Looking past the recent vegan drama, have you ever wondered why your pet might not like particular foods? Have you ever actually tasted the food yourself?
I have, and some taste more like a chemistry lab than actual nutrition.
Animals don’t taste the same way we do. For example, cats don’t have the receptors for tasting sweet things…so they can barely detect sweetness at all.
Dogs only have 25% as many taste buds as humans, so most things have a very mutes taste for them. Plus, every dog I’ve ever had absolutely LOVED cat shit covered in kitty litter, so I never put much faith in their sense of taste.
Yeah, they’ll have flavors they like more or less, just like us, but even we can’t trust our sense of taste as a metric for nutrition…if we could, we’d all be addicted to brocolli and spinach instead of processes foods and sugar.
Guess what?
If my dog refuses to eat what’s supposed to be a dog treat, and I try it and it tastes like a chemistry lab, then I think me and my dog both agree it tastes more like chemicals and more toxic than garbage.
Even if humans and animals have different taste buds, if the food tastes wrong, ain’t nobody gonna eat it.
I’d say I love spinach just as much as sugar and processed food chomps on corncob pipe
I also wouldn’t know what my dog thinks of the taste of cat shit, as that’s not on his menu. Not sure where that thought came from even, that’s not even food.
I’m referring to actual food products for pets. If the pet doesn’t like it, there’s probably a reason why, and that reason is likely that companies tend to make substandard foods not suitable for human consumption for pets.
lmao nobody feeds their dog cat shit. but they try to eat it anyway because they are dogs and they’ll eat a dirty diaper if you don’t throw it away out of reach. smh
Man y’all got some dumb dogs out there apparently.
A friend of mine back in middle school did a science project on what cat food tastes the best. He used his cat as the main experiment, but when he presented his project he also had samples for everyone to try and vote on their favorite. The cat liked Science Diet. The consensus among our classmates was Meow Mix.
His real science project: How many classmates can he get to eat cat food.
The result: more than you’d expect.
Interesting. At the end of the day though, what matters is what’s healthy for your pet and what they like best.
I never suggested that humans and pets have the same taste buds and appetites, but when your dog refuses to eat a dog treat, and you taste it yourself and it also tastes like chemical garbage, then it only stands to reason that those particular dog treats are trash.
I didn’t realize you were trying to present some sort of argument here, I was just sharing a fun story that answered the post title.
All food tastes like chemicals. Taste is a function of chemical receptors on your tongue. Btw you are made entirely of chemicals, but many people have already told you this today.
I don’t know the exact brand of dog treats, but they tasted like they were soaked in diesel fuel and dried out. That’s what I mean when I say they tasted like chemicals.
Whatever brand they were, they were colored red and green. I don’t even think ants would eat those things.
I ate a dog treat that I’m 90% sure was just a bone shaped nilla wafer.
I don’t doubt you a bit, I tasted one of those when I was a kid. Totally edible. A bit bland to me, but edible.
But that was a different brand apparently. I’m not sure what brand the recent dog biscuit treats was, as they were donated in a Ziploc bag by a friend, but those tasted like chemical hell.
Our friend didn’t mean anything wrong, he was just trying to help, but those particular treats ended up tossed in the trash. Honestly I don’t think the ants would even eat those things.
Edit: The old ones that actually tasted edible were all tan in color, but these new chemical infused ones were all colored red or green. Something just wasn’t right with those.
I did, I can say that it tastes mostly like nothing, but my dog loves it because the smell is so strong (I think)
I feed my pet things that I eat, too! Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, various squashes, fresh blueberries, etc.
Except for his bugs. I don’t like cockroaches or worms very much. But he seems to like them! So he gets those, too.
Generally I feed my dog either Gravy Train Chicken Flavor, or kitty kibble (he’s a small dog, only like 19 pounds).
He prefers the soft food, but will eat the hard food if he gets hungry enough.
He also likes chasing fiddler crabs, but he’s smart enough to not bite them LOL!
But dog biscuit treats around here taste like nothing but chemicals, and he won’t touch them.
I used to put my cat’s kibble in a bit of water so it’d get soft (and it’d trick him into staying hydrated, too). It’s great for picky eaters and elderly pets!
I’ve just returned to Lemmy after a while so I’m OOTL. Can anyone give me a gist of what happened with the recent vegan drama on here? Or maybe link to a post I can read?
The company Wild Life claims to have created a nutritionally complete vegan cat food, even though it’s common knowledge that cats need meat proteins and nutrients in their regular diet.
https://lemmy.ca/post/27549478
I am no expert in the field, maybe they’re onto something, maybe not. 🤷♂️
Edit: Guess they dropped the link ☹️
wondered why your pet might not like particular foods?
No. It’s the same reason that you don’t like particular perfectly good foods. They’re attuned to different factors, but it’s the same process to appeal to them.
Back in the day, my mom fed their cat 9 Lives outdoor food. After a while she quit eating.
After I figured out the difference between outdoor and indoor food (basically extra preservatives), and got the same exact food, but the indoor variety, kitty chowed down!
Animals can taste the fucky chemicals as well.
i worked at an animal hospital for a few years in my 20s (late 90s). I was also broke af punk kid living in a filthy punk rock house, barely able to afford my part of rent. So i’d bring home the pet food sometimes. It wasn’t really inventoried, and it’s nutrition. Do not recommend though, its a great way to get a bacterial gut infection since pet food regulations are very minimal.
it ranges. some cat food is indistinguishable from canned tuna. the science diet I/D canine prescription tastes exactly like canned corned beef hash. the cheap stuff (kibbles&bits, fancy feast, etc) tastes exactly like you’d expect: bone meal, corn starch, and ash slag. cause thats the filler trash the cheap stuff is made of.
generally though, most kibble just tastes like if you soaked grape nuts cereal in beef broth, and most wet food tastes about the same as canned horse. which is unpleasant.
I was tricked into eating dog biscuits when I was a little kid. Tasted like ash more than anything else. But dogs like vomit too, so our tastes are not very similar.
But maybe some vomit can be tasty?
I tried peanut butter biscuits for dogs once. Needless to say, dogs are getting ripped off. Tastes nothing like peanut butter.
As a kid, think toddler, my parents said I used to eat the dry dog food with the dog. Not like a lot, but a bite sometimes. They said the dog would give me weird looks as I’d take a bite.
My 13 years older sister gave me a chocolate piece when I was a kid, and asked afterwards if I liked it. I did. She gave me more, and didn’t tell me they were dog “chocolates”.
Tried one a few years ago - not as good as I remembered, and wouldn’t ask for another.
Dog chocolates are so waxy it’s crazy
I was going to ask WTF… but they like everything I feed them. (Cats) Hard food by an independent company that is no carb all protein. (Edit, young again pet food, my older cat had diabetes until I started this food, now he doesn’t!) Seafood Reveal cans, all pure fish. And not sure what’s in Friskies Temptations… but they want those like it’s crack.
I’ve eaten cat biscuits. They don’t taste offensive, but there’s nothing in them for me to enjoy. Even so, they’re the one thing all my cats agree is worth eating.
I’ve tasted the dried crickets and mealworms that I feed to my gerbils. Infact, just today I got an intrusive thought about tasting one of the pellets I’m feeding them too. I didn’t but maybe I should.
Looking past your joke, at least that’s real food…
I used to hitchhike, and one day, got a ride with a trucker hauling blackened animal organs to be turned into pet food (they were blackened as a mark to show they were unfit for human consumption at the place where they were mass harvested). It was the worst smell I’ve ever smelled in my entire life. I remember gagging for a few minutes as the driver laughed and told me what the deal was.
Still not the worst road story I have lol.
But be aware of what your pet’s food is made from. Or make your own, if you’re worried about it!
There’s typically warning against eating pet food on the bags for that very reason.
Still not the worst road story I have lol.
You’re not just gonna leave us hanging are you?
Yes.
(sorry)
I have too many to fit them into relevant posts.
Wow…
