Why Does The Cat Eat Next To The Bowl

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

5 reasons why a cat does not eat in a bowl, but takes food on the floor

There are several reasons why naturally clean cats cannot eat in the places chosen by their owner. It so happens that the feeding place is suitable for the animal, but the food is taken out of the bowl by the foot, and its particles pollute everything around. Let's consider the main explanations for this seemingly strange pet behavior.

Water standing by

In wildlife, felines never ate what lay next to a pond, since most likely it was the corpse of a killed animal, long abandoned by some predator, decomposing, polluting the water and unsuitable for food. By pulling food out of its bowl with its paw, your cat is trying to secure its food and take it away from the water, so you should not keep the drinker next to the animal's bowls.

Many owners remove cat water containers from the area in which the animals eat because they know how much their pet drinks with, for example, in the bathroom from a tap or from a prepared bowl. The main rule is that water is available, fresh and not near food.

Mustache that interferes with eating from a deep bowl

If the cat throws food out of the bowl and eats from the floor, then the reason for this is often the uncomfortable shape of the dishes - too deep or too narrow. The most important sensitive organs of the animal - the whiskers, or vibrissae - touch the edges and walls of the container and cause him great inconvenience, the cat's tongue does not always reach the bottom, so you have to connect the paws and remove food on the flat surface of the floor, thereby making a mess.

Also, the cat may be disturbed by the smell of plastic or residual detergent coming from the dishes. The solution to the problem will be the purchase of wide earthenware or metal bowls with low sides for the pet.

Too noisy place

Despite the fact that your cat lives with loving people, sometimes the noise in the house and the innate instinct to protect its prey prompts it to grab a piece of food, drag it away from the bowl and eat in a quiet, secluded place, hidden from prying eyes, for example, under a table or sofa.

You should pay attention to the interference, forcing the animal to feel unprotected during the meal and, possibly, to change its feeding place for a quieter and at the same time with a good view of the surrounding area.

A large piece that is uncomfortable to chew

It has long been noted that cats love to eat small pieces of food from a bowl. The feed with the optimal pellet size is produced by professional producers.

And if the animal eats natural meat, chicken, fish or cottage cheese, it is necessary to grind them so that it is easier to cope with such food, there is no temptation to drag the food away, and the surfaces around the bowl or in the nooks of the house remain clean.

Fear of competition

The long-term neighborhood of a cat and a person does not cancel its hunting instincts, especially when there are other animals in the house with which you can not only have fun, but also often have to defend your food - imaginary prey. In such conditions, many pranksters feel anxious and drag food from the bowl to enjoy it alone.

Owners of several animals should make sure that each has its own dishes and that they all eat at a distance from each other, and sometimes in different rooms, in order to avoid the feeling of competition among the pets. This will make your pets calmer and tidier.