Scratching Ground while eating

[defratos]

Hi guys, I've got a 12 week old kitten and over the last couple of weeks I've noticed that sometimes when I give him food, he'd go up to it, smell it and then he'd scratch the ground next to the food with one paw like 3-5 times, then he'd go back to smelling the food and scratch some more.

When he first started doing this he usually doesn't eat if he scratches, but now I've noticed he does it half way through eating, he'd stop, scratch the ground a few times and then go back to eating.

I'm trying to figure out what could be making him do this. Has anyone else experienced this? Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[c1atsite]

Hey Defratos, my cat Penny does something similar before and during drinking. I don't know the exact reason but one theory I've heard is: In the wild, cats use their paws to move fallen leaves to "clear a space" for drinking. (?)

She does a shuffle with her front legs and when I hear it on the wood floor, I know she's going to drink. Odd.

 

[ruthyb]

Floss does this after eating, she is "burying" her food so no one else can see it, or touch it

I would think if they do it before eating they are "uncovering it" maybe? x

 

[otto]

Lots of cats do this, with food or water, and I don't think there is any one answer why.

I'm sure each cat has his or her own mysterious reasons.

 

[garyganoo]

Sophie has a strange drinking habit too. She would only drink from a glass on my nightstand but she did it in a strange way. First she would dip her paw into the water a few times, then she would lick the water from her paw. She would repeat this over and over again until she had enough to drink.

 

[c1atsite]

Beautiful colors on Sophie! Even the black and white kitty seems to think it's a bit odd

 

[kkh]

For the last couple of years, I started to notice this strange behavior...I was wondering why Ku Ku does that, especially after she ate canned(wet) food.
I never noticed it before. I don't think she ever did this either...

 

[my4llma]

Midnight does that. Sometimes he even pulls his placemat up doing that, and will spill his water dish.

garyganoo your cats are cute!

 

[defratos]

Thanks for the feedback guys, appreciated.

I asked the same question in another forum and got the following replies:

"He's trying to bury it so predators can't find it and him"

"Yup, he's trying to bury it. I feed one of my girls in the bathroom because she's a slooow eater, and if I forget to put the bathmat up, she'll drag it over to her dish and cover the whole thing, heh. I'd suspect that if you fed your kitten near a towel or something he'd drag it on over too"

"Yes, I agree with Xanti and TimeBandit. He's trying to bury it to avoid predators. It's instinctual behavior. Wild cats often buried the remains of their prey in order to ensure the scent didn't attract predators. They would also groom after eating to remove the scent of the prey from their bodies, again so as not to attract predators. That explains why virtually all cats groom themselves right after eating, although burying behavior isn't as prevalent an instinct and thus isn't seen in all cats."

So I guess it's a predatory instinct to hide their food

 

[luvmyparker]

I have to feed Buddy in the bathroom...I often find toilet paper, empty tp rolls, face clothes or anything he can get into the dish. Sami also tries to bury her with her blanket. I've even seen her try to pull the wall down. lol.