Cat Trying To Bury Food: Why does my Cat try to Cover his Food?

Like many cat owners, you probably noticed your kitty trying to bury her food. Like other pet parents, you wonder if she hates the food or saves it for later. However, the reason for his behavior is much more complex and may surprise you.

Signs your Cat is about to Bury Food

• Circling the food bowl when she feels full.
• Kneading the carpet before feeding.
• Pawing around the ground while snacking.
• Scratching the floor after eating.

These behaviors from your cat can be disruptive. However, there are simple steps you can take to eliminate them.

Today, we take a closer look at domestic cats and their motivation for burying food. Then, read on to discover why your cat likes to put away those expensive pellets you just bought!

Reasons Why Cats Trying to Cover Their Food

Whether it’s wet or dry food, your kitten prefers burying it under the rug or in the garden rather than consuming it. The same goes for treats and sweets. So what’s wrong with her? Is she just trying to be annoying?

Apparently, no. Here’s why felines hide food!

1. It’s in Her Nature

It’s hard looking at your cat and imagining her hunting for birds in the African savannah. After all, she can barely catch a fly on the wall. Your pet may be a couch potato. However, her distant cousins living on the wide African plains are skilled hunters.

The two siblings separated more than 10,000 years ago. One chose the cozy city life, and the other remained in the wild. Still, they share common traits and behaviors that trace back to their earliest foremothers.

Wildcats hunt rodents, birds, and reptiles. When the catch is too large to consume in one sitting, they bury its remains. Felines are not natural scavengers and prefer fresh meals. So, they never come back to eat it.

Instead, they choose to hide it as to cover the foul smell. This way, other predators cannot discover and occupy their hunting grounds. This behavior is also known as “caching.”

2. She’s a Cleanliness Freak

We all have that one friend obsessed with tidiness. For you, it might just be your cat. However, she doesn’t care about how tidy you keep your home. Most importantly, she likes her dining location to be sparklingly clean at all times.

Cats do not defecate and eat in the same spot. You might see your furry friend scratching near the food dish as if trying to cover or scatter feces. This means that she finds the surroundings dirty. Even if the area is spotlessly clean, her instinct tells her to make it even cleaner.

3. She Thinks the Uneaten Food Could Kill Her

Another natural behavior that makes cats hide leftovers has to do with their survival. In the wild, cats would bury food that smells or tastes strange to them. This way, they save themselves and their pride from potentially deadly bacteria.

You might see your kitty trying to cover snacks when you make a drastic change to her diet. Usually, she will scatter the pellets from the bowl. Also, you will hear her disapproval in the form of a loud, meowing comment as she moves around her food dish.

READ MORE: Can Cats Eat Lasagna?

4. She Hates a Full Food Bowl

Seeing cats cover their food may seem strange, but it’s a natural practice. For example, your cat may bury pellets and even wet treats because she finds that you have overfilled her bowl. Like wildcats covering their leftovers, your domestic feline wants to get rid of any excess food that could attract unwanted visitors.

5. She’s trying to Protect Her Offspring

Once your cat gives birth, all her natural instincts kick in. Millions of years of evolution and just as many lessons learned tells her that nothing is more important than protecting her children.

You might see your pet covering food when there are kittens in the house. She does this to prevent potential predators from attacking her helpless offspring. As a result, the possibility of any beasts of prey hanging around your home is minimal. Still, this reason doesn’t prevent your pet from being overly protective.

How to Stop Cat Scratching Floor After Eating?

Cats burying food may be instinctual. However, you don’t want all that cat food to go to waste. So, here’s what you need to do to prevent this feline behavior!

1. Stay near Your Cat while She’s Feeding

The best way to stop your cat from hiding food is to stay with her during mealtime. At first, it may feel a bit uncomfortable. This is because cats are not necessarily the fastest eaters. However, you must wait patiently until she finishes consuming her meal.

Once she’s full, take the bowl away. Put it in a safe place where she can’t see or reach it. As a result, your kitty won’t feel the need for caching. Repeat this exercise for every meal of the day for several weeks. In time, she should repress her instinct for burying food.

2. Separate Meals from Playtime

Your feline pet may also confuse food with toys. More so, if she has leftover pellets in her food dish, she is more likely to play with them.

To help your kitty differentiate between snacks and toys, you need to separate meals from playtime. For example, when getting full with half a bowl, distract her from the dish with a game. Engage her with toys, sounds, and other gimmicks. This way, she will not be tempted to play with her food.

Alternatively, you can play with your pet for hours and tire her out. However, you should stop at least 30 minutes before her meal. Otherwise, she will be too excited when feeding and maybe too deep into the “playing” mode to focus on her feeding.

3. Regulate the Cat Food Portions

Many pet owners don’t have the time to stay near their pet while it eats. In addition, some may be away from home throughout the day. Therefore, they can’t apply any of the measures above.

If you are in the same situation, you should put just enough pellets in the dish that your cat can feed on during her meals. This way, she won’t have any leftover snacks to play with while you’re away. In time, she may see no reason for scratching, kneading, or pawing when feeding.

For busy people with pets, automatic feeders can be a good solution against caching cats. These devices are easy to set up and schedule your cat’s meals for an entire day or more.

READ MORE: Best Wet Cat Food

4. Fill the Food Dish only with what Your Cat Likes

We mentioned above that cats may cover their food because they don’t like it. Now, you might feel weak giving into your cat’s spoiled behavior. However, forcing treats on her that she hates could lead to even bigger problems.

We mentioned above that cats may cover their food because they don’t like it. Now, you might feel weak giving into your cat’s bad behavior. However, forcing treats on her that she hates could lead to even more significant problems.

Do not force-feed your cats something that she doesn’t like or want to eat. Otherwise, they will cover their food in places more and more difficult to find.

READ MORE: Can Cats be Vegan?

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