He's been doing this ever since we brought him home, and I thought he'd eventually settle down, but he hasn't.
As soon as we start prepping food, he starts meowing and getting right under our feet; he even jumps up at us when we sit down at the table.
When I'm getting dinner ready, I try to ignore him, and when he jumps on us, I tell him "no" and move him away, but it's no use... he just keeps going.
He has a bowl of dry food available all the time, and it's always full. He eats a lot.
I don't understand why he's doing this, and I'm refusing to give him anything other than his dry food.
He's about 4 months old, and I don't know what his previous owners were feeding him.
Any advice?
Translated from French
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No, you mustn't give in, otherwise you’ll never hear the end of it; he’ll do the same thing every time. He’s testing you, so don’t make that mistake!! You know, he won’t love you any less for it! Our pets are just like our children; they’ll try it on, and if you give in, then that’s it!!! If your vet has given you advice, listen to her!!! Also, if you think your cat is genuinely hungry, either put a little bit more out and see if he eats it, or give the vet a ring to ask for advice. If you start feeding him from the table, your cat will come begging when you have guests over and do the same to them too, which isn’t exactly pleasant when you’ve got people round and your pets are scratching at your legs or meowing—or barking, if it’s a dog!!! You have to be firm right from the start. Best of luck, Manonemilie.
Giving him scraps from the table just encourages him to keep doing it... I don't want to feed him while we’re eating; plus, my dog wouldn't understand why the cat gets something and she doesn't. But I’m going to try switching his dry food and give him something else after meals if he’s been well-behaved.
Thanks for your advice.
My cat meows during mealtimes too – it doesn't bother me, and we give him a bit of what we're having as a treat, but only if it's meat. We've changed his dry food brand three times now, but he still meows away whenever we're eating...
Never feed your cat while you're at the dinner table, otherwise they’ll never leave you in peace. Feed them straight after, and only if they’ve been good. You’ll see, they’ll pick it up in no time.
I really wouldn't recommend Porta21. Both my cats had diarrhoea, Mocca lost the fur on her ears because of this dry food, and Chili was allergic to it (mind you, she's allergic to plenty of brands anyway, but Mocca has never had an issue before and now she's losing her fur???). Plus, I’m not the only one who’s had problems with it.
I’d suggest trying Acana or Granatapet instead; they're much better for digestion and allergies.
