Cats are very strange animals. One of their odder behaviors is scratching around their food bowl. They look like they are trying to kick dirt over the food in order to bury it. Presumably that is what they do in the wild. But the "dirt" house cats are kicking over the food is imaginary.
This suggests that wild cats do not know they are burying their food. That is, it is not goal-directed behavior. If it were goal-directed, house cats would either not bother with the scratching, or they would be very frustrated by their lack of success.
This is not to suggest at all that cats are all dumb instinct. On the one hand, much of their behavior seems very human-like. On the other hand, plenty of human behavior is instinct masquerading as goal-directed behavior. Sex, for instance, has a clear purpose but that's not usually why we do it. (Even if you believe sex has purposes other than procreation, such as pair bonding, it is hard to explain prostitution -- which, while not as common as cats "burying" their food, is still common enough to require explanation.
So why do cats scratch around their bowl? I suspect it just feels good. Evolution does not require that we know why we do what we do -- just that we do it.
Comments
well...
January 18, 2009 by Anonymous, 41 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 33821
My cat doesn't just scratch around her bowl when she is done eating, she will find articles of clothing in my room and use it to cover her food.
More Proof That Cats Refuse to Comply with Assumptions, IMO :D
December 4, 2008 by Anonymous, 48 weeks 1 day ago
Comment id: 33198
How odd. I've had cats all my life, and have yet to see one try to bury something it actually *likes,* LOL. I guess that just lends more credence to the old saw about 'herding cats,' even where more abstract applications are concerned.
At the moment, I have two fine felines -- a lean, extremely-active Russian blue clone and a big, sturdy tank of a silver tabby.
The blue never tries to bury his food -- he only seems to be interested in burying the other stuff that cats are known for burying. Then again, he doesn't seem all that interested in food, as cats go (unless his bowl is empty, and then only when his buddy brings it up).
The tabby doesn't bury *his* food, either -- however, he *does* try to bury anything food-like that doesn't appeal to him.
He only seems to like dry cat food. We've tried feeding him other things -- he made the 'repulsed cat' face, then tried to bury them, every time. If we have a snack, such as buffalo wings, and set the bowl within reach, he'll also try to bury those -- but he absolutely never tries to eat them.
Quite frankly, I believe this must all be part of the Great Feline Conspiracy (even the part where they trick us into complying with their scientific experiments by pretending to be 'subjects' in ours). Rationally speaking, there can be no other explanation ;)
What they're doing
August 1, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 13 weeks ago
Comment id: 31337
is scent marking around their food--not just "burying" it. The cat's behavior isn't odd at all. Your assumption that it's just about "burying" food is a little off, that's all.
evolutionary artifact
July 26, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 14 weeks ago
Comment id: 31264
I believe this may be just some instinctive artifact of cat evolution. In the wild, cats of course are carnivorous predators, and in a serangety setting must fool scavangers from stealing their hard earned meals. But house cats do not have any competition to disguise their food from, so this must just be some sort of behaivoral reflex which is left over from early evolutionary necessity.
I have also considered the possibility cats do this to sharpen their claws before digging into a traditionally lean meal.
For all we know this may just be some ritualistic dance or feline "prayer" to celebrate the meal, dont laugh, if humans could be so stupid i wouldnt put it to far behind a feline. Obviously the cat is not going to answer this question for us anytime soon, so i will stick with the first hypothesis, and its just a artifact in feline evolution.
why not?
July 24, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 15 weeks ago
Comment id: 31232
my cats don't do that, weird
I find it hilarious,
July 23, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 15 weeks ago
Comment id: 31204
I find it hilarious, especially when they end up eating more of it a few minutes later. I tell them, hey, don't you want to save that for later?
My cats will even go so far as to scratch at the wall, as if to try and slough off parts of the wall onto the food. They always scratch a few times, then check the food to see the status of their efforts. Yet they dont seem to care they arent doing anything.
Oh, and they only do it when it's wet food, not dry food. And they love wet food 10 times more than dry food, so it isn't distaste.
What was the selective advantage in wanting to bury your food? Less attention, less predators?
Hmmm
July 22, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 15 weeks ago
Comment id: 31199
I always thought that it was just my cat's way of saying, "hey, this stuff tastes like crap, so I'm going to bury it for ya..."
hmmm reply
July 23, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 15 weeks ago
Comment id: 31220
hey, this stuff tastes like crap, so I'm going to bury it for ya...
Absolutely hilarious! Your comment cracked me up. I thought it was some kind of left over evolutionary cleaning obsession.
Funny comment, but the way my
October 31, 2009 by Anonymous, 6 days 16 hours ago
Comment id: 45886
Funny comment, but the way my cats eat their food, I have to disagree. They love their wet food, so I know they're not trying to bury it from distaste. My female doesn't scratch around her food at all. But my male wil do it for quite a while. He will thoroughly scratch the floor around the food and on the cabinet above the food. They take breaks while eating, so I believe he is both marking his scent around the food, claiming it as his, as well as hiding it for his next snack.