Food obsessed darling devils

[Elbels]

We have two female cats who are just over a year old, they are the best, funniest and sweetest angels but my god they are obsessed with food.

We cannot eat dinner in peace (open plan living so no place to lock them away) without one in particular trying to steal food off our plates. Neighbours have found them eating food they've left out in their kitchens etc. They eat anything and seemingly have no ill effects, we never give them food off our plates so they haven't had any reward for bad behaviour, we also spray them every time with a water bottle and still they don't learn.

Will they outgrow this? Please tell me they'll outgrow it! Or any other tips for training, they're super intelligent (oriental breed with a Siamese element!) And clearly think we're stupid.

DTwatCat #1 was like that. Don't tell him, but I applied dog training rules.

DTwatCat #2 joined in some times when they were fed solely on wet food - giving them crunchies once a day meant they weren't starving to death quite as much. Hysterical miaowing and sprints to the fridge door every time it opened also reduced.

Anyhow, training.

First, encourage good behaviour - when cooking, they'd get crunchies put down to distract them. And if they remained quiet, a couple of scraps would be put in the bowls. They learned that Good Things Would Come by staying by their bowls (the far side of the kitchen).

DTwatCat #1 got trod on a couple of times. I encouraged him to stay out of the way by placing scraps back in his bowl.

Once he had grasped this Don't Be a Tit in the Kitchen, I did similar with meals - I'd put scraps down just before the plates were taken to the table.

He'd then stroll in and, if he wasn't a tit again, he'd get a couple of scraps once I had finished.

He now sits and waits if it's something he is interested in. If not - because he already knows what it is, he wanders off back to the crunchie bowls or outside.

(mind you, this is really only because I have an open plan house. If I'd had a normal one, I'd have just shut the door on the scavenging shit bag).