Weird cat behavior- cat "cleans up" around the dogs food bowl.

[Wcross]

I have a cat named "Flea Taxi" that has developed a strange habit. My dogs sometimes drop food around the bowl as they eat. When they are done Flea Taxi goes over and "cleans it up" like he is covering up poop in a litter box. He paws it all up against the side of the bowl & doesn't stop until all the food is cleaned up.
Flea Taxi & Larry hanging out.

[Phillycat]

1. My cats often "litter box scratch" around their own food bowls when they're

finished eating.

Cats are weird, aren't they? :D

[meegbear]

6. Mine does that too ...

That's territorial behavior - attempting to 'bury' their food so other animals don't find it. Cats are more likely to do that when there's other cats in the house.

[jmowreader]

7. That's also expressing their opinion on the food offered

My cats do that when you feed them something they don't like. They walk up, sniff it, bury it and scream at you until you feed them something they like better.

Fucking Titty Boy, who was born in front of us, did this with the very first solid food he ever encountered. It was lamb-flavored canned kitten food. We put it on the floor and put him in front of it. He sniffed it once, buried it, walked over and ate his mother's food. So apparently it's not learned behavior.

[meegbear]

10. Mine always does it when he stops eating ...

maybe it's a protest: "I'm ate this crap, but I didn't like it."

[unpossibles]

2. aww, that is so cute!

My dog cleans up after the bird, when he spills food out of his dish. Now the bird has started to 'feed the dog' by throwing the seeds and stuff he doesn't like onto the floor and/or dog.

The dog would like the job of cleaning up the cat litter box, but we don't let her.

[Wcross]

4. Oh yes, my dogs loved to help me clean the litter box too.

I found it a disgusting habit so I bought some of these;

[TZ]

3. I dunno could Flea Taxi (great name) be making

a commentary about your dogs food? In other words, the cat thinks the food smells like shit....:rofl:

[Shakespeare]

5. It's old, instinctive predator behavior. Big cats....

...will camoflouge an unfinished carcass (by covering it) so they can come back and eat more later. My cats do the same thing to their food bowls.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. My boy tiger Pretzel scritches up anywhere he finds something unpleasant. So

bowls of chili or ball of play-doh or what-have-you, requires scritching and covering up with paper towels or something. LOL

[Shell Beau]

9. That is such a sweet picture!!

:loveya: