Why Do Cats Bury Their Food?

If you’re reading this article, you likely have questions about why your cat sometimes paws around their food bowl before or after eating. This is an instinctual attempt at burying food; i.e., your tiny domestic kitty, is displaying a genetically programmed behavior that dates back to their wild predatory ancestors. 

Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that our cats are small predatory beasties, especially when their food comes in cans or bags. But cats are obligate carnivores with specific feeding behaviors that are natural and instinctive, so let’s dive right in to what this is all about.

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The evolutionary instinct behind food burying

There are a few reasons why domestic cats and their wild relatives and ancestors bury their food.  Food is energetically expensive to get (cats have to find, catch, and kill their prey, which costs energy to do), so it’s in a cat’s best interest to make sure that they get to eat what they kill. How do they do this?  One method is food caching, which is used by many animals, to secure and store their food.  

What is food caching?

Food-caching protects food from scavengers. Kleptoparasitism is the term used when one animal steals another animal’s food that they have hunted or gathered.  When food is buried or otherwise hidden, it’s harder for scavengers to take advantage of that food source.    

Food-caching hides food from predators. The smell of a fresh kill can bring in other predators that may steal that food item (as described above), or it could put the animal who originally hunted that food at risk from predators drawn into the area by the scent of food. There’s nothing like food left around to alert predators that someone lives there who might be quite tasty themselves! 

Food-caching allows for food storage in times of scarcity. Large carnivores can store meat for several weeks; bringing down a large prey item is energetically costly, and can’t usually be consumed in one sitting.  Caching can help larger carnivores feed when prey are seasonally or geographically scarce, which increases the chance of survival. However, when you consider that a domestic cat’s stomach is about the size of a golf ball, prey tend to be on the smaller size - they won’t last for very long without decomposition - but that doesn’t prevent cats from caching their food for a few hours to save for later.  

Examples in wild cats

There are several examples of wild cats caching their food.  One of the best-known examples is of leopards hiding their prey in trees so that they can’t be kleptoparasitized by spotted hyaenas.  In a 2017 study, leopards hoisted 51 percent of their kills into trees, allowing leopards to keep them safe from hyaenas and feed on their kills for longer.  

Additionally, there is plenty of evidence showing that other large wild cats such as tigers and mountain lions will cache their kills by covering them with soil and leaves.  This may help their food stay fresh for longer, as well as keep other animals from feeding on the meat source.

While documented caching behavior is scarce for smaller felines, there are some incidents of small cats displaying burying behavior as well.  In one such instance, a European wildcat visited a road-killed deer at least nine days out of a 21-day period in the mountains of northwest Spain. While returning several times to consume the meat, it buried the carcass with hair and vegetation.

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Why domestic cats display this behavior

Most domestic cats do not need to exhibit burying behavior, but they often do. One of your cats might think that they need to hide food from the other cats in the house (playing the old “competition” card), or perhaps you gave your kitty a particularly fragrant (i.e., stinky) meal one day. 

Burying can help reduce odor of food that’s left over, thus hiding it from competition or other predators and scavengers (like those little sugar ants that come inside the house every summer to get my cat’s wet food - they’re sooooo annoying!).  And we all know how fastidiously clean cats can be; perhaps those little paw scrapes are their effort to clean up their area after eating.    

Is my cat’s food-burying behavior normal?

Yes, food-burying behavior is normal for cats and often harmless.  However, excessive burying or refusal to eat may indicate an issue that needs attention. Food-burying, particularly before they’ve eaten, can be a sign of anxiety in your cat. Additionally, if burying is damaging your floor, or causing injury to your cat’s paws or face, you’ll want to remedy the situation right away.  

How to manage and address food-burying habits

Feed smaller portions

Offering smaller amounts of food can reduce leftovers, minimizing burying behavior. If there’s nothing left to cache, there’s nothing left to bury.

Create a calm feeding environment

Ensure your cat’s eating area is quiet and free from disturbances to reduce stress.  If you have a multi-cat family or a home with other pets (like dogs), it might help to give your cat their own space for feeding.  This may help cut down on perceived competition or fear of predation while eating.  Some cats like to eat from an elevated position, and almost all cats like to eat with their back facing a wall so that they can see the room while they’re eating; it helps calm the instinctual need to be on the lookout for predators while they’ve got their face buried in their meal.

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3.  Experiment with different foods

Cats may bury food they dislike; trying different brands or flavors can help. Scent is super important to cats, too - they may find the smell of certain foods to be more acceptable than others.  Usually, with cats, the stinkier the better; but sometimes food might be a little too stinky for some cats!

4.  Use proper bowls and placement

Shallow, non-slip bowls can help cats mimic natural feeding postures and help alleviate burying tendencies. Comfort while eating is important; if a cat feels uncomfortable, they’re not going to stick around long enough to finish their meal.  Additionally, non-skid placemats may also help cats feel less inclined to bury their food.

FAQs

Why do cats try to bury their food?

Domestic cats will sometimes try to bury their food to keep it away from other predators or scavengers, or save uneaten food for later. It’s an instinctual behavior that cats inherited from their carnivorous wild ancestors. 

Should I stop my cat from burying food?

The short answer is no, you should not stop your cat from trying to bury their food; this is an instinctual behavior and your cat may not even know why they’re burying food in the first place. However, if burying becomes obsessive or starts to take a toll on your floors or their paws, intervention may be needed.  

Does burying food mean my cat is unhappy?

Burying food doesn’t mean your cat is unhappy. It could mean that your cat doesn’t like the taste or smell of the food, but it could also simply be your cat exhibiting their natural burying instincts. Burying behavior may be seen more frequently in stressed cats, so make sure that your cat has a calm and peaceful place to eat and enjoy their meals.

Bottom line

• Cats burying their food is a natural, instinctive behavior to reduce food theft, predation, and save food for later.

• There’s no need to stop your cat from burying behavior unless it is causing damage to your home or causing injury to your cat’s paws or face.

• Make sure your cat’s eating space is properly configured with shallow, elevated bowls and in a calm, peaceful location.

References

• Balme, Guy A., et al. “Caching Reduces Kleptoparasitism in a Solitary, Large Felid.” Journal of Animal Ecology, vol. 86, no. 3, 3 Apr. 2017, pp. 634–644, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12654. Accessed 24 Nov. 2020.

• Bowen, Jon. “Feeding Behavior in Cats - Vet Focus.” Vetfocus.royalcanin.com, 12 Dec. 2018, vetfocus.royalcanin.com/en/scientific/feeding-behavior-in-cats.

• Ruiz-Villar, Héctor, et al. “A Small Cat Saving Food for Later: Caching Behavior in the European Wildcat (Felis Silvestris Silvestris).” European Journal of Wildlife Research, vol. 66, no. 5, 24 Aug. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-020-01413-x.