Wierd dinnertime ritual...

Ok.. i need to ask... Mishka ALWAYS paws and scratches the tile floor around her food bowl before AND after eating or drinking. What is that all about? is this a normal cat behavior.. or is Mishka just a little crazy?

My rainbow bridge kitty, Jake, used to do that all the time. I used to always say he was OCD! From what I understand, they are leaving their scent around the food source (kind of claiming it for their own I guess.)

Several of our kitties dig around and over their bowls after they eat. Our kitties are feral rescues, and we figured they were doing as mom taught them - to bury their food when they're done with it. Then we saw Tuxedo do it before he ate - and sometimes he still does that. We figured he was digging it back up so he could eat it!

Laurie

Ya know, I thought about that maybe being the reason.... but Mishka is quite the pampered girl... she came from a breeder where she was kept indoors at all times and has never had to give a second thought to where her next meal was coming from... so maybe this is just a lingering instinct?

Yes, it's instinct, although it could also indicate dissatisfaction with the food and/or bowl. This link from TCS answers the question quite nicely:

http://www.thecatsite.com/Herding/13...July-2004.html

Mooch has done that from the time we got her at about 10 weeks old. Now I notice my kitties at my Mom's do it on occasion, but not like Mooch.

I took it as an ownership thing. Now that we have a bowl in our bedroom my husband is forever telling Jack that we don't want his food and while he may think it tastes great we prefer people food. It is performed as soon as I put down the food bowl or the water bowl and done after done drinking and eating.

Leslie

Cats in the wild will bury any left over food so they can come back to it. Domestic cats are much wilder then dogs, there fore have these natural instincts that some display in our homes more then others. Maia will scratch her place mat after eating, especially if it is something she loves and wants to save it for later!