Felines are animals that always have a compelling reason for each of their actions. In this way, if your cat buries the food you can be sure that it is not an act done for pleasure. Likewise, there are cats that scratch the floor right after eating or place objects on the feeder, why?
In this article on our site we will talk about these issues and help you understand a little better the behavior of your furry companion, both to offer him all the care he needs and to improve coexistence and, above all, your communication. Read on and find out why cats cover their food and dig the ground
Feline Instinct
The cat is an excellent born survivor and his natural instincts prove it. If our furry companions lived in the wild, they would have a den or burrow that they would use as a home. In it they would eat, sleep and hide their most precious objects because they would consider it a safe place and safe from predators. For this reason, and to ensure that their territory continues to be a completely safe place, once all the food is gobbled up, they would dig and remove the earth to cover the smell and avoid attracting other animalsthat could end your life. Likewise, if there was food left over, they would bury it for the same reason: to eliminate evidence of their passage.
Other behaviors typical of the feline instinct to survive are burying feces, also to eliminate their trace, urinating to mark their territory, hunting smaller animals, hissing to warn, etc. How many of them does your cat have? Possibly the majority, because felines are animals that have managed to preserve their wild essence very well, despite the domestication of the species.
My cat digs next to the feeder, why?
Although cats have been living with humans for decades, the truth is that even today they retain some of their most primal instincts and that have helped them so much to survive. As we discussed in the previous section, one of them is hide their trail to prevent larger or more dangerous animals from coming to their lair and devouring them. In this way, some felines tend to scratch the ground right next to the feeder when they have finished eating, a fact that leads their human companions to ask: why do they do it?
We return to the same thing, by pure instinct. In the wild, the feline would dig to cover its scent and that of the food that it has just tasted in order to stay safe from predators, or other cats willing to snatch its precious home. Since your furry companion is not wild and has no dirt to dig next to his food, he simulates it by scratching the ground. Of course, not all felines exhibit this behaviour, and if you live with more than one cat you may notice that one of them does it and the rest do not.
He places objects to cover his food because…
He wants to hide the evidence that indicates he has been there. As we say, his instinct leads him to protect himself from predators and, if there is food left over, it is very likely that he will try to bury it or cover it by placing objects on top. Of course, although we may think that they do it to protect the food and finish it again after a while or the next day, nothing is further from the truth. Your goal is to hide your trail to stay safe, not to save food to eat again. In this way, many are the cats that cover the food and then do not finish it again, but wait for their human to change it for new food. Of course, there are also cases of felines that do return and finish eating the leftovers, but they constitute a minority.
My cat covers the food and won't eat it anymore
If your furry companion is one of those who no longer finish the leftovers they left hidden, and you want to stop this behavior to avoid throwing away so much food, don't worry. His natural instinct will not eradicate it, but you can opt for another very effective measure that will allow you to take advantage of all your cat's food. This technique is none other than controlling the amounts of food that you offer your feline, this way you will get him to eat everything his body needs and not will leave no residue in the bowl. To do this, we suggest you consult our article on the amount of daily food for cats. In this way, you will also help her to be at her ideal weight, avoiding the dreaded feline obesity.
My cat not only covers his food, he hides his toys in the bowl
On the other hand, it is also common to see cats that, in addition to burying leftover food, submerge their toys in the water from their drinker and even place them on the empty food bowl. As we commented at the beginning of the article, in the wild the cat eats and sleeps in the place it considers safe and has as its den, in this way, the animal hides its most precious objects in the water because his instinct tells him that they will be safe there The same thing happens when he deposits them on the empty feeder.
The cat has suddenly started to cover its food
If your cat before did not tend to cover the food with objects, or bury it or dig next to the feeder, but he has suddenly started to present this behavior, it is most likely that he is trying to tell you something. Here the instinct of the wild cat no longer comes into play, but the language of the animal to communicate with you, its companion, and indicate that something is not right. The most frequent causes that can lead a cat to suddenly cover the food or dig the floor are the following:
- You changed his food and he doesn't like the new food.
- You have moved his feeder from one place and he does not consider it entirely safe.
As you can see, both reasons are easily recognizable and easy to solve. If the new food doesn't quite please him, just keep looking until you find one that meets all of his needs. To do this, you can consult our recipe for homemade food for cats with chicken, a natural food that, in addition to providing many nutritional benefits, they love because it simulates the food they would consume in "freedom". As for the second cause, ask yourself why change the location of the bowl and if this change is for your own benefit or that of the animal. If you can put it back where the cat felt safe eating, do so.
