My cat is stressed out by leftover human food?

[jessica991]

This is kind of an odd problem I'm having. But if I'm in the room with one of my cats, Dolly (9.5 months) and I eat something, I might leave the plate of food on the table for a little bit before I take it in. It could be something like a sandwich with the crusts leftover or an empty yogurt cup, the crumbs from a muffin, etc etc. Dolly will seek it out immediately and began pacing in circles around it and begin extending her paw and pawing the surface around it repeatedly. It looks like she's trying to bury it, but she's obviously not. She's just pawing the air and the surface around it and acts visibly distressed. What is up with that?

 

[red top rescue]

I have a cat like that too, and it isnt just HUMAN food, it's ANY leftover food!  In the wild, felines often cover any leftover prey - maybe to hide it from others, or to protect if from flies and buzzards so they can come back for it  later.  A lot of cats go through that "burying" ritual if there is any left over food.   I just laugh at mine and say she is a better housekeeper than I am, and I put away the food!

 

[pusheen]

Left over food that isn't "buried" can attract predators--so cats try to hide it to mask the smell.