Why does my cat scratch the area around his bowl after eating? What to do to discourage him?
If you enjoy the company of a house cat as much as I do, I’m sure you’ve seen him scratching his paws or scratching the floor every now and then. And it happens most often around his food, especially before or after a meal. Although some cat fans and owners believe that he does this because he does not like his menu, the reasons for such behavior are very different. Rest assured, as this is nothing to worry about, but it will still be interesting to investigate possible causes. Why does my cat scratch the area around his bowl after eating?
My cat is scratching the floor! Should I be interested?
It turns out that scratching around the bowl with food is a fairly common behavior among domestic cats. The cat is trying to dig a hole to bury something, isn’t it? Well, this idea is not too far from the truth… It’s strange, but from what I’ve found, at least it’s safe for the animal… My floor, on the other hand, is not for n. same idea! If you’re asking yourself one or more of the following questions, read on: “Should I try to stop this strange behavior?” », « How to prevent attacks? and above all, “Why is my cat scratching the floor? »
Trust your cat’s instincts
Cats are avid nocturnal predators that must hunt for food in the wild. By scavenging there and eating in bits and pieces, they end up with leftovers they don’t even want to swallow. But they have to hide them so other carnivores can’t smell them. So, the main reason your housecat scratches the floor is to try to dig a hole for protection and bury food scraps in there. It is nothing more than his innate instinctive behavior to try his best to hide the smell of his food!
The female kitten tries to protect her kittens
If you have a cat with kittens in the house, it has one more reason to try to dig a hole in the ground. Not only will the mother want to bury the food to hide the scent, but her even greater motivation is to prevent other animals from learning that cats are nearby.
You give the cat too much food
As already mentioned, cats scratch the area around their bowls mainly with the idea of hiding their food. So if Velvetpaw does this after she’s finished eating, it could indicate that she’s had more food than she can eat. Obviously, as responsible cat owners, we need to monitor how much we feed our companions to prevent obesity and the health problems that follow.
The cat scratches the floor to keep the area clean
“I give him little food, but my cat is always scratching the floor, why? This is a question I’ve come across a few times on the forums. Connoisseurs explain that this is a kind of maintenance of the habitat associated with the natural sense of cleanliness of our feline friends. As you no doubt know, they are clean creatures, so they try to keep their place spotless.
A cat scratching the floor is not at any risk. As we have already established, what dictates your cat’s actions is the instinct to hide its presence in order to stay safe. By the way, many people find this behavior just amusing. But the other side of the coin is that you can use it on your floors, carpets, etc. this is quite annoying. So here are some preventative measures and practices that I find helpful when my cat is scratching and I want to discourage him:
- After my cat finishes eating, I remove the bowl and immediately clean the leftovers
- As soon as my cat starts scratching, I try to distract him with his favorite toy (a cat scratching post is also very useful for him)
- I moved the bowl to the tiled part of my kitchen floor and the crumbs don’t bother me anymore
