Why does a cat bury a bowl?

Cats are excellent hunters. But even perfect predators have bad days. In the wild, cats do not always return from hunting with prey in their mouths. Sometimes they come with nothing. It is for such cases, in order not to die of hunger, that cats create reserves for themselves. After a successful hunt, they bury the remnants of food – so deep that other predators do not smell it. Such a solution has one more advantage: cleanliness is maintained in the pride’s habitat, food remains do not lie around, do not attract other predators with their smell and do not scare away prey. The skill is very useful, agree? Now you know: when your pet digs in his bowl, his instincts speak in him. Let’s look at this behavior in more detail.

• Too much food. Did you serve food to the cat, she ate with pleasure, but left some of the food, and then began to diligently dig in her bowl? Most likely there was too much food. The cat ate, and instinctively decided to hide everything that was left of dinner for a rainy day.
• Poor quality food or food that the cat does not like. Another example. You put food on the pet, he did not touch him and began to bury the bowl – what does this mean? Most likely, the food is spoiled or not suitable for the pet. Check the expiration date and integrity of the packaging. The scent of cats is sharper than ours, they will not eat spoiled food. Or maybe the food is okay, your cat just doesn’t like it. She won’t eat it, but she can’t leave it either, because her instincts won’t allow it. This is why a cat digs a bowl of food with its paw.
• Inappropriate bowls. The cat may also not like the bowls themselves. Make sure you choose the correct model.
• Cleanliness failure. Remember, cats are very clean? If the bowls have not been washed for a long time or the floor under them is dirty, the pet will quite rightly refuse to eat. For us, a slight mess in the kitchen or stale food pellets in a bowl may seem like nonsense, but for a cat it is a huge mass of smells. And she, again on an instinctive level, will try to get rid of them, so she will begin to bury the bowls.
• The cat is not eating. It happens that a cat eats all the food with pleasure, and then begins to bury an already empty bowl. What does this behavior say? The cat has not eaten, she wants more and on an instinctive level begins to “dig” her reserves. Check if you can withstand the feeding rate, is the food suitable for the age and physiological characteristics of your cat, does it meet its needs? If everything is in order, it is possible that the increased appetite is associated with parasites and it is time for the pet to undergo deworming.
• Stress. Another reason why cats bury food. If the pet is stressed, he cannot calmly eat food and tries to hide it for calmer times.
• Competition. Do you have multiple pets? Are there any other cats or dogs in the house? Even if they are very friendly with each other, no one canceled the instincts. Pets can bury food to hide it from competitors. Don’t worry, it doesn’t cancel their friendship!
• Bad feeling. If your cat has been skipping several feedings, burying the bowl, stubbornly not touching food, or eating very little, take her to a veterinarian. Poor appetite can indicate a disease, and it is impossible to delay diagnosis and treatment.

We have listed the main reasons why a cat buries a bowl. With the exception of the last point, this behavior is not dangerous, and many cats do this from time to time. But if you really want to eliminate this habit, the following measures will help:

– monitor the quality of water and food, – observe the feeding rate, – choose suitable bowls for the cat, – wash dishes in a timely manner, – keep the feeding area clean, – eliminate the causes of stress, – delimit the feeding places for each of the pets.

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