Is It Alright to Share Food with Your Cat?

When Missy and Tigger arrived at the veterinarian, their owners were admonished for the cats’ increasingly hefty weight. Mrs. Campbell just couldn’t help herself from feeding the cats scraps from the table.

But back some 40 or 50 years ago, before the commercial pet food industry was the giant it is now, many households fed their pets leftover food from the family’s dinner. Some people who remember back then might even recall that their pets seemed healthier than pets do today.

So, if you’re wondering if you could share your food with your cat, the answer depends on a few issues that must be taken into consideration:

1. Your cat can become quickly obese with the added extra calories if you are feeding him a regular cat food in addition to table scraps.

2. You would need to feed him items that are wholesome and that would normally be a part of his diet, like chicken, beef, salmon and even fruits and vegetables.

3. You must avoid foods that are not healthy for him like sugary snacks of cookies, salty potato chips or anything with chocolate.

4. You could turn him into a food beggar, as effective as any dog is at begging, by introducing him to people food by feeding him from the table.

5. Some pets can be sensitive to seasonings in people food that can cause them to vomit or have diarrhea.

But if you want to share your food with your cat, there is one healthy way to do it and that would be to change his diet to one that is homemade. By doing so, you will have greater control over what he eats and his caloric intake, and you’ll know exactly what is going into his food. Plus, if you’re having chicken that night, you can prepare a chicken dish for him!

Several books exist that help cat owners switch their diets from commercially prepared pet food to homemade. “Food Pets Die For” by Ann Martin, New Sage Press, has several recipes for homemade pet food. Having burgers tonight? Ms. Martin has a recipe for cheeseburgers for cats:
1 cup ground beef, cooked
¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
¼ cup grated carrots
1 cup shredded wheat
2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
Mix the ingredients together and form into burger patties if you wish.

If you decide to switch your cat to a homemade diet, be sure to do so gradually by adding a little bit of the new food into his old and increasing a little each day until he is entirely switched over. This is a healthy way of sharing your food with your cat without risking turning him into a fat cat.

Next article: How To Help Your Cat Eat Her New Cat Food Diet