Expert: Ali - 9/1/2008

Question
why, when my kitteh drags me to the kitchen for food, does he leave as soon as he hears the can being opened?
thnx.

Answer
Myming,

If you use a motorized can opener your kitten may not like the sound of it. It's also important to realize that the habits you form with your kitten now will most likely reflect his behavior as an adult so you may want to be a little more firm with your kitten and not allow him to drag you to the kitchen or bother you for food. A common mistake that kitten owners sometimes make is to give into a kitten's demands for food regardless of the time of day. That can result in obnoxious nocturnal behavior including waking you in the middle of the night to be fed. You can solve this problem by making a high quality, holistic hard kitten food available to your kitten at all times. If you opt to feed your kitten tinned food or human food this should be at your discretion. Your kitten shouldn't be rewarded for begging at the table or making a scene that is geared towards getting fed. If you do choose to feed canned kitten food my recommendation would be to do so at specific times, once or twice daily. Cats in general thrive on routine and some degree of scheduling when it comes to what times of the day they can expect treats, play sessions and extras like canned cat food. If your kitten knows that he will receive treats after you have had supper and that he will be given tinned food shortly after a 30-45 minute play session you may find that he is happier and less demanding. Cats are very territorial by nature and they prefer a stable environment as this is reassuring to their nature. It's important not to go overboard when working routines into your kitten's day. Play time can be any time you happen to be available, although in my household we generally play with the cats for about 45 minutes after supper. If your kitten knows that you are going to feed him canned food and/or special treats after play time then he will be less likely to bother you throughout the day. If your kitten is aware that crunchy kitten food is available in a small bowl 24/7, he will feel more secure in the knowledge that anytime he is hungry food is available. Obviously leftover food should either be discarded daily if it's soggy, has bugs in it, or is spoiled. If the leftover food in your kitten's dish seems fresh then it can be placed on top of fresh food so that your kitten will eat it prior to moving on to the fresher food. When it comes to proper nutrition it's very important that kittens eat a good quality kitten food that is high in protein and calories to meet the needs that a rapidly growing kitten needs.

I generally recommend holistic foods that are made with human grade ingredients, although I do recommend that all pet guardians do their own research about what goes into their pet's food. Obviously the recent Menu Foods scare has taught us that there simply aren't enough regulations to protect our pets from companies using ingredients that aren't appropriate in commercially produced pet foods. Higher quality foods may cost more initially, however your kitten will need to eat a smaller amount of a good quality food than a pet food manufactured using lower quality ingredients to meet their needs. Cats and kittens who eat a higher quality diet also urinate and defecate far less frequently than those eating foods that contain lower quality ingredients simply because they use more of what they take in. In my experience feeding a high quality, holistic food made from human grade ingredients also means that your kitten will be healthier which means that she will need fewer vet visits. Don't allow yourself to be fooled by misleading advertising, take your time, do your research because there are some awfully disgusting ingredients that offer little or no useable nutrients that find their way into some commercially produced foods. Some manufacturers will use meat deemed unfit for human consumption for one reason or another, road kill, and even things like melamine, wood chips and motor oil. If you wouldn't eat the ingredients heading into your pet's food it's a safe bet that the food isn't going to meet your kitten's needs. Try to avoid foods that list grains or vegetable matter as their main ingredient as cats would naturally eat a diet comprised of approximately 95% meat and 5% vegetation that is typically found partially digested in the stomach of a prey animal.