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hazl@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

These cat treats are essentially little nuggets of animal digest which, while not necessarily unhealthy in moderate quantities, are clearly addictive to a lot of cats. A web search for “my cat is addicted to Temptations” will show that my experience was not unique.

My parents give their cats Temptations. While I was living with them, they would give them to my cat too. My cat, who had previously had a pretty normal attraction to food, became transfixed on the pantry where he knew the Temptations were stored. He was no longer interested in my company, and only sought me out so he could lure me to the kitchen where he would sit and stare at that closed pantry door. When I opened it, he’d start yowling and fighting to get inside. Sometimes he would even attack my leg if I tried leaving the kitchen without giving him a Temptation. It was shocking and upsetting to see my sweet, gentle little cat acting this way. I’d known this cat for 5 or so years at this point, and it completely changed his personality. He just didn’t give a shit about anything but his next Temptation.

I established new rules for cat treats. They are not to be stored in open containers, they are not to be stored at cat height, and they are not to be fed to my cat. Ever. After a few weeks, his temperament returned to normal, but a mild fixation on that bottom shelf of the pantry lingered for much longer.

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