Our cat's addicted to treats

[spinbaby]

It started innocently enough with a free sample of something called Party Mix. Now Mindy is addicted and will whine, cry, and fuss until she gets her treats. Her sleek black figure is getting pudgy and she kind of spreads out when she lies down. We point out where it says on the packet that treats are no substitute for a balanced diet, but no matter. Any human making any kind of a crinkling or rattling noise in the kitchen is instantly assaulted. I think we need a 12-step program.

[LynneSin]

1. Maybe we can get your cat on "Intervention"

I could see Candy or Jeff trying to talk sense into your cat going to rehab.

[meow2u3]

4. Great idea for a new Animal Planet show

Intervention: Pet Edition. :shrug:

[LynneSin]

5. my cat would be on because of his obsession with licking plastic

:scared:

[redwitch]

16. My Trouble does that!

And she bites and slobbers all over the shipping tape dispenser. It's really gross!

[meow2u3]

20. Yours and mine both

My cat doesn't just lick plastic--he chews it!

He'd also be on there because he's a hardcore niphead. ;)

[WolverineDG]

2. I have a cat who goes BSC over Cheerios

want to piss this cat off? Rattle the Cheerios box & don't give her one. :eyes:

Cats. :rofl:

dg

[snagglepuss]

3. Why not get freezed dry chicken treats? That way you can cut back other

that treats that are sprayed with compounds that are very addictive. The chicken treats however also have to be given sparingly because chicken I believe lacks phosphorus which is essential to balance the protein.

[meow2u3]

21. My cats love freeze dried chicken treats

I have cats with champagne appetites and I have a beer pocket. They're too damned expensive for me to afford.

[applegrove]

6. I gave a cat of mine too many treats and it resulting in a veteranarian hospital

stay from problems with his plumbing.

[spinbaby]

7. I worry more about fat

She's put on weight since this addiction started.

[Moondog]

8. Bonito Flakes. Your catz will love them.

You can buy these as high-end kitty treats,

http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Man-Doo-Bonito-Flakes-1-Ounce-Container/dp/B000IW71BQ/ref=pd_bxgy_k_text_b

but you'll pay a lot more for them and it's exactly the same stuff as what you'll get in an Asian Grocery, or online, for a lot less $$$. It is a staple / condiment used in Japanese cuisine.

Edit: added link

[stuntcat]

9. we have a treat addict too

He really wants the attention, not the food. If we open the drawer they're in and say "Treats" he'll come running.

For a cat he acts like a real goober.

[meow2u3]

22. You're better off trading one "drug" for another

If your cat is clamoring for attention, substitute the treats for catnip or an interactive cat toy, such as a laser pointer. The former works best and is excellent fodder for Youtube videos. ;)

[stuntcat]

23. ooo, true so truuuu

seein' a video in my future :*

[Curmudgeoness]

10. Well, there's your problem. You have a party animal.

I will have to look for these. My baby boy keeps losing weight and I can't get him excited about any foods.

[GoCubsGo]

12. Sometimes treats are the only way I can get my poor old geezercat to eat

He has kidney disease, and it's a chore to get him to eat most days. He's down to skin and bones. Some days, I have to give him a load of treats, along with the canned food, just to get him to eat the canned stuff. I haven't tried the Party Treats, but he loves Temptations, Crunch 'n' Clean, Whisker Lickins' and Pounce soft and hard, Ocean Explosion... The crappier it is, the more he likes it. Ditto for the canned food. None of it's any good for him, but he doesn't have many days left, so I give him whatever makes him happy. I'm kinda sad that Tender Vittles are no longer around, as horribly unhealthy as they were.

[Curmudgeoness]

14. I am so so sorry. I just lost one of mine to kidney disease

on Christmas morning. I understand. I did not expect her to go that fast, and expected that I would know when to take her to the vet, but overnight she just nosedived. Be prepared, and love on him all you can right now. You are smart to feed him anything he wants. I put my lady through a lot of grief with kidney diets that she hated. My heart goes out to you.
:hug:

[GoCubsGo]

24. Mine has been hanging on for about a year.

It's been a roller coaster. Every time I go to the vet to get a new bottle of Azodyl, I always think it's going to be the last one. The same goes for buying cat food. My vet never put him on a kidney diet. She just told me to feed him canned food. Lately it has been the varieties with "gravy", which I make even gravier with some unflavored Pedialyte. Poor, old guy. From what I've read, those rapid nosedives are not uncommon. I kind of dread mornings anymore.

I'm sorry that you not only lost your kitty, but that it happened on Christmas morning. Not that there's ever good time for that.

[Bertha Venation]

29. "The crappier it is, the more he likes it." It's fast food for cats.

We free-feed two kinds of kibble. One is "the good kind." The other is what we call "Big Mac kibble" -- usually Kit 'n Kaboodle or Meow Mix or some other such. The LOVE the Big Mac kibble.

[City of Mills]

11. Let me know when you figure it out

I have two addicts, and they're on me the second I walk in the door, meowing, and guiding me over to the kitchen. If I don't go in that direction they walk in front of me all purry and try to bring me back. If I choose to do my own thing they will take a position near me and proceed to stare at me intently. Then, if I fidget or god forbid get up, they dart over to the kitchen and then run back if i'm not behind them. Eventually I can't take it and give in, so the behavior is reinforced. Cats can smell a sucker a mile away!

[spinbaby]

19. Mine also tries to trip me

I swear that if I'm on my way through the kitchen to the basement, she actively tries to trip me up in an attempt to get me to stop and dispense treats.

[david13]

13. Same with my cat. I usually limit them to no more than 2 x per week. dc

It's the sugar. HFCS.

[MikeW]

15. yep Party Mix and Bonito in our house

Cant go in the kitchen without lookouts listening for the crinkle or plastic lid noise.

[Gormy Cuss]

17. Limit her to one treat per pound of ideal weight per day.

Treats in large quantities aren't good for the little furballs. It's like feeding a kid nothing but ice cream and candy. If she's gorging on treats she's eating less of her sensible food.

[Flaxbee]

18. Same here --

One of our girls really has a very serious monkey on her back...and all but one of the other cats (there are 6 total) LOVE them. I am trying to reduce their intake b/c many of these treats have a lot of salt... I wonder what's in them to make cats so nuts for the treats (Ours prefer "Temptations")

[JeffersonChick]

25. Pfft. My cat turns his nose up at STEAK

But loves mozzarella cheese. Go figure.

Then again, my childhood dog wouldn't eat turkey, but scarfed up baked ziti.

[blogslut]

26. This may sound crazy

But see if kitty will eat a little bit of cooked broccoli. A lot of cats love broccoli and it might break break yours of the pre-packaged treat habit. You just want to feed a little bit of the stuff and be warned, it may have the same affect as eating grass.

Proof that cats like broccoli:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cat+broccoli&aq=f

[GoCubsGo]

27. Other things to try...

Melon. My younger kitty goes apeshit over cantaloupe and honeydew melons. I cut it up into little bite-size pieces for her, and she gobbles it right down. Then she licks up the juice. The old man likes cooked squash and pumpkin. Some kitties I have met love cooked green beans. I haven't tried them or broccoli on either of my cats. Will have to give it a shot one of these days.

[Lyric]

28. I call my cats by shaking the Pounce bottle.

They will come running from five rooms away when they hear that drool-inducing rattle. ;)

[astral]

30. I lost my kitty tonite.

He was having trouble breathing and couldn't even hold his head up. He was 16 or so. It was so awful to come home. I keep thinking I hear him or see him out of the corner of my eye or feel him sleeping on the loveseat beside me. It is so awful.

[Angry Dragon]

32. ..........

:hug:


:hug:

[backwoodsbob]

31. my cat scoffs

he eats what he catches while doing a decent cover of cat scratch fever