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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

I wasn't expecting kittens to beg!

60 replies

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 28/09/2023 07:44

We can't eat around our kittens at all! If you have any sort of food they will climb all over you to investigate and try to steal it right out of your hands!

Is that normal?? I've never known a cat do anything like that before! They have plenty of food out so it's not a matter of them being hungry. I have to shut them in the kitchen while we eat otherwise we're just wrestling kittens instead of eating.

OP posts:
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UnaOfStormhold · 28/09/2023 09:22

I think we need photographic evidence of this behaviour!

Squishedstormtrooper · 28/09/2023 09:28

I once had a kitten that would try anything to try and get food. I would sit on the floor in front of the fire to eat my tea (joys of living alone!) and he would sit and pretend he wasn’t looking at it. He would pretend to yawn and stretch and hook something off my plate at the same time. He once made off with an entire pizza slice with this method.

cordiality · 28/09/2023 09:36

It's so hard to know how to advise you without photos. Please post 10-15 photos of ickle kitties being crazy and cute and then maybe we can come up with a solution 👍🙏🏼🥰

Californiabound · 28/09/2023 09:38

Mine used to do this but grew out of it and now could not care less, she rarely even eats anything even if you give her a bit.

Surely2023IsTheYearForMyRainbowBaby · 28/09/2023 09:51

Mine used to beg and or steal food. He would either be shut out of the room whilst we were eating or fed at the same time. As he got older he got a bit better at not trying to pinch everything off my plate, although I'd occasionally see a little paw reach up to swipe a chip off my plate or pizza crust. His most sneaky one though was the first night I got him back to come and live with me. I cooked myself steak with all the trimmings which is very rare I buy steak. One side was slightly fatty so I'd planned on eating that bit first and then save the rest of the steak till last. Sat eating my tea whilst catching up on a few programs. All my tea eaten apart from that lovely piece of steak I'd been saving till the end. Went to eat it to find it gone. Looked down to see a very happy Moggy chomping away on it. Definitely hadn't seen a little paw reach up to swipe it off so heck knows how he'd managed to sneak it off my plate without me seeing

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 28/09/2023 11:08

AnnaMagnani · 28/09/2023 09:17

Kittens need to be taught what you think are acceptable rules for your house.

This is incredibly difficult due to the extreme cuteness of kittens.

It doesn't help that one of them has thumbs so this magnifies his cuteness 100x

OP posts:
AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 28/09/2023 11:11

The culprits. Don't let their innocent looks fool you, they're a pair of furry menaces!

I wasn't expecting kittens to beg!
I wasn't expecting kittens to beg!
I wasn't expecting kittens to beg!
I wasn't expecting kittens to beg!
I wasn't expecting kittens to beg!
OP posts:
Cornflowers35 · 28/09/2023 11:24

OMG so bloody gorgeous @AintNobodyHereButUsChickens

I especially love the photo where one is giving you a thumbs up.

margotrose · 28/09/2023 11:28

Our youngest is a nightmare for this - he was a semi-feral so I think there's probably a connection 🙈

I wasn't expecting kittens to beg!
Beamur · 28/09/2023 12:01

Those eyes! How can you resist..

EzraJones · 28/09/2023 12:03

Our older (rescue) cat will hold a paw in the air (like a begging dog) for human food - she's mad for cheese.

Isheabastard · 28/09/2023 12:07

Many years ago my mother was eating a fried kipper, while sunbathing in a deckchair and reading her newspaper.

She looked down and our cat had the tail in his mouth and was in the process of pulling the whole fish off her plate!

Beamur · 28/09/2023 12:12

One of my table invaders is much more polite with DH and sits by his feet and taps his leg to remind him she is a good girl who deserves snacks.

eggsandbaconeveryday · 28/09/2023 12:25

My older cat has started begging for food despite him having all the cat food he could possibly eat . He sits on the sofa next to me and gives me 'the look' or will put his paw on my arm until I give him some food.

Oakbeam · 28/09/2023 12:28

Cats are nosey. Hence the saying curiosity killed the cat!

But knowing brought him back.

cordiality · 28/09/2023 12:33

Omg thumbs!!!! They are absolutely gorgeous. You're going to have to starve I'm afraid, they're in charge now 🥰

YetAnotherSpartacus · 28/09/2023 12:36

OMG - gorgeous!

But definitely of the criminal class.

ilovesooty · 28/09/2023 12:38

My kitten who is nearly 6 months old was partial to everything I was eating until a couple of weeks ago. I had to shut him out of the room or eat standing up. Over the past couple of weeks he's developed his manners and is beginning to respect the distinction between my food and his food.

Plump82 · 28/09/2023 12:41

They're putting all those extra toe beans to good use!!
My girl cat goes wild for anything sweet, in particular coconut!! A coconut snowball is fair game in this house.

TheShellBeach · 28/09/2023 12:45

Most of my cats do this, or have done it.

35965a · 28/09/2023 12:46

Some cats a greedy bastards. We had a food obsessed little fatty, she would eat anything. Her favourite snack was mini cheddars, she was the best. Lived until she was 15 and she was an outdoorsy cat always getting into scrapes so didn’t do her any harm.

BellaTheDarkOverlord · 28/09/2023 12:50

My kitten was like this when we got her. Proper little maniac especially around a takeaway pizza, had to wrestle with her too. She’s steal a packet of biscuits if she got in the cupboard and try open it. She’s 6 month old now and leaves us alone. Much better behaved.

notificationoverload · 28/09/2023 12:54

Our bengal will steal food off your plate if you dare to leave the table for 2 minutes.
He's also learnt to open the air fryer and will take things out of the cupboard, fridge, bags if left open a smidge.
He has access to dry food all day and gets wet food 3 times a day but I was so concerned over the behaviour I took him to the vet as thought he must be starving lol

Anontocomment · 28/09/2023 12:57

oh god!
DH's familiar, god rest her, would jump on his lap when sitting at the dinner table, watching him eat. Once he put his cutlery down and said 'there you go' she would be up, finishing off whatever was left. Mind, he would also hold glasses of milk for her and she slept curled in his arms, holding his hands.

I had a previous cat who loved spicy food and wine.

Current calico bengal will attack for cheese, even jumping and hanging off a domino's pizza slice until dd dropped it for her. On Sunday, she jumped onto the counter, pushed the plate with the pork crackling onto the floor (so pooch could share) and legged it with a large piece.

I think only one of my cats has never shown an interest, and that was only because he jumped all-paws into a tray of newly-made lasagna as I took it out of the oven to try to scarf it. Weeks of burn treatment put him off for life, but if either of the other girls brought him something they'd nicked he'd happily scarf it down.

We now have only one cat and a collie that was brought up by two cats - so thinks he's an oversized one. Thankfully sole surviving cat has stopped bringing him
mice to 'hunt' but as mentioned, is still working with him to nick treats!

gamerchick · 28/09/2023 12:58

Mines 9 and I still get mugged if I'm eating tuna... or watermelon. It's a lot calmer these days