This is Catsters’ version of four puzzling cat behaviors explained. The four selected are:
- Using paws to eat and drink
- Burying and covering food
- Pulling a stinky face
- The tail wiggle or quiver
Using paws to eat and drink
This is still somewhat of mystery but it is put down to various reason including: cats don’t like their whiskers touching the side of the bowl. The fix for this is to use shallow or wide bowls. Personally I doubt this is a viable reason. Cats do tuck their whiskers into their checks so they don’t have to stick out and I think you will see cats paw at food even with large or shallow bowls. However, a counter argument is that as cats don’t have good near sight they might rely on their whiskers to “see the food”, in which case the whiskers will be out and brush the side of the bowl. In order to avoid this the cat paws at the food. However, I have never seen a cat use his whiskers to check out food in a bowl. They use their noses instead.
Another possible factor is the position of the food bowl. Perhaps if the bowl is in a position where the cat feels a little vulnerable he may scoop at the food for security. Although once again there are many videos and images of cats scooping food out of bowls looking very confident and with the bowl in an apparently good position.
Another possible reason is to play with the food. This is plausible because wild cats and domestic cats frequently play with prey during the process of killing it and after it has been killed. This is just for fun. Pawing at food may be a version of this.
Pawing at water seems to be different and the reason may also be different. It may be a throwback to the wild cats when cats pawed at stream water to clear it or disturb it for some other reason when hunting for prey such as scooping out fish or amphibians. The fishing cat and flat-headed cat do this. My page on this subject.
When cat uses her paw to drink water as in the video below this appears to be simply a preference and nothing to do with bowl location or anything else except perhaps wild cat ancestor inheritance.
Burying and covering food
This reflects wild cat behavior, which is hard-wired in the domestic cat despite almost 10,000 years of domestication. Hiding food prevents the presence of predators and it also allows the cat to return to the food if it can’t be eaten at one sitting.
When domestic cats bury food, they don’t actually bury it, they paw at the area around the food bowl much like they do when burying feces.
This feline behavior may occur more often in multi-cat households. Although I doubt it because it is not actually burying food. It is a pretend behavior. The cat is doing it as if programmed which he or she is because it is built into their DNA.
Pulling a stinky face (see above)
This is is called the Flehmen Response. Some people think it is the cat showing signs of aloofness. At one time this genuinely was a mystery to many but thanks to the internet we know realize that it is the cat allowing air into the roof of their mouth where it has access to the Jacobson Organ, a highly sensitive piece of feline anatomy full of receptor cells which can detect odors other animals including humans can’t. Although you’ll see the same face being pulled by snakes, horses and buffalo for instance.
The strange tail wiggle or quiver
The tail is upright. The tail quivers. This is like spraying urine for marking but in this instance there is no spraying of urine. I have seen this very noticeably in my late lady cat who I rescued on the streets of London. She died some years ago but I remember that day as if it was yesterday. She was under a car outside my home. I glanced at her. She looked back. We made eye contact. I spoke to her gently and in a friendly way. She knew she had found someone to take her from the freezing weather. She was delighted. Her tail quivered vigorously. This is a sign of happiness. Some cat caretakers call it the ‘happy tail dance”. Some cats fluff their tail hair out at the same time.
Original article: 4 Puzzling Cat Behaviors Explained. My take on this subject is somewhat different.
I agree about animals, esp cats. I have one who was on the street for 13 years. He exhibited defensive aggression, was very unhealthy but no one could bring him in. I’ve had him for a year, we’re finally determining he has IBD and his pred dosage and diet, but he has constantly, viciously fought with my other cats. I determined he has very bad eyesight too, which contributed to his weird behavior. He is SUCH a love bug with me though it’s ridiculous; and he can sleep in my bed again which is another love/hate situation because he purrs so loudly I can’t sleep. What’r ya gonna do?
Thanks. I hope the health care is better over there; it sucks here. It’s so costly, aggravating and ineffective I’d really, really not even have it.
Good. I am pleased. I hope that you are coping though. I am a bit concerned about your health.
I don’t remember him or any recent trolls actually because I’m having other problems, but thank you very much… I don’t need that kind of aggravation either. Also, when I manage to be on here talking about cats it’s a joy they can’t kill anyway, which I’m sure annoys them in return. You always have my back buddy, thanks.