Cat scratches the floor around food dish

Dick_Turpin99

Just lately my cat has taken to disrupting the area around where his food is when he has finished and normally, it would seem, when he wants to go outdoors.
The dishes with cat food and munchies and his water are put down on newspaper and he seems to try to scratch away at it - almost like it is when he's burying a t***....he's not aggressive when he does it, almost like instinct is telling him to cover it up.

Thing is he will be 7 this June and he's just started in the last month or so.

Anyone any explanation as to why?

Sagz_2

Why's he doing it? He's a cat!

Don't try and understand them, just accept them and their ways and life will be a lot simpler

I changed from newspaper to an off-cut of vinyl flooring because of the problem, she still scratches at the floor to try and bury her food but now gets nowhere and doesn't seem bothered - she's just happy going through the motions.

Nada666

They hide the food to try to cover up the smell to avoid alerting predators to where they will be returning. (They are not burying it for later consumption.)

As to starting at age 7 there is not likely to be anything seriously wrong but there might be some new change in the outside environment - something that concerns them a little to trigger their danger insticts. But it very unlikely to be anything to concern you.

Dustykitten

Two of mine sometimes do this on the quarry tiles even if they've eaten it all. I just pick the bowls up, they seem happy with that. They only have water down all the time, food is provided twice per day.

paulineb_2

My cats cover up food and one of my cats started drinking water from the tap instead of his bowl about a year ago and hes 7.

Dick_Turpin99

Dustykitten wrote: »

Two of mine sometimes do this on the quarry tiles even if they've eaten it all. I just pick the bowls up, they seem happy with that. They only have water down all the time, food is provided twice per day.

Dusty, do you mind if I ask why you only feed twice a day?
Only for my cat the dishes are always down and he takes care of himself, he picks between the whiskas and dried food and water.....when I go to work I make sure there's food in the dish and again before going to bed.

As a rule he doesn't disturb me during the night but now and again he wants to go outdoors........but generally he starts moving about between 7 & 7:30 when i get up, he has his breakfast, I have mine - in that order

Miiri

My two rescued kittys do this as well.. they will try cover food if we put too much out and its not uncommon to find nearby rugs pulled over to the food bowl!

Saying that - they've got better in the 3 years we've had them but oddly, if you put a plate with human food on the floor in the lounge they'll do the same thing (even though they don't want to eat it!)

F

Dustykitten

!!!!!!_Turpin99 wrote: »

Dusty, do you mind if I ask why you only feed twice a day?
Only for my cat the dishes are always down and he takes care of himself, he picks between the whiskas and dried food and water.....when I go to work I make sure there's food in the dish and again before going to bed.

As a rule he doesn't disturb me during the night but now and again he wants to go outdoors........but generally he starts moving about between 7 & 7:30 when i get up, he has his breakfast, I have mine - in that order

Sure, I know cats like the idea of snacking but I don't think it is hygenic. My cats have wet food and I think it makes the house smell, attracts flies, dries up and is wasteful. They have breakfast at 7:30, dinner at 5:30 and then a handful of dried food each at bed time. Males cats clear their plates. Female, eats half, goes out (I pick it up or the others eat it) then comes in and asks for it again to finish. Worked for us for the past 20 years and for my mother for 20 years before that. Of course different things work for other people and their cats.

Notsosharp

The scratching thing is fairly normal; I have three cats and one does this. It doesn't do much damage though as they are fed on the kitchen worktop (I have dogs too). He only does it for a bit and then seems happy, I think he is "going through the motions" more than anything

It's like everyone else said they're trying to disguise where the food has been to avoid other predators finding them.

Mine have dried food available all day, they get half a tin of wet daily between them (it's more of an incentive for them to come in for the night).

One of my cats is quite happy to share the waterbowl with the dogs (I have a massive saucepan I fill with water every day)

One will only drink from the muckiest, muddiest puddles he can find.

One will only drink from the toilet, every time I go to the loo he's there demanding I flush it for him! When my ex would come to stay there was a couple of times he would be doing a wee and the cat would be there on the bowl with his head down the loo waiting! He only just avoided getting his head wee wee'd on!

penny_pincha

paulineb wrote: »

My cats cover up food

Yes as Nada666 and Notsosharp says they are trying to hide the uneaten food to avoid attracting predators

paulineb wrote: »

one of my cats started drinking water from the tap instead of his bowl about a year ago and hes 7.

They do this as they don't like drinking too close to their food. My vet says they will prefer to drink dirty water from a dirty puddle than clean water next to their food. I just provide various bowls of water around the house so they can choose. I don't like the idea of them 'having to' drink dirty water.

mummyroysof3

One of my cats likes to drag his water away from the food bowl....will try separating the bowls to see if he stops it