Anyone else have problems with their cats at dinner?

[Generic Brad]

Recently our cat has started switching to full hunting mode every time we have dinner. Our formerly polite cat of ten years has suddenly taken to stalking our dinners, regardless of what we eat or drink.

She used to be completely indifferent about our meals. But last week it was like a light went off in her head and we can't turn it off. We feed her cat food before we serve ourselves and she eats everything on her plate. So she is not doing this out of hunger. But she will relentlessly try to take food off our plates or forks. The second we remove a hand from the top of a glass her head goes right in without hesitation. She is literally stealing food off our plates.

We tried to keep her off the table by constructing paper fences at the edge of the table, but she has figured out it's only paper, so that doesn't work either. And if we leave anything on the kitchen counter, then she jumps up there and tries to take that food. And, seriously, it does not matter what you have. She will take salad, fruit, hot peppers, chocolate, kim chee, etc. not to eat, but just to see if she can steal it from us. She will even stick her face into hot soup and start lapping it up.

She's currently pouting because we put her in another room for the last two meals. We initially thought it was cute when she went crazy for pizza and we shared our crumbs with her. But danged if we did not create a monster.

Does anyone have she advice on how to get a cat to stop being the ultimate nuisance during meal times?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I also have a dinner-stalker.

But only if meat (especially ham) is involved - and then he becomes relentless. I get him away from my plate by bribing him with bits of my meal, which isn't good training. The other two cats pretty much leave my food alone, but not Milo.

[bluesbassman]

2. Nah, I use Frank's Redhot. I put that shit on everything.

:P
http://youtu.be/g5R1mTyYMuU

[graywarrior]

3. They all must be texting one another coz mine just starting doing the same thing

[HappyMe]

4. They never offer to pick up the check.

Cheap bastards.

[HopeHoops]

5. Get a super soaker. After a few uses, you don't even need water. Just the pumping noise works.

[GoCubsGo]

15. Canned air is even better.

They don't like air blowing in their faces, and it hisses really loudly. And, no water to clean up.

[geardaddy]

6. I've heard that you should feed pets after you eat.

That way the alphas (you) get first crack.

[Withywindle]

7. If your pets are cats, you're probably not the alpha.

Just sayin'.

[geardaddy]

8. You're probably right.

lol

[hifiguy]

9. My cat is usually utterly indifferent to people food.

He expects his food to be presented to him in a dish and pays no attention to me if I am at the table. If I am eating something on the couch, then he gets interested, but not maniacally so.

[Autumn]

10. Yeah. Mine have stopped

cooking and doing the dishes after dinner and my dog is pissed.

[applegrove]

11. My grandmother once found her beloved cat right on top of the freshly cooked turkey.

[riderinthestorm]

12. I second the spray bottle with water idea. Doesn't have to be a lot, even a little mist should do nt

[sakabatou]

13. Nope.

[Flaxbee]

14. one of mine has also relatively recently become relentless about our

food.

I just put her and some toys in another room and close the door until we're done. Easy enough.

[WolverineDG]

16. Most of my cats will leave me alone when I eat

but the youngest? O.M.G. Doesn't matter what I'm having, she wants it and she wants it NOW. It's so bad, I've taken to locking her in the bathroom just so I can eat in peace!

dg

[Polly Hennessey]

17. Savannah and Pumpkin Pie, the Food Thiefs

I have two ---- Savannah will take the food off the plate. I once had to chase her down to get my pork chop back. Pumpkin Pie swats the food off the plate. Finally, I had to put them in another room and since they are cats they deal with it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. Ha! I had a pork chop stolen once, too.

By Milo, of course. Snatched it right off my plate and ran away with it.

:rofl:

[pink-o]

19. Mine stole a French fry!

Granted, it was a homemade "Baked" French fry that started life as a Yukon Gold potato before I sliced and julienned it. But I was a new cat guardian, figured that as a vegetarian I had nothing to worry about. Dark Matter soon proved me wrong.

Worse than that though: I saturated an omelet with the hottest, spiciest salsa known to human kind. (My food philosophy is: it doesn't succeed unless someone gets hurt.) Next thing I know, DM is slurping it up like it's cream! I was appalled and followed her around with a newspaper for a day, ready for the **ahem** results of those spices moving through her. But she must have been Mexican or Indian in one of her nine lives. She digested it just fine.

However, she wanted more and bugged me for a week until her walnut-sized brain couldn't hold onto the concept any longer.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

20. You have a cat named Dark Matter? Great name!

[eppur_se_muova]

21. Why, are they undercooked? nt

[annonymous]

22. One of my cats is a beggar

The problem is that my husband and son encourage this behavior. I don't think table begging is cute and try to keep the cat away from the table at mealtimes.