Why shouldn’t I feed my pet table scraps?First, it unbalances their diets. Second, it fosters a behavior called table-side begging which is generally inappropriate for any esteemed family member to undertake. Third, it encourages obesity.
Companion animals like to eat as much as people do, but since their diet usually consists of commercially manufactured dog or cat food which is nutritionally balanced, no other food is needed for their nutrition. Other food fed to them is almost exclusively done so to satisfy the emotional needs of their owners. But when owners feed table scraps, i.e., food they choose not eat themselves, a companion animal’s diet becomes unbalanced. Food supplemented to an already balanced diet leads to the #1 health problem in companion animals – obesity. Further, when the supplemental food is foreign to their digestive systems and contains many of the artificial elements required to make food taste good to humans, the result to companion animals is often gastrointestinal distress – vomiting or diarrhea.
Companion animals like their regular food on a regular basis. They are not influenced by the advertising media. Their normal high-quality commercial food is composed of various different ingredients which companion animals have a keen sensory capability to appreciate. If food rewards are desired to be awarded to them by their owners at specific times or for specific reasons, withholding a certain amount of their mealtime kibble for such times is as psychologically rewarding to the companion as it is to the owner, and it’s more healthy for the companion.
The final benefit is that table-side beggars they will not be!
Entered by Michelle_S_PhxAZ