covering food & water dishes

samiam21007

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why does my cat (Groucho) only eat half of his wet food and the try to cover his dish like he is covering poop in his litter box? He also does this with his water bowl and it is starting to drive us mad! He always goes back and eats the rest of his food later. Is he trying to hide it from us? He is the only cat and he is about 9 months old and neutered.
 

yayi

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It's quite normal for cats not to finish their meals in one sitting. Some cats also paw at their food and water.
 

robertm

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He's trying to "bury" it so rival cats can't detect it and steal it from him. Although it may look like he is telling you that he doesn't like the food, that's usually not what this behavior means. It's very common, purely instinctive behavior.
 

cheylink

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Yes, Maia does this as well. She is an only kitty and started around 6 months old. Most kitties do this especially when they live in single kitty homes. It's a territorial, save the rest for latter behavior. Since they aren't competing for food, they don't always finish it all and in the wild they would hide, usually by burying, the left overs for later. Pure instinctual, you have to adore it!

Maia even tries to bury and hide her toys sometimes, from who I don't know!
 

spoiledkiwi

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my cat wont eat her food until she takes her paw and knocks a few pieces onto the floor. She loves to play with her food and water. She even splashes her water out of her bowl. I think it's just normal behavior.
 

ashley45

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Moses tries to bury his uneaten food. He also tries to bury the smell of carpet cleaner.
 
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