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LuxembearsDo you remember when I posted this photo back in November? What a sweet little kitty our Shamu was then. He came to us at the door one day begging to come in. Once in the house that was it. He let us know this was where he belonged and he stole our hearts. We have lots of barn cats and kittens but we always try to keep a "professional" distance as to not get attached.
What a sweet and cuddly cat who was instantly at ease with our dog, Mandi and our 15-old-cat Anya.
Well, he's not so little anymore and he knows no boundaries. He is King of the Castle and lets everyone know it. This furry beast constantly pounces on our Mandi and Anya chasing them all over the house....not aggressivley but with a high spirited nature...you see, when he wants to play...it's time to play whether the others want to or not. He is also an instigater. Anya or Mandi will be peacefully sleeping and he will casually swat them with a paw while acting as if he is simply relaxing and just "felt like it". Na-na-nana-na... He's a cad really.
The real problem is this: He helps himself to our breakfast, lunch, and dinners or whatever food is in view. Often when food is on the table he'll be front and center with his face in
someone's plate...and he does not discriminate. It's whoever is closest at the time and he'll take off with whatever he can get. He also begs for food. I have never seen a cat do this. He like a dog. Even when pushed away, he comes right.
How does one handle a cat like this? Yesterday I put a bowl of ceral out for one of my daughters, and when I turned around there he was on the chair , paws on the table, lapping up the milk as if it were put there just for him. I have never had this problem with a pet before. It very annoying. He walks all over the countertops, we shoo him off and a few secodns later he's back up, "But hey, mom...I wasn't done yet..." 
Then he has to go and cuddle up with me or one of my kids and is just too darn cute.....do cats know how to play us or what!!!???? " Aren't I adorable Mom."
I know there are lots of cat lover's here so
any adivice would be greatly appreciated. :pray:
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy BearsMy mom advocates using a squirt of water in the face of naughty kitties. I have not found it necessary to try this because my cats always got down when I said or with a gentle push. But they don't get up on the table when I am around. They are smart enough to know how to play us. Sean feeds them bits of turkey when he makes his lunch in the morning and as soon as I walk in to the room they jump down.
Judi, I wonder if our two cats are related?! 
The last one I took in acts much the same (even sleeps sprawled out like that as well 
).......and makes us all crazy at times too! Playing rough with the other cats who don't wish to play, sneaking food if he gets any slim chance, and then being so cute we just have to love him anyway. Abner acts more like a dog than a cat as well......it's kinda weird really! :doh:
How old is your cat? I am wondering, as Abner was still a bit in kitten stage when we got him (around a year old and still playful), but as he's getting older, the rough playing has settled down quite a bit. My other cats are much, much happier with him! 
As for the stealing of food..........do you have a spray bottle handy? Keep one close there in the kitchen, and when you catch him sneaking food, or even getting ready to jump up to the counter......squirt him with water. Or you can also use a squirt gun if you want. This does help a bunch. Couple a sharp word with it, and eventually he will respond immediately to just a sharp word as well. With any luck, this will 'train' him to stay off the table and counters......most of the time at least. Cats are opportunists after all!
Do you think since he was outside before, that may have conditioned him to go after any food he sees available.......you know, before it's gone or another cat gets it? I wondered that about Abner when we got him. He just acted like he would never get enough food to satisfy him.......this went on for the longest time, and only now is he settling down about it. And he wasn't starving either (as I know your barn cats are not). There was a nice old lady taking care of him and feeding him on her back deck.
I hope some of this is a help Judi!
hugs,
Tracy
Posts: 1,836I know if you have a dog that table or counter surfs "they" suggest putting a small stack of cookie sheets haphazardly stacked on the area, so that when they jump up the stack falls creating a noise. The learned behavior is counter=noise I don't like..stay away.
Lots of books will suggest a simple water bottle for behavior modification in cats and some dogs. One kind/color of bottle that the cat will associate with. Simple water and a stream setting, used by an adult only. Never ever ever squirt a cat (or dog) in the face. Of course it's mean, but it's also insulting to them to...they're are proud animals and you want his good nature to stay intact. One little quick squirt to the hind leg with a solid and even toned command of "no" or "no no" should work over a short period of time. He'll begin to associate that one bottle visually with the "no no" and in a short time you won't even need to use the water in it..the sight of the bottle will be enough for him to move away from your counter or breakfast! I have friends with a siamese. The cat would eat artificial flowers and that's not good for the stomach or their decor! Their cat is the happiest, coolest, & friendliest cat but when he sees the bottle he knows he should calmly walk away from the floral arrangement.
The playing....he's a young cat, it's really just his happy playful nature. If the other animals really really hated it they would let him know immediately. I'd ignore that bit of his nature because it will settle down as he gets older...it's not mean spirited, he's just being a teenage cat. He's such a cutie...look at him stretching out on the "royal" purple kings blanket! He's a total CAT! 
edit: Tracy and I were typing at the same time..same ideas 
:hug:
~Chrissi
Hi Judi,
The squirt bottle of water that has already been mentioned is a good idea. It doesn't always work as some cats like water.
Another suggestion, although it might be a little hard to live with, is to cover the tabletop, or any thing you don't want the cat to jump on, with plastic and then put down some double sided tape on the plastic. The cat won't like getting stuck to the tape and will eventually stop jumping onto the table.
As for begging for food, mine do this as well depending on what we are eating. Usually it is when we have roasted chicken or tuna. We have told them no begging and pushed them away. Finally, they learned that if they sit quietly they will get some as a treat. Now they just announce their presence and sit quietly and wait.
There are many cats that are very dog like. There are a few breed that actually act like dogs. Mine follow you around the house just like a dog would, come when called, fetch, etc.
I hope all of these suggestions help!
Hugs,
Drea's BearsI agree with Tracy,
There's a good chance that food might be his 'issue' meaning, he may not have always been able to find it living outside. all my life cats have adopted us, as your cat has adopted your family, we start by feeding them outside for a few weeks, then we make the vet appointment , then they come it. We have always had to deal with the food 'issue' and it seems to settle down after about 1-2 years, they begin to realize that there will always be food left down for them and they will always be allowed back inside if they go out. I think thats why we began leaving their kibble dish down and always full, and we give them the wet food at morning and night.
My first cat Puss was very polite, a real gentleman, but nothing could stop him if we had peas, cucumber, or corn.....don't ask after a while we knew we would not get any peace if we were eating these foods, so we would put some on a little dish for him and we would eat it together, he loved this! With my second cat Boots, he was ravenous for quite a while and would do exactly as your cat does.....we just had to stand watch over eachothers food, and when we were finished we woud let him lick the plate. he calmed down after a while but we still had to deal with "the claw" he had this trick, he would curl up in my lap as ate dinner then I would se him casually reat his paw on the table, then like a bolt of lightning the claw would come out and the food would be gone......he knew that if it was on the floor no one would eat it so we would have to give it to him....stinker!
This food thing has been the case with each of our 4 stray cats, one of which was pregnant when we got her but never with the two kittens we kept from her littler. To this day she will be unsettled if the food dish is low, all we have to do is fill it up and she'll be off to bed. She just needs to know that it'sthere for her and her babies....even tought her 'babies are now 8years old!
I also have friends who have adopted cats in this manner and have the same problem.....it's (as I said before) about the 2 year mark that it settles down. I've tried the water gun thing but found in didn't work for me, they just kept finding other, sneakier ways to go about it. I'm just sure not to leave my food un-attended and serve it only when the people who will be eating it are sitting down.
Isn't it amazing how such tiny little creatures cna have such a huge affect on our lives!
AndreaM 
Chaska, MinnesotaJudi wrote:How does one handle a cat like this?
Judi I have three little furies that are like that too. Come dinner time I do a round up and put them in closed room. I have been plagued with entitled kitties. One of my sweeties stole chicken skin one day when my back was turned. I got into a tug-of-war with her over it. She had the nerve to growl at me....she never did that before. "Lovey" is just that, a loving cat but she is a little beast when food is involved.
The only thing I found that works is putting them all in a room. Oh...did I mention I have to lure them in with a plate of food. I quickly run out of the room and slam the door....
Oh teddy bear friends, is there an easier way?
Hi Judi, 
For a moment there I was thinking that Max had moved to your house!! :crackup: I've tried everything with Max. Tin foil.....Did you know cats like to chew that stuff? Double stick tape....who knew cats liked to play with tape? Squirty water bottle.....Max loves water! Then came the grand AHA moment. I was using some of that canned air to get the mohair out of the bobbin area of my sewing machine and Max was getting into something (When is he not getting into something?) so I squirted a puff of air at him. He jumped three feet high and backwards and then ran out of the room like a shot. I felt like I'd just won the lottery!!! Finally, a Max deterrant. I think it's the shot of air AND the sound it makes.
A word of caution about the stuff though. DO NOT spray at close range and DO NOT let the children use it on Shamu. Just the puff of air on Max's fur and the sound does the trick. I hope it works like a charm for you too.
Warmest bear hugs,
Aleta
One thing I forgot to mention is that cats don't like the smell of Citrus (oranges, lemons, limes, etc.). You might trying to place some orange or lemon rinds on the table to deter him.
Hugs,
Burlison BearsGrowing up, the squirt bottle method always worked with our houseful of cats. Eventually you don't even have to use it...they learn when you say no and they'll jump off the table or countertops. This method worked with everyone of our cats over the years. We always had a ton of cats. At one time I think we had 8 in the house. I still have my cat Ginger from when I was 12 years old. She's now 20 years old and hasn't aged a day! She trained faster than any of the cats with the spray method. She only wanted to please and she's such a little sweetheart. 
I LOVE GINGER!
-Eliza
Wild Thyme OriginalsOh Judi!!!! I've had to use a water bottle on our little guy Maxie.... he was a Christmas tree climber! I felt just awful since I knew he was just doing what comes naturally to him... 
But the last thing I wanted was for him to get hurt on the lights, break a glass ornament and cut himself or one of the kids etc..... a couple times with the spray bottle and that was it. Now, whenever he gets a glimpse of the bottle, he runs away. He doesn't even like the sound of spray bottles. When I clean the counters in the kitchen and he hears that spray sound.... he's off!
Aleta... the canned air sounds like a GREAT idea for meowsers who LIKE water! How clever!
Your gorgeous Shamu and my Maxie look like they are brothers!
Kim Basta
Newcastle, OntarioJudi,
Not much else to add, but I agree with the fact that since he was a stray, he'll definitely be on the lookout for food - ANY FOOD - self-preservation! My 14 year old cat is spoiled rotten - I can't even eat toast and jam without him sticking his nose in to see what I'm eating. He does, however, know not to take it from my plate, thanks to a spray bottle of water. I just have to show it to him, or even have it near me, and he behaves himself! The canned air defiitely works as well, but it can be expensive over time. Water's free LOL!
I think your fella will settle down with time, after he is an adult cat, but some cats are more dominate than others and you may have hit the jackpot. He may always like your food better than his!
hugs,
Brenda
Apple Dumpling DesignsI can't imagine not having perfect well-behaved cats....mine certainly are.... :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: NOT!!!
My Oz (bless his little soul) also liked water and actually would turn his head and try to catch the stream of water in his mouth...brat. He also would drink my coffee right out of the cup if I left it for a second. Strange cat...he was.
I think you have some really good advice here...try the water AND the air...see if either OR both work.
Good Luck...Shamu certainly has grown into a beauty. He looks so sweet and loving laying with Mandi. I just love that picture.
PottersHouse BearsThe squirt of water usually works well. But the key is to be consistent. Eventually he will get the message.
Kim-Bee BearsI would suggest the spray bottle thing - that is the ONLY thing that will teach Max (my dog) not to do things!
