feral burying food

jtbo

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JTbo, what about putting a handkerchief under the dish of food, so the kitty(ies) can actually bury the dish by kicking the handkerchief up over it? That has worked for others....
End result is something of mixture of cat food and handkerchief that is halfly out from the bowl. It is only one cat that is this bad, which I think is an Alpha cat, after he has messed the food nobody seem to eat it anymore and not even himself until food is spoiled, but food is something he likes a lot.

He is hand eater too, paws the food and eats food from paw, but only sometimes. He also uses his paws bit like hands in many other way too, he waves for attention or if he wants to examine closer what I carry etc. He is just bit different from the rest.
 

bugmankeith

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One of my strays does this, her mom did it, and its funny because she looks like a twin of her mom and is the only cat that does it! My cat does it too and she is a former stray. I wonder if its dominant behavior because all the lesser females and males don't do it?
 
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bastfriend

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One of my strays does this, her mom did it, and its funny because she looks like a twin of her mom and is the only cat that does it! My cat does it too and she is a former stray. I wonder if its dominant behavior because all the lesser females and males don't do it?
Maybe so.....it's like they say this food is MINE, all MINE!!!!!
 

meowmmy_aprile

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I have one guy who buries his food all the time. I will find paper, dish towels, socks in his dish that he has found to cover it up.

Last night I made Chili for Superbowl my son left his bowl on the coffee table while he went to get a TV tray so he could eat and watch the game. Frisky jumped up and took a smell and must have decided it was crap because he tried to bury my son's bowl of chili while he was getting the tray.
 

jtbo

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I have one guy who buries his food all the time. I will find paper, dish towels, socks in his dish that he has found to cover it up.

Last night I made Chili for Superbowl my son left his bowl on the coffee table while he went to get a TV tray so he could eat and watch the game. Frisky jumped up and took a smell and must have decided it was crap because he tried to bury my son's bowl of chili while he was getting the tray.
I'm not sure about that crap part, at least my food burying cat loves taste of sauce containing tomato, red pepper, garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt, those tiny black round peppers crunched, onion and hint of basil, this sauce goes with pasta and strewn meat, but he steals mostly pasta with that sauce, not preferring meat, so I guess it is probably sauce that lures him.

Problem is that I can't leave that stuff unattended for a second and sometimes he tries to steal bits when I'm eating, so it is defending your food with one hand and eating with another, there no any method that would stop him doing that, it is so strong desire for him to get that and it certainly can't be good for his health that stuff, which is bit shame as I'm sure it would help doing dishes if he could clear the plate...

So who knows, maybe your cat has a thing for chili, but was just not enough hungry at the time.
 

smitten4kittens

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I'm not sure about that crap part, at least my food burying cat loves taste of sauce containing tomato, red pepper, garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt, those tiny black round peppers crunched, onion and hint of basil, this sauce goes with pasta and strewn meat, but he steals mostly pasta with that sauce, not preferring meat, so I guess it is probably sauce that lures him.

Problem is that I can't leave that stuff unattended for a second and sometimes he tries to steal bits when I'm eating, so it is defending your food with one hand and eating with another, there no any method that would stop him doing that, it is so strong desire for him to get that and it certainly can't be good for his health that stuff, which is bit shame as I'm sure it would help doing dishes if he could clear the plate...

So who knows, maybe your cat has a thing for chili, but was just not enough hungry at the time.
 I just wanted to mention that onions and garlic are bad for cats. They can cause heinz body anemia. Even though he's been ok in the past, I wouldn't let him eat that sauce anymore. Just to be safe.
 

jtbo

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 I just wanted to mention that onions and garlic are bad for cats. They can cause heinz body anemia. Even though he's been ok in the past, I wouldn't let him eat that sauce anymore. Just to be safe.
Yes, I know those are bad for him and I have been attempting to prevent him from getting it, but he surely can be quick and stealthy at the times, so I don't need to do much than get water and he has helped himself already, then I must literally rip him away, vocal commands seem not to have much effect, he is that much drawn to stuff, like some addict of sorts.

Usually now days I tend to act with stuff like it would be my most precious and never turn even back to it, but even then it ends up with wrestling with poor cat that is attempting to get the stuff from my plate. And this cat obeys normally very well word no, he instantly stops what he was doing when hearing that word, there are just two exceptions, that sauce and burying food.

No issue with other ones, they are not quite as live ones though.
 

minka

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Lol! I wouldn't worry about it at all. Eating out of the dirt won't hurt him and burying it is just instinctual for him.
Don't worry so much. :-)
 
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bastfriend

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We have the answer to the mystery now.....see my "overwhelmed" thread.    Hercules was rightly perceiving that there were hoardes of other cats surrounding him who might find his food so he was hiding it with motivation!    Last night he put over a cup worth of dirt on top of the food and barely ate any.
 
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bastfriend

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This is one crafty cat - so I just recently started taking the food up rather than leaving it out all night.   So his response now is to tip the entire container over so the food is on the ground and then bury what he wants.   Not so easy for me to pick it up now, eh?
 
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