My cat tries to cover her food after she eats. Why does she do this?

The first point to make is that not all domestic cats do this and those that do it don’t do it all the time. In fact, in my experience, it is not that usual. But if a cat has eaten enough he or she may try and bury the remaining food. This is caching food for another day and hiding it from ‘competitors’ so that they can’t find it. At least that is the intention.

Cat eats

Cat eats. Image by birgl from Pixabay

It is entirely instinctive and inherited from the domestic cat’s wild cat ancestor, the North African wildcat. It is so completely ingrained that it has not been lost over about 10,000 years of domestication but it is a feline behavioral trait that is probably gradually fading away.

Obviously it serves no purpose for the domestic cat in a nice home but that isn’t the point as it is, as mentioned, instinctive and not a rational decision based on the pertaining circumstances.

This behaviour, therefore, does not mean that your cat dislikes the food but that he or she is full up if she has already eaten some of it. It is completely normal.

Below are some links to articles on the topic of domestic cat food which may interest you.

Grey cat manically eats dry cat food with left paw and stuffs the pellets into his mouth

Why do domestic cats use their paws to eat food?

The reason why domestic cats sometimes use their paws to eat commercially made food is because it is natural to ...
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Cat soliciting meow

My cat is always hungry. Hyperthyroidism? Or another reason?

Some people are visiting Google and searching for "my cat is always hungry". They think their cat is always hungry ...
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Cat licks a cornstarch bag

Why do some domestic cats lick biodegradable bags?

Nowadays, biodegradable plastic bags are made from PLA (polylactic acid) which is derived from cornstarch. These bags are compostable. They ...
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Domestic cat (a Benga) eating with their left paw

Why do domestic cats sometimes use their paws to eat and drink?

If and when domestic cats use their paws to eat food or to drink water they do so in a ...
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The wildcat within

Domestic cat paws around her food bowl. The insight it provides.

A lot has been written about why domestic cats paw around their food bowl. I expect that, by now, people ...
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Cats scavenging in Morocco

Are house cats scavengers?

Are house cats scavengers? The answer is yes but domestic cats scavenge in a particular way by making informed choices ...
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Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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