Teaching bad habits
We train our pets to behave how we want them to, from sitting, lying down, meowing to let us know they want to go out or scratching at the door be let back in. When we start to feed our pets from the dining table, or emptying the scraps into their bowls at the end of the meal we are introducing habits that are difficult to break.
Health problems
We have to remember that our pets have a completely different digestive system to us, so they’re not able to eat everything we can. So, there might be hidden dangers on your plate that could cause some issues for your cat or dog, even if they’re one of our five a day as humans.
By giving them scraps and human treats their daily calorie intake also increases, without you noticing. Some of the food you might end up feeding them will be full of salt and bad fats that your pet might not be able to handle, depending on their daily exercise and activities, meaning they might end up piling on the pounds.
Becoming a picky eater
If you feed your pet too much of your yummy food, they might start ignoring the food you put in their bowl, as it’s not as nice as yours.
It can be quite worrying if your cat or dog won’t eat their food and you might be tempted to give them more of what they’re guaranteed to eat, which will only add to their stubbornness with their normal food.
Hidden dangers
Apart from any toxic ingredients, there are other dangers that could be lurking on your plate. Pet shops often sell bones as treats for our pets, especially dogs, but there’s a big difference between those and the ones left over from your dinner.
Cooked bones are dangerous, especially poultry or pork bones, as they can shatter or splinter into shards and cause choking or serious damage to your pet’s mouth, throat and intestines which would result in a visit to the vet.
