by Nicole
(North Carolina)

My DooBee Woop Woop

I just had a quick question about cat behavior.

I notice that whenever I feed my cats, one of my cats scratches all around their food bowls when they are done. Almost like she wants to cover it up with something (and sometimes she does, if there is a toy nearby she will scratch it into the bowl). Its obvious to me its some kind of primal instinct, but why?


Dear Nicole,

You answered your own question. Many cats exhibit this behavior and it is indeed a remnant of their instincts when in the wild. She is definitely trying to bury it. This behavior is very normal.

Unfortunately, there is little you can do to change this behavior except to feed your cat less at each meal, so she is less likely to have food left over to feel the need to "cover".

Thanks for the very cute picture!

Thanks for writing,
Dr. Neely