Is this normal behavior for a cat?
My 7 month old neutered male kitten scratches near the food dish, like he's trying to cover it up with dirt/sand or something. But it's a hardwood floor , so obviously nothing changes! But why does he do this? I've seen in cartoons DOGS hiding their bones to munch on later, but I've not seen this for cats.
So why would he be doing this?
answer: It is certainly not a-typical behavior ... nothing to be too concerned about. There are typically three different explanations: 1) The kitten does not like their food. 2) The kitten is attempting to "save" the food for later. Are there other animals in the house vying for food and/or was the kitten abandoned or weaned too early? or 3) The food is too close to the cat/litter box, which cats REALLY do not like ... make sure to keep these two very distinctly different areas.
I just saw this video the other day and it made me laugh .. ...... obviously the cat did NOT like the smell of the coffee and was trying to get rid of it (by "burying" it )...... I'm guessing this will look familiar -> ;
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2010/10/04 ...
Cats don't 'save their food for later' like dogs do, the reson cats instinctively cover things up in this way (such as their poo) is to hide the smell from predators. Maybe your cat feels that the food smells too strong and it is worried that it will attract danger. Try switching the food up for something less smelly.
I've heard that behaviors like scratching, spraying, and cats rubbing their faces on people/objects are ways of marking territory. Since he's scratching near the food dish, and not trying to take the food somewhere else to hide, maybe he's just marking the food area as his?
Is he eating all of his food? It may be that he doesn't like that particular kind of food and is trying to cover it up like he covers up in his litter box. Try another flavour of cat food and see what happens.
Source (s):
Cat lover.
Hiding for later eating or is hiding because he giving you a hint that he doesn't like what you are serving. My cat does that, too. I have change the food since then and he stopped. What a critic my cat is.
