New Kitten

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Christopher JJ - 03 Nov 2004 05:58 GMT

Hi, I just got a new kitten (about six months) from the humane
society, and I have a few questions.

1. He doesn't seem to like eating out of a hand. He eats out of bowls
fine, just not out of my hand. Is that normal? Is there any way I can
train him to? He just kinda sniffs around my hand, as if he doesn't
see the treat entirely.

2. He can't seem to eat treats properly. If I place them on the
ground, he tries to pick them up, but they just end up falling out of
his mouth over and over again. He tries to shove the treat back into
his mouth with a paw, but with no luck. He finally manages to eat the
treat after it breaks up into smaller pieces. Is -that- normal?

Thanks!

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i.p.freely - 03 Nov 2004 09:51 GMT

> Hi, I just got a new kitten (about six months) from the humane
> society, and I have a few questions.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> train him to? He just kinda sniffs around my hand, as if he doesn't
> see the treat entirely.

Yes he's a cat, not a dog. :)

> 2. He can't seem to eat treats properly. If I place them on the
> ground, he tries to pick them up, but they just end up falling out of
> his mouth over and over again. He tries to shove the treat back into
> his mouth with a paw, but with no luck. He finally manages to eat the
> treat after it breaks up into smaller pieces. Is -that- normal?

Probably if the treats are meant for adult cats and are too big or hard for
him to chew easily.

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I.P.Freely

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BC - 04 Nov 2004 00:15 GMT

> Hi, I just got a new kitten (about six months) from the humane
> society, and I have a few questions.
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Thanks!

Dunno if its normal or not but our kitten does exactly the same. If you
put more than one treat on your hand he manages to eat them but if its
just one he cant ever seem to find it, he seems to prefer us to throw it
on the floor so that he can pounce on it before eating it.
As for his difficulty in eating his treats i would presume that he is
probably in the middle of losing his baby teeth.

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MaryL - 04 Nov 2004 14:02 GMT

> Hi, I just got a new kitten (about six months) from the humane
> society, and I have a few questions.
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Thanks!

I think this is normal. Many cats prefer not to eat from a person's hand.
Actually, I think you would be better off not to try to train him to do
this. Later on, it will not be so "cute" if he tries to grab food while you
are eating, and I would hate to see a message then asking how to get him to
stop.

MaryL

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Ivor Jones - 04 Nov 2004 15:10 GMT

[snip]

> I think this is normal. Many cats prefer not to eat from a person's
> hand. Actually, I think you would be better off not to try to train him
> to do this. Later on, it will not be so "cute" if he tries to grab food
> while you are eating, and I would hate to see a message then asking how
> to get him to stop.

My Missy, (who's 10 years old this December :-)) loves to eat treats from
my hand..! As soon as she sees me pick up the packet, she pricks up her
ears and as I bend down to give them to her she stands up on her back legs
and scrabbles with her front feet at my hand :-)

Ivor

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MaryL - 04 Nov 2004 15:23 GMT

> [snip]
>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> Ivor

Yes, but this is a different situation. I doubt that you trained Missy to
do this. Just as I said that it is normal for some cats to prefer not to
eat out of a person's hand, I can also say this it is "normal" for many cats
to want to do so. I was really commenting on the idea of deliberatly trying
to train the cat to do this, compounded by the fact that some cats then
progress to wanting whatever is in your hand (or plate). As for me, I
actually love it when one of my cats wants some hand-feeding, but I have
seen messages from others who start trying to "discipline" a cat that does
that. (Holly will only eat from the floor; Duffy loves to get food from my
hand, and he will also sit on the arm of my chair while I eat and wait for
"his turn" when I put a small amount on a plate and put it on the floor for
him.)

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly: >'o'<
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

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isnyc - 10 Nov 2004 21:32 GMT

OK, why would you want him to eat out of your hands? Isn't that bad
training..

I recently got a new kitten. And my issue with him is he things my hand is
his chewing toy. He's a good kitty but at 3 am when he starts chewing on my
hand I'm lost what to do with him.

> Hi, I just got a new kitten (about six months) from the humane
> society, and I have a few questions.
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Thanks!

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