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Thu 16 Aug, 2012 04:57 pm
In the 1950's we fed our dog canned dog food, Dash, mixed with kibble and water on the side. He also ate handouts from our meals, making the rounds at dinnertime..the good old days when the family ate together..., he'd quietly wait for one of us to share. He ate almost anything except lettuce and grapes. I've had other dogs that would eat everything.
Cats, on the other hand, haven't been reluctant to shun, spurn, and sneer at offerings. Nothing personal, yeah right, but it sure feels like rejection. The other day I was eating American cheese. My old cat ,Roly Poly Bear, was "dogging" every hand -move plate to mouth. He never ate cheese, except in spaghetti sauce, but I gave him a small piece, and he ate it and then ate a lot more.
Have you had similar expeiences with pets and their feeding quirks?
@nextone,
Well, dogs are omnivores and cats are carnivores.
Dogs also have been conditioned for some 10 kiloyears to shadow our movements and our body language, and look to us in what are essential adult/Alpha wolf roles. Hence we provide the kill (food) and they partake of it.
And cats are, well, weird.
@nextone,
My cats are a little more selective. They won't touch McDonalds or Burger King, but they're right there for Blakes Lottaburger. Who knows why; maybe it's because Lottaburger uses some really strong onions. Who knows, they might be trying to tell me something about the other fast foods.
Oh, they also like barbequed brisket.
@nextone,
I never give my dogs canned food. The Vet advised me not to. Not good for their teeth. They are not allowed table scraps either.
I have three dogs, two will eat no problem, the other one is the picky eater, she has to have her food bowl there at all times so she can pick at it all day long, and she keeps the other two away from her food.
@nextone,
Poly ate processed cheese? Or was the cheese not processed? Miranda wouldn't go near processed cheese. But she liked a nice chunk of fontina. The cracker was optional.
@nextone,
nextone wrote:Cats, on the other hand, haven't been reluctant to shun, spurn, and sneer at offerings. Nothing personal, yeah right, but it sure feels like rejection.
Interesting. I once had a cat that was reluctant to hurt my feelings by rejecting any food I offered. He'd actually go hide it somewhere when nobody was looking but it would appear that he had eatem it. This was especially true of anything I tried to hand him from my hand, table scraps, really. He's take the piece of whatever and quietly carry it away somewhere to dispose of. Really, it was like he didn't want to be insulting, to hurt my feelings.
@jespah,
"And cats are, well, weird." Agreed.
@roger,
And who wouldn't love BBQ brisket.
Just wondering re onions. Have read that they're not good for cats. Am picturing a cat playing toss with onion rings.
@jcboy,
"canned food bad for teeth". Find this interesting. One of my dogs had to have teeth pulled. Vet said gum disease. Told us to feed him only soft food afterthe surgery, and, of course, as soon as we got home, Pookie ran into the kitchen and bolted kibble.
What do you feed your dogs?
@Roberta,
Boar's Head from the deli section, sliced to order. Not the horror of Kraft individually wrapped slices. Those I used to feed my kid.
Your Miranda had good taste.
@Lustig Andrei,
What a sweet cat! Where would he hide these "rejects", and what was the longest elapsed time until one was found.
@nextone,
Well, he was an outdoorsy sort of cat when we were living in the country. A lot of the time he'd take the morsel outside and we'd never find it. But from time to time you'd run across a mouldy, dust-covered piece of cheese under a bed when vacuuing etc. etc.
@jespah,
jespah wrote:
And cats are, well, weird.
Bleeeaaaahhhhh to you!
Possum cat will eat most things - but food from my plate is preferred.
@margo,
Oooh, that's just because he enjoys taking it away from you.
@jcboy,
We feed our dog like you do - only dry food same reason you state and no table scraps (unless he gets lucky and moves quicker than we do when something is dropped).
I've grown up with dogs - and when I was a kid, my dogs would eat pretty much anything and the minute you put their food dish down they would immediately eat every drop.
The dog we have now is odd in his eating habits. He doesn't eat up his food right away. And often times he waits until we sit down to eat to go eat. He also will go to his dish, take a mouthful and then bring the food under the table we are eating on and then eat. After finishing, he will go back to his food dish, grab another bite and come eat with us again.
It is really quite amusing.
@nextone,
I've had cats as well. My two most recent cats (both in the past year have passed away) - were opposites. One, the fat one, would eat anything and the other was a nibbler. We would put dry cat food for them as well and once in a while they would get "tuna juice" as a treat.
@margo,
Would your Possum eat a gladiola? Does he (apologies if P. is a she) play possum? Does he help himself from your plate or prefer finger feeding...as opposed to finger food, not to suggest any chomping on your f ingers. We had one cat who would go for offered bits with enthusiasm, teeth and claws. This prompted my husband to exclaim,"He eats like an animal!".
@Linkat,
That is funny. He's eating with his family, thoughts of caves and campfires. Sorry for the loss of your cats. I've had cats that were slow and delicate eaters, and others that were greedy-guts, "I'll eat mine really fast and then eat yours. " Having both kinds at once lead to playing kitchen police keeping away the would-be "sharer". My current cat, old cat, last cat, in his early days earned the epithet "Three-plate-Poly" . He' batted clean-up after the other two.
@nextone,
The other funny thing he will do when we are eating. He will nip at my kids' toes. And if other kids are over he will do the same to them. He will nip at their toes and then go over and get his food. He will not nip at my toes or my husband's.
He knows who is boss and he is trying desparately to put himself above the kids.
@Linkat,
yup.
Dogs are pack animals. They want to know who is the Alpha Dog.
If you are not the Alpha Dog, they will be.
If you are not the Alpha Dog, you cannot tell the [Alpha Dog] to get off the furniture, leave your shoes and sox alone or to come inside.
Joe(good luck with that)Nation
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