Do Pets Get Accustomed to Seasonings?

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NOT Seasoned - that's too much for anyone.

Our cat, that we've raised from a baby, gets all the leftover fish (we eat a lot) and also eats dry dog food (don't ask/don't tell). She also gets pampered by a local Japanese restaurant with their leftovers.

The other day we had a fresh fish and we boiled the head to give her and she refused it - not once but several times. She has done this before but we've always written it off to being full or whatever because we know she loves fish heads -- so that can't be it.

I asked my wife about it and she said the cat wouldn't eat the fish head because she didn't add salt when boiling it. Is that possible?

Mark
  • Profile picture of the author Kurt
    One time I was eating potato chips and dip. I gave a chip without any dip to my rottie. He sniffed my breath and then spit out the potato chip.

    I wanted to test him, so I gave him a chip with some dip on it, and it gulped it down. I wanted to test a little more, so the next day I ate some chips without any dip and offered him a chip. He smelled my breath and this time ate the chip.

    It really seemed to me that he wanted to eat what I was eating...and he was far from spoiled and rarely got "human food".
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    • Profile picture of the author Cali16
      Be extremely careful if giving your cat (or dog) any foods that are seasoned. Garlic (even in small amounts) is dangerously toxic to cats (dogs as well); it can be potentially deadly. I had to give a declining elderly cat baby food for a while when he stopped eating. The vet stressed that I get only plain food as many flavors have garlic in them. Onion is also toxic.

      Here's an article on it: https://www.petinsurance.com/healthz...-and-Pets.aspx

      Always check regarding toxicity before giving your pets human food. I know chocolate and grapes are also toxic to cats.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    I knew about chocolate but not about the other things.

    Now I'm worried because most of our food is prepared traditional Chinese style so we eat a lot of ginger, onions, garlic, hot pepper, etc. with whatever we are eating. I take out the hot pepper before giving them any leftovers but not the other. In the cat's case, we only give her the actual fish (she eats the bones too) but I'm sure that there is onion or garlic still left on the fish.

    I'll will check out your link.

    Thanks for the heads up!

    Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Yeah, I was shocked when I went to a vet and saw what was toxic to animals. Be careful.

    Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
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      Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

      Yeah, I was shocked when I went to a vet and saw what was toxic to animals.
      Did the vet tell you that you could never have a pet???

      JUST KIDDING, Steve.

      Cheers. - Frank
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  • They should get accustomed.
    After all, a creature which wouldn't get accustomed efficently you'd be looking at it through a musem windowpane.

    Overly simple answers aside, of course they do. If they didn't get accustomed to taste they wouldn't know the difference between good and spoiled food. Cats are mamals, they will have the same cycles, the same way of preserving heat, a complete taste structure etc.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      Dogs are not people and though they can thrive on a diet with quite a bit of human food there are some things - chocolate, onions, grapes, raisins, etc...their digestive system cannot handle.

      Rice is fine - but any seasoning should be kept to a minimum.

      I do think Kurt has a point. I've had dogs that will eat what I'm eating - but have no interest in that food UNLESS I'm eating it at the time.

      If you cook Chinese style - that's not a problem if you simply adjust your dog's diet. Give him the rice/meat/eggs/noodles...without the salty sauces and the peppers/onions/etc that are part of a stir fry. When I cook rice for anything I often pull out a cup or so (before adding other ingredients) and mix it with scrambled egg or leftover meat or canned pooch food as a treat.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cali16
      Originally Posted by RealSocialSignals View Post

      They should get accustomed.
      After all, a creature which wouldn't get accustomed efficently you'd be looking at it through a musem windowpane.
      You're talking about evolution. We're talking about a single animal's lifetime. HUGE difference.

      Saying a cat "should get accustomed" to something that's highly toxic to it would be like suggesting you'll get accustomed to ethylene glycol if you take it over time.

      I dare you to put your assumption to the test and start adding small amounts of antifreeze to your food. It's tasteless, so you won't notice it. Be sure to let us know how that works for you...
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      • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
        Originally Posted by Cali16 View Post

        You're talking about evolution. We're talking about a single animal's lifetime. HUGE difference.

        Saying a cat "should get accustomed" to something that's highly toxic to it would be like suggesting you'll get accustomed to ethylene glycol if you take it over time.

        I dare you to put your assumption to the test and start adding small amounts of antifreeze to your food. It's tasteless, so you won't notice it. Be sure to let us know how that works for you...
        LOL Cheryl!!

        I'm now wondering which show I'll see the story on.

        Forensic Files or World's Dumbest!


        Terra
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          There are also plants common in many yards and homes that can be very toxic. Most dogs aren't prone to chewing plants....but puppies will do that.

          Photos of Poisonous Plants and Flowers for Dogs - 1st in Flowers!
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      • Profile picture of the author MikeAmbrosio
        I don't think my dog EVER turned down ANY people food we've given him. And I think he's got an iron stomach. We know about what's toxic to him - especially chocolate - but not once but TWICE he sniffed out my father in law's stash of dark chocolate Dove candy and ate the entire bag - including the foil. Then of course about 3 in the morning he goes downstairs and vomits all the foil up...

        The behavior was unusual for him. When we took him to the vet she said the prednisone he was on caused increased appetite. So now if he goes on that we up his dog food allotment and that helps a bit.

        Originally Posted by Cali16 View Post

        You're talking about evolution. We're talking about a single animal's lifetime. HUGE difference.

        Saying a cat "should get accustomed" to something that's highly toxic to it would be like suggesting you'll get accustomed to ethylene glycol if you take it over time.

        I dare you to put your assumption to the test and start adding small amounts of antifreeze to your food. It's tasteless, so you won't notice it. Be sure to let us know how that works for you...
        You might be surprised (or maybe not) at the amount of (propylene) glycol is in the processed foods most people eat...while not AS toxic as ethylene glycol, it can be poisonous and even deadly...

        Oh the crap we eat.
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          No - not right. Ethylene glycol - antifreeze. It is deadly to animals (and people).

          Propylene glycol has been deemed safe for human consumption by the FDA and other agencies for 30 years or so. Without additives like this we would not have the cake mixes and many other shelf stable foods we buy.

          Ethylene is an industrial product - propylene is most often a food grade product.

          It's one of the "shock" arguments tobacco companies tried to use against e-cigarettes - confusing ethylene and propylene.

          I had a dog eat a bag of hard candy - wrappers and all. She took a couple very uncomfortable poops later as the candy came out of the other end - still wrapped...
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          • Profile picture of the author Kay King
            Dogs eat grass as their own form of "natural meds" - when their system is upset they know to eat grass. It's a symptom of a dog not feeling well - but for an upset stomach, it often solves the problem.

            Our dogs are fed a high grade kibble and morning feeding includes a couple tablespoons of canned food or meat mixed in. They have a feeding routine that seldom varies - fed early AM and then dry kibble added to their dishes in late afternoon.

            My dog, Gracie, can eat anything - she has an iron stomach. Our black lab does pretty well but can't handle rich food so no table scraps. The white shephard/great pyranees mix, bless her heart, is a delicate flower. Poor Sandy has a stomach that gets upset if her diet is changed so everyone is fed here according to Sandy's stomach! The last thing you want is to upset the stomach of a 100 lb dog....
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          • Profile picture of the author MikeAmbrosio
            Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

            No - not right. Ethylene glycol - antifreeze. It is deadly to animals (and people).

            Propylene glycol has been deemed safe for human consumption by the FDA and other agencies for 30 years or so. Without additives like this we would not have the cake mixes and many other shelf stable foods we buy.

            Ethylene is an industrial product - propylene is most often a food grade product.

            It's one of the "shock" arguments tobacco companies tried to use against e-cigarettes - confusing ethylene and propylene.

            I had a dog eat a bag of hard candy - wrappers and all. She took a couple very uncomfortable poops later as the candy came out of the other end - still wrapped...

            Kay - I am aware of the difference between the two. The substance itself is deemed "safe" by the FDA in very low doses but (as I said) CAN be poisonous. It is just an example of the things that go in our foods that we consume daily.

            I work in the pharma industry for 25+ years and have seen all manner of chemicals that go in our foods (and drugs) that would make you scratch your head. Another common chemical ingredient that goes in a lot of foods is xanthan gum. We eat something with that ingredient almost daily too. But it's a trip how this stuff eats away rubber and other things...
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            • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
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              Personally, I have never known of any dog that doesn't enjoy nibbling on grass. My dogs have never vomited after eating grass, they just graze, leisurely.

              The grass causes gastric irritation that leads to vomiting, which helps the dog feel better afterward, the theory holds.
              In a 2008 study in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, researchers found that while grass consumption didn't often lead to vomiting, dogs that seemed ill before eating grass were more likely to vomit than dogs that appeared to act normally beforehand.
              Another theory posits that dogs eat grass simply because they want to. In such cases, a dog may appear to hunt for a specific type of plant, rather than ingesting any grass it can find. After identifying the correct grass, it will calmly nibble on the plant.
              In this scenario, the dog may even be seeking out grass to get additional nutrients it may not have in its normal diet, such as fiber, minerals or digestive enzymes. A 2007 case study in the Journal of Veterinary Medical Science reported that a switch to a high-fiber diet stopped a miniature poodle from regularly eating grass.
              Wolves and other wild canids are known to regularly eat plant matter, suggesting dogs' grass-eating behavior is innate and perfectly normal. Indeed, a 2009 dog study in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior found that puppies were more likely to eat grass if their mothers did while nursing.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I don't know about cats other than they can't taste "sweet".

    Dogs are another story. I've had dogs that will eat about anything given to them and I've had a few that were very fussy. It wasn't "eat what mom is eating" - it was "eat what I like".

    Popcorn is a treat that I share with my dogs. I've had two that wouldn't eat it unless it had the parmesan cheese on it that I like. If I gave it plain with just butter, I just got a "hey, something's missing" look from them. Munchie wouldn't touch mashed potatoes without butter or gravy.

    I feed my dogs small amounts of human foods (mostly meat because that's what dogs are supposed to eat), but some veggies like sweet potatoes. They like organic yogurt, but I doubt with the high acidity in their stomachs it does anything for their gut flora. Still, calcium is good for them.

    Garlic won't hurt a dog in very small quantities. It's the quercetin (sp?) that they react to. You don't want to feed them cloves of it or anything, but if you give a dog a chunk of steak that's got garlic on it, it's not going to hurt them.
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    • Profile picture of the author AprilCT
      Mark, commercial-supermarket or pet store available cat food is pretty different from dog food and the dog food isn't providing what they need. I would urge you to find a good cat food that your cat will actually eat and like.

      Besides the things other have mentioned, coffee is another on the list that can poison animals (cause serious internal organ problems).
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    • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
      Banned
      Some food is just that - food, no need to be classified as animal food or people food. Lots of animals eat what we like to call people food in the wild.

      I'll give my dog all the fruit she wants (except grapes) especially tomatoes which she devours. I'm convinced there is nothing she loves more than a nice hot ripe tomato off the vine. She's not big on veggies, though. She'll pass on most of them.

      But, there's no way that Honey is ever getting any of my linguini with white clam sauce. Not because it may be bad for her. It's just that there are never any leftovers. :-)

      Cheers. - Frank

      P.S. Nor will there be any leftovers of tonight's chipped, rib-eye cheese steak . Oh, the look on her face when I'm scarfing that thing down. Priceless. "Get outta here, dog! You ate, already."
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      • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
        Mark,

        Here's a link to a good article on what's dangerous for dogs to eat that was given to me by a very good friend of mine.

        Foods that are hazardous to dogs

        I'm not sure, but maybe you could find something on this site for cats.


        Terra
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    Thanks Kay. My dachshund, for some reason, eats grass and plants sometimes. Then she'll spend the rest of the day having it come back up a little at a time. She is certainly no puppy, though.

    I read somewhere that they may be trying to get rid of worms or parasites or their diet may not have enough fiber in it. Since it doesn't happen often it may just be boredom. She does have a major problem with separation anxiety that we are struggling to help her overcome so I guess it could be related to that.

    Mark
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    • Profile picture of the author Kurt
      Originally Posted by Mark Singletary View Post

      Thanks Kay. My dachshund, for some reason, eats grass and plants sometimes. Then she'll spend the rest of the day having it come back up a little at a time. She is certainly no puppy, though.

      I read somewhere that they may be trying to get rid of worms or parasites or their diet may not have enough fiber in it. Since it doesn't happen often it may just be boredom. She does have a major problem with separation anxiety that we are struggling to help her overcome so I guess it could be related to that.

      Mark
      If a dog is grazing on grass, it's usually a sign some nutrition is missing in it's food. Get a potato peeler and use it to shred a little bit of carrot into its food.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Kurt's right on this one.

    They like sweet potato, too - and it has a lot of nutrients, but a dog that's eating grass or plants needs enzymes. Feed it a little raw meat now and again and some raw veggies and it should take care of it unless you're giving it crap dry food. Even the better "grocery store" varieties like Omni and Science Diet are garbage. If that's what you are feeding it, it has a lot of eating to do to make up for what you're doing to it. Get an organic food with no grain in it. That helps - it still needs some raw food for enzymes at least a few times a week if not daily. Make sure it gets wet food with each meal as well as dry food, too, or you're straining its pancreas.
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    Sal
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  • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
    I read that pets eat grass because they are missing digestive enzymes. I gave my dogs plant enzyme capsules and yogurt to help their digestive tracts.

    Another reason I did that is because I don't want them eating grass or plants while on a walk where I don't know what chemicals have been sprayed.
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  • Profile picture of the author zapzer0
    Animals are lean heavily on routine, and if you continue to do something to them, they will think that its part of their job as a pet to do that every time.
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