Why does my cat try to bury his food? Is this normal behavior?

Thank you for your question. Many dogs like to hide things, including treats and food. This is probably a remnant from their ancestors who may have had to hide some of their food items to protect it from other members of their pack or predators. We would not consider this a problem behavior unless he is becoming aggressive around his buried food/toys.

It's not unusual for cats to hide food, and it could be that Lucy is hiding it to eat later, or trying to keep another animal in the house from eating it. She is trying to hide the scent of the food so no one else can get it, and she likely will go back to eat it later. Cats who live in the wild will do this, and it can be an instinctive behavior.

What he's doing is probably instinctively trying to cover his food. Some dogs exhibit this behavior, which is perfectly normal. If you put down a paper towel, he may try to use that to cover his food.

Some cats tend to do that. Mine do it when they do not like their food. So you may want to try some other brand of canned kitten food. Or canned kitten food if you have been feeding dry food. You should also put the water fountain/bowl a few feet away from the food as cats do not like to drink water that is near their food.

Sometimes cats will attempt to cover their food like this when they are no longer interested in eating. I would try to keep a very close eye on exactly how much she is eating to make sure her appetite is not decreased. If her appetite seems normal and you have not noticed any vomiting or weight loss you probably don't need to worry about this behavior. If the cat poop has litter on it I agree that Mia is likely the culprit. Sometimes cats will also get feces stuck to the hair around the rectum and it can later fall off - you could examine her rear end after she leaves the box to see if this is the case.

Cats can develop many odd eating rituals and I suspect this is one of them. If only Bandit could talk! You may try switching the area you prep the food and see if this makes a difference. I hope this helps.

Hello. The stool is a little dry, but otherwise looks normal. You can try increasing the amount of fluids he takes in by offering low sodium broths or stocks, tuna water, & adding some canned wet food to his diet. Because of his underlying issues, he may just not be taking in enough water on his own, but you do not need to force water down him. Not covering things up is an individual trait in some cats. Some seem to want to dig all the litter out while others are content to leave things be on top. Most cats fall somewhere in the middle & do a pretty good job covering things. I have never thought it was some kind of dominance, especially in your case where your kitten is not even sexually mature. He may be more inclined to bury his waste as he matures. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.