How do you deal with a cat that begs constantly?

Question

I recently put my cat on a diet (vet's advice) and he spends a lot of time begging me for food now. He yells and paws at me, even when I'm sleeping. It's only been a week since the diet started so maybe this will subside but I wanted to know if there's a "good" way of responding - does it make it worse to pick him up, pet him or is it better to ignore it? Does anything work?

Answer 1

You really just have to wait it out. Remember that your cat has absolutly nothing to do except test you. Seriously. You as a human have bills to pay, tv to watch, books to read, internet, the lawn to mow, etc...
Figuring out how to get what he wants is all you cat has to think about.

If he begs for an hour and you finally give in, just to shut him up, you have just taught him that all he has to do in the future is beg for an hour. Cats are unlike dogs in many ways, but a significant difference is that cats will respond to reward much more readily than they do to punishment. If he gets what he wants after a long ordeal of you pushing him away or yelling at him to leave you alone, he will forget about all the negative stuff and remember that, "hey, at least I know that eventually I'll get the food I want."

Answer 2

Hi. We have a cat that begs for food constantly, a habit she developed due to her previous owner who rarely bothered to feed her, though she doesn't go so far as pawing and "yelling" at us! That's a behaviour which, if your cat is using his claws when pawing you, should definitely be nipped in the bud. With cats, it's always best to use tender care mixed with very firm consistent rules and never hold back from punishing the cat if absolutely necessary. (Note to others who may raise a hue and cry after reading that last bit -- wait til you've read the whole posting before unleashing your fury at me! thank you.)

In the case of your cat, I'd recommend looking at him when he begs you, frown and say firmly, "No." If he persists, do it again. Then ignore him, do something else. If he keeps persisting, then finally just pick him up gently, or as gently as you can if he's making a fuss about it, and place him in a room whose door you can close that he won't be able to throw open with his weight, or pick open. If you don't have a room that can function like that, then a cat carrier (like for travel or taking to vet) can be an adequate substitute. Then let him stay in there til he stops begging or making a fuss of any kind. When you notice he has calmed down and is no longer begging, merely open the door, let him out, give him lots of patting and praise him, inform him what a magnificent beast he is. It'll help teach him positive reinforcement for good behaviour. And to sweeten the deal (and help him lose that weight that got him on a diet in the first place!) , play with him with a string for 5 minutes, or if you've got places to be or things to do -- make a little (but not too small!) ball out of foil and let him play with it on a hard floor where it makes lovely noises when rolled. These techniques I use with our cats when necessary, and it usually works.

One more suggestion: If you are not already doing so -- give him his permitted meals at very exact times, in example, 6:30pm every day, and he'll very quickly learn an impeccable sense of timing! He'll show up begging only around the time the food's going to be served! Which can greatly reduce the amount of time you have to spend dealing with his begging.
I hope these suggestions help in your situation.
Good luck!

Answer 3

If you feed him snacks sometimes, it does reinforce that behavior. From his point of view, begging works if he keeps doing it! I also used to keep food out for my dog all the time, but my vet told me that that was a bad thing. Maybe if you told him "no" when he begs, and he had meal times to look forward to it would help. It could also be that he is missing some nutrients, and his body is hungry for that. He could also be bored, and he likes to eat for fun, like some people do. Cats love to play. If you played with him with one of those silly cat toys whenever he begs, he would probably forget all about it.

Answer 4

Measure out the amount of food the vet recommended for your cat's daily allotment and give him a portion of it for breakfast. When he begs for food,feed him 1-2 pcs out of his allotment and treat it as a treat. Then take his mind off eating by enticing him to play. After awhile he will stop begging. At lunchtime, give him another small portion of his daily allotment and another at dinnertime. Be sure to save a little for an evening snack. It will take about a month for him to get used to his new routine but in time he will. Ask me how I know? I am going through the same thing with my cat who has lost an inch from her big tummy.

Answer 5

I have found with my cat that it is better not to respond at all, even verbally. That seems to minimize his crying. He is a verbal cat and so when I responded it seemed like he thought we were having a conversation. It might take some time to break this habit especially if you previously gave in all the time. He may check your breaking point. But if you give in this time, he will know that he can get his way. You just have to be very very consistent in your own behavior.

Answer 6

My cat is a fat basta*d he begs for food all the time. It is good for him to meow, are you sure he is only meowing for the food? my cat is just a mouth.....constantly meowing wants attention all the time. He meows for me to open the refrigerator for him to look in it. Yah he is wierd. Cats like kids and dogs like attention, if he is meowing and you ignore him he will think he has done something wrong, that you don't love him try playing with him direct his attention in another direction. Good Luck! If it was your child would you ignore him?

Answer 7

Place a squirt bottle next to or on where the cat is begging or annoying you, after you squirt the cat a few times, you won't need to fill the bottle anymore. Just place it where you don't want them to go!

Answer 8

i dont know if this will help you but its worth a try... when my cat (24 lbs of lovin) had to lose weight, my vet suggested turn meal time into play time and throwing his dry food (or treats) piece by piece across the room... this will force some excercise as he chases the food...

Answer 9

dont let the cat sleep with u till its calmed down a bit and ignore him or say no! sharply

Answer 10

A gun that shoots ping-pong balls. Worked to get my cat to stop attacking the other one. Maybe it can help you too!