Question:
My husband and I have observed puzzling, ritualistic behavior in our 3-year-old, neutered, orange male cat, Buttercup. He has a constant supply of dry food from a self-dispensing container and we feed him half a 3-ounce can of moist food three to five times a day, depending on his appetite.Invariably, though not always, he sniffs his food and pretend-buries it by scratching all the surfaces around the dish. He then goes out the cat door and returns within a minute. Then he eats his fill and, if there is anything left over, he scratches again, sniffs and scratches once more.We thought maybe he didn't like the food so we tried other flavors and brands, but that made no difference. Could he be trying to hide it from predators (real or imagined)? It seems he tries to bury the food, can't and so eats it anyway.Buttercup is now slightly chubby and I worry that by misreading his hunger signals we compel him to eat more than he wants just so it wouldn't be there for his "rivals" (though we have no other pets).How wo
A.S., Bethesda, Md Oct 23, 2005
Answer:
You need to cut back on the amount of canned food you are putting out for Buttercup. Give him about one-half to one-third of what he now gets, but don't change the feeding frequency.Cats like to snack, so any leftover food should be removed, otherwise Buttercup will persist in his anxious covering-up behavior, which is a natural instinct. It may be to hide food from "rivals" or to cover up the odor in his living space.I hope he's not becoming addicted to dry food -- this is a common problem in many cats, who then refuse any and all moist food, which is generally better for them. It may be advisable to not let him have any dry food during the day. Let him get to the dispenser at night -- many people with cats who get hungry and awaken them in the early hours of the morning have found this to be a good solution.
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