Top 10 why does my cat try to bury her food You Need To Know

Why does my cat scratch the floor around her food?

Your cat is weaving around your ankles, meowing and begging for food. You oblige by opening a can of his favorite: ocean whitefish pate, or filet mignon au jus, or whichever flavor he seems to prefer this week, and he does the strangest thing! He acts like the meal you just placed in his bowl (and maybe broke apart with a fork – one of yours from the silverware drawer), the one you took a special trip to the overpriced boutique pet shop for, because it’s his “favorite,” was something you fished out of the litter pan.

A cat may treat his food dish like it’s the litter box

You place the food before him, like a servant would, and he immediately begins pawing vigorously around the bowl, like he’s trying to scratch up invisible dirt in an effort to cover the horrible thing up. You’re reminded of his toileting behavior: it appears to the non-so-casual observer that you are, that he’s telling you what he thinks of the fancy food you just placed before him. It reminds him, he seems to be saying, of other things that need covering up.

Burying food is an instinctive behavior for cats

Cats “fake cover” their food by scratching around the bowl, sometimes spending more time than seems reasonable doing it. Later, they may “uncover” the food by “removing” the imaginary dirt, which is particularly strange to witness.

Some cats will literally cover their food: commonly with newspaper, carpeting, and towels. They’ll drag an object from some other location in the home and place it right on top of their food bowl.

The food-covering behavior is instinctive – in other words, it’s not something that mama cat taught your kitty when she was a baby, but something ancient and automatic that your cat does without thinking.

The weirdest cat food coverer ever

Reverend John George Wood recorded one of the strangest and most persistent food-covering cat stories in 1853 in his book, Illustrated Natural History. The reverend’s cat was a die-hard food coverer. Ordinarily, she would go in search of a piece of paper to place upon her saucer. But, if no paper was handy, she had Plan B: she’d poke around in the reverend’s wife’s pocket for a handkerchief that she’d use to cover her meal instead.

It gets weirder: if this dogged little cat couldn’t find a piece of paper or handkerchief, she was known to fetch one of her kittens and deposit the poor babe on top of her food dish. If there were no kittens, she’d shred the carpet and put the ragged bits on top of her food. And finally, in the absence of paper, handkerchief, kittens, and carpet she would – magicians are cringing everywhere – drag the tablecloth from the table, causing, as the reverend recorded in his book, “a sad demolition of the superincumbent fragile ware.”

Food covering is called “caching” and wild cats do it

Scientists call this covering behavior “caching” and it’s something wild cats also do. Caching is a way of saving leftovers for later. Hiding the food protects it from scavengers, and might help keep the meat cool and fresh. Wild cats can then leave the uneaten food behind and go about their business, but return later for a snack or another meal.

Felines cover their food, but canines don’t

The Santa Cruz Puma Project collars mountain lions and relies on calls from helpful locals about freshly killed deer to help them track the activity of lions in the area. Sometimes a caller will spot a dead deer that was actually killed by coyotes instead of lions. But researchers can tell immediately if the deer was killed by coyotes or by lions by the condition of the carcass, specifically whether it has been cached or not.

Coyotes leave their leftover food out in the open. But researchers can be fairly certain the kill was made by a mountain lion if it is found under brush and scrubs, or if it is covered with leaves, sticks, and grass. “Lions tend not to leave their food out under the open sky…There will be an area around the deer where the raking of the lion’s paws left bare dirt.”[1]

Sometimes caching isn’t really covering

Sometimes caching behavior is more instinctual than practical. One researcher from a different mountain-lion project was tracking a radio-collared cougar. This female had placed a single twig on the carcass of the deer before walking away.[2]

Leopards don’t cover their food but they do cache in trees – high up and out of the reach of neighboring lions and hyenas, which are less adept climbers.

Should you stop your cat from pawing the floor after eating?

Is this a behavior that house-cat owners need to be concerned about? The short answer is “no.” the longer answer is “maybe.”

If your cat is merely expressing an instinctual behavior, let him. If he’s damaging your flooring or ruining objects around your home, however, it’s a good reason to think about intervening.

Is your cat’s food covering behavior neurotic?

Another good reason to step in is when your cat’s natural behavior turns into a neurotic compulsion. If you have a multi-cat household, for example, and you notice your cat is becoming obsessive in an attempt to hide her food from other felines in the house, it may be time to take action.

The simplest thing in both cases is to give your cat a chance to eat his meal, but then remove the bowl, and with it, the desire to cache.

For more information on a related topics, read:

How much should I feed my cat?

What kind of food bowl or water dish should I buy for my cat?

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Dawn LaFontaine

Dawn LaFontaine is a lifelong animal lover who always seems to have a little pet hair in her keyboard. Her blog, Kitty Contemplations, helps cat guardians better understand and care for the special beings they share their lives and homes with. Her cat-products business, Cat in the Box, sells beautiful, well-made, and award-winning products that she designed to meet the biological needs of cats.

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FOOTNOTES

[1] Paulh. “How to tell if a lion or coyote killed a deer.” Santa Cruz Puma Project. 22 Mar 2014. Santacruzpumas.org/2014/03/lion-kills-vs-coyote-kills/

[2] Hansen, Kevin. “Cougar: The American Lion.” Mountain Lion Foundation. Accessed 12 Sept 2019.

• Author: thecatisinthebox.com

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• Sumary: Does your cat appear to be trying to bury his food dish? Ever wonder why your cat engages in such a strange behavior?

• Matching Result: Burying food is an instinctive behavior for cats … Cats “fake cover” their food by scratching around the bowl, sometimes spending more time than …

• Intro: Why does my cat try to cover or bury her food? Why does my cat scratch the floor around her food? Your cat is weaving around your ankles, meowing and begging for food. You oblige by opening a can of his favorite: ocean whitefish pate, or filet mignon au jus, or whichever flavor he seems to prefer this week, and he does the strangest thing! He acts like the meal you just placed in his bowl (and maybe broke apart with a fork – one of yours from the silverware drawer), the one you took a special trip to the…

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• Sumary: If your cat is pawing at the ground around her bowl, she could be trying to bury her food. We asked one of our vets why cats try to bury food

• Matching Result: Your cat may be trying to bury their food because they are feeling nauseous, so they want to cover the smell of the food.

• Intro: Why does my cat try to bury her food?Cats love scratching. They scratch to sharpen their nails, cover their toileting, mark their territory, and sometimes just for the heck of it! But when your kitty starts to scratch around her bowl in an attempt to bury their food, that serves a different purpose. It means she’s trying to bury her food. But why?A few possible reasonsRest assured, it is relatively common and usually nothing to worry about. There are several theories as to why cats scratch around their bowl. In the wild, cats are both predators and prey. One theory…

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• Author: thediscerningcat.com

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• Sumary: As it turns out, canines aren’t the only ones with ancient instincts that compel them to cover up their coveted cuisine. So why does my cat try to bury her food?

• Matching Result: This desire stems from the same need to get rid of the food. Basically, they like to keep a very clean house. It’s a habit that can be traced …

• Intro: Why Does My Cat Try to Bury Her Food? (2022) 4 Reasons I Discerning Cat Wait, isn’t it dogs that bury their food? As it turns out, canines aren’t the only ones with ancient instincts that compel them to cover up their coveted cuisine. Cats can have a tendency to do this as well — perhaps you’ve even caught them in the act and wondered what they were doing it for. So why does my cat try to bury her food? Maybe they’re just weird, you might think. But cats have very real reasons for wanting to bury their food….

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• Author: betterwithcats.net

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• Sumary: Why does my cat try to bury her food? Find out 6 possible reasons for this cat behavior and how to handle it correctly!

• Matching Result: Your cat tries to bury her food because in her blood is to be neat and clean. Most of the cats are clean, and their passion is to have clean …

• Intro: Why Does My Cat Try To Bury Her Food? 6 Possible Reasons! Why does my cat try to bury her food is something you may be asked if you saw your cat pawing or scratching her food and water bowls. Many cat owners think that is because the cat doesn’t like the food you give her. However, there are many reasons for her doing that. If you notice that she’s trying to bury or dig something, there is nothing wrong with your cat, but we will see now why she does that. Check out 6 reasons for that and how…

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• Sumary: Cats are known for their strange behaviors, but do some of your cats weird actions make you worry if she’s unwell? We’ve got all the answers your looking for…

• Matching Result: Covering or burying food helps hide the scent from other cats or predators. This is a smart move for wild cats on two fronts. First, hiding the …

• Intro: Why Does My Cat Try to Bury Her Food? 3 Reasons for This Behavior Domestic cats can sometimes act a little strange. Whether that’s having a five-minute case of the zoomies or refusing to come out and meet your friend who popped by to say hi, it can be hard to predict what our cats will do next. One behavior that can be particularly baffling is your cat pawing and scraping around their food in what looks like an attempt to bury it. What’s up with that? It might look odd indeed, but there’s a good explanation for this behavior…

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• Author: hepper.com

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• Sumary: Wonder why your cat tries to bury his food after (or even without) eating? Or maybe the cat is pawing the floor near his bowl? Read on and find out how to react!

• Matching Result: Your cat attempting to scratch, paw, and bury their food is a 100% normal behavior. If anything, it shows your cat is in tune with its natural …

• Intro: Why Does My Cat Try to Bury, Scratch, Cover, or Paw Their Food? 4 Reasons Hepper is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Image Credit: Veera, Shutterstock If you have an indoor cat, you’re probably used to the sound of scratching and pawing other the litterbox. But what you may not expect to see is if your cat exhibits this behavior around their food. A cat scratching around their food bowl indicates they are trying to cover it up. It may seem silly seeing…

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• Sumary: The main reason that cats try to bury their food is to protect it, or a portion of it. Read our expert guide to find out more!

• Matching Result: The main reason that cats try to bury their food is to protect it, or a portion of it. Ensure that your cat has a quiet and peaceful dining area …

• Intro: Why Do Cats Sometimes Bury Their Food? 6 Reasons for This Behavior Cats have a lot of behaviors that we humans find unusual and, frankly, a bit odd. In most cases, though, there are natural and instinctive reasons for their behavior. Sometimes, these actions can seem amusing and cute but actually be a sign that something is wrong. In other cases, owners might worry unduly about something that is a perfectly innocuous pattern. Burying food, which is called caching when performed by wild cats, is a natural behavior. It usually refers to the cat scratching the floor near their bowl….

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• Author: litter-robot.com

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• Sumary: Why do cats try to bury their food? This strange routine might appear as your cat burying food, scratching around the food bowl, or covering leftover food.

• Matching Result: It isn’t rejection (usually). Instead, your cat instinctively tries to bury her leftover food in order to cover her tracks. You’ll notice this …

• Intro: Why Do Cats Try To Bury Their Food? At some point you’ve probably observed your cat eating a meal, only to stop and “reject” her food using her paws. This strange routine might appear as your cat burying food, scratching around the food bowl, or dragging something over like a towel to literally cover her leftover food. So, why do cats try to bury their food? A quick history lesson about cats Most people attribute digging and burying behavior to dogs, but these are also basic instincts in cats. The ancestor of today’s domesticated feline was the desert wildcat. Wildcats…

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• Author: catbehaviorassociates.com

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• Sumary: Cats can have some interesting behaviors, some of which might puzzle you. If your cat is burying food there is no need for alarm. It is a common behavior that..

• Matching Result: In the wild, a cat may attempt to bury or cover any uneaten food in order to avoid attracting any predators to the area. It also is an attempt …

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