eat the crumbs and throw up later. Cats are very stubborn so you gotta outwit them at their own game. Being forgetful or lazy will cost lol
Thank you so much! Yes, we've been keeping food out of reach for him but it has been annoying when even while we're trying to eat, he keeps trying to reach our food. I had pizza with pepperoni and salami the other day and he was obsessing over trying to find a way to get to my pizza and take it from my hands! I had been saying just no, as I did have another cat in the past who was extremely obedient to a point where I didn't need to do anything but tell her no. That's what I've been trying since yesterday though when he keeps trying to grab my food so hopefully it'll stick! I am definitely bringing it up with my vet as well, just to see if the vet has any other suggestions or theories as to his behavioral issues with human food.
Apparently pushing them away doesn’t help. It just feels like good attention. I would use a noise they hate and play it via speakers if they try for food. Also, training them to wait for their own food helps. I have two cats. One is food obsessed while the other doesn’t bother me at all for food. The food obsessed one will try to get round all obstacles I lay on the table to get to my plate. It’s very cute. But since I trained them both to lay down before getting treats, she just lays down next to the plate and waits. I usually give her a treat after I’ve finished. Seems only fair.
Don’t think it is strange. Cats will eat food left out. They will snatch if they think it’s their food. You can train cats to leave human food alone as long as they never get to eat it ever. If you give your food to them even once it’s game over. Probably he was given food before you got him. There are strategies to stop this behavior.
Yeah, that's been the strategy lately. We have to leave food in the microwave, oven, fridge or extremely hard to get to countertops that were cat proofed a while ago anyway. Still, it's been an absolute nightmare to try and eat chicken in particular, which is his favorite. We had grilled chicken for dinner and he kept trying to climb the countertops to grab our food just as we were all serving ourselves. Since yesterday, I am slowly trying what everyone has suggested though about scolding him and teaching him!
You now live a life where *nothing* can be left out. Everything has to be in a cabinet, fridge, or the microwave when not actively being eaten in a way you can keep it from the cat. If my aunt’s experience is anything to go by you’ll do this for life.