Covering Food with Bed

I have a area in my garage designated for my cats. They have thier food, water, litter, rug and a little bed and scratching post. It's their own little area that they can do whatever they want. (I have two cats that share this area) They are allowed to come in the house (and go out if they want).. but the area in the garage is all theirs..

Just about 6 months ago, the older cat "Zippy" who is about 1 1/2 yrs old started to become a real "messy eater". He started to tip over the dry food bowl and the food would go EVERY WHERE, he also will take his little bed and covers the wet food.

Now at first I thought he didn't like the food, needed variety, etc.. so I went through the process of changing food and giving a variety.. it doesn't matter, he does it will all kinds/brands. So, I have gone back to my original food choice which is IAMS (variety of flavors) and he is still doing it.. I think he's trying to tell me something, but I don't understand.

The other cat Lexi does not make a mess of her food and will eat anything that is put in front of her.

Any thoughts of why he would do this all of a sudden.. (there was no major change in environment, etc to make this start happening)

Usually cats do this out of instinct. They try to bury or cover it so that they have it for themselves later. It's a survival thing. My guess is that either his instincts kicked in or maybe he smells an outdoor cat somewhere from outside. Is he neutered? It's nothing thats going to harm him. Some of these things are pretty fun to watch. Its like going back and watching them in the wild

Yes, he is neutered... One of my thoughts was that Lexi (the younger cat) was eating it all and he was trying to hide it for himself.. but they have been sharing the same food for a year before this started to happen.. so I'm not sure if that is it.

Then I would check to see if there's a stray or a neighborhood cat that crosses by the garage. Males especially they can detect for quite a ways.