My cat keeps wanting to eat what I am eating.

[catsmom21]

Originally Posted by katherinep1225

I didn't even know that dry food is deficient of nutrients for cats.
my three cats' been fed only dry food for whole 6 months with me.
they must hate me now

I'm shopping for wet canned food for cats.
Thanks for this information!!

Dry food is bad for a number of reasons, the first and foremost being a lack of moisture, second being high carb content, third being completely species inappropriate ingredients.

Cats are strict obligate carnivores and need a diet high in nutrition derived from meat animals, and high in moisture.

Here's a couple of sites to help you figure it all out.

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health

CatCentric | Feline nutrition, general health and behavior. Better lives through better care!

[lhutsongaeta]

i am out of ideas... i love cats and have had my Bogey for 5 yrs. I thought it would be a good idea to get another rescue. friends found a poor kitten, had him checked out and I took him in. Sammy is about 6mths old. He is a terror!! He eats ALL food. Broke my butter dish and ate a half stick...ate bread through the plastic (2 pieces) I rattle a piece of paper and he comes running...I keep food in the bowel and each gets a half can of wet in the am.....Sammy starts at 4am scratching the door to be fed Is this just him being a kitten?

[mawipafl]

Originally Posted by lhutsongaeta

i am out of ideas... i love cats and have had my Bogey for 5 yrs. I thought it would be a good idea to get another rescue. friends found a poor kitten, had him checked out and I took him in. Sammy is about 6mths old. He is a terror!! He eats ALL food. Broke my butter dish and ate a half stick...ate bread through the plastic (2 pieces) I rattle a piece of paper and he comes running...I keep food in the bowel and each gets a half can of wet in the am.....Sammy starts at 4am scratching the door to be fed Is this just him being a kitten?

I'm not laughing at you, but I'm chuckling even though it's not funny. I know what you're dealing with. He's hungry! Plain and simple he requires more food, and food of quality.

"I keep food in bowl" leads me to believe that the food is dry? If so, get rid of it. Everywhere on this forum you'll see discussions about dry vs. wet and how dry food is less nutritious and less satisfying to the cat's appetite. As well, kittens require more food in multiple small meals than adults do. Sammy is still a kitten.

1/4 can of wet in the morning is not enough (I'm guessing it's 1/4 of a 5.5 oz. can?). I don't know what time you have available during the day, what your routine is, but I would definitely add more meals of wet during the day, and especially a meal of wet before bedtime.

Before the last meal of the day add a playtime such as with a feather on a stick. A cat's brain is hard-wired in this pattern: hunt (playing interactively), capture prey and eat it (meal in a bowl), groom, sleep. So, give Sammy the opportunity for this pattern and things might change.

[Arjay51]

I am a little late to the party but the answer is obvious.

Stop eating cat food!

[cyber123]

When my cat was a kitten, it was always curious trying to eat what I was. I would just give pieces of meat, leftover pork chop bone etc. He would haul it off like a lion in Africa and devour it. He also ate his own food. Then I started to buy more different varieties of canned food in many brands stocked up for my baby kitty on different kinds paying also attention to the ones he preferred as well but i still did a vatiety of rotation plus lots of cat treats to satisfy a wider palette range. My SO used to say he ate better than us. This worked because my cat got so finicky and snobby about his food, one time I gave him a piece of rib eye off my cut and he just yawned. He was satisfied with his food. Make sure you get different cuts, flavors and textures of canned cat food. They are like us and can get bored eating the same thing. I also had different varieties of kibble and alternated every few days. I think its OK to leave kibble out as available snack unless your cat has weight or overfeeding problem. Just make sure wet food is their main food source.