Or Register for FREE!


Welcome to our Cat Forums!
Welcome to our CatForums!
You are seeing this message because you are viewing our cat forums as a guest.

You can continue to browse our many cat related areas as a guest but you are more than welcome to register and join our friendly community of Cat Lovers! ... And for free!

Doing so will also remove this message and some of the ads, such as the one on the left.

Please click here to register.

Reply

New Member
 
Cats owned: 7 week old shorthair tabby
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2
drzygote is Male
16-03-2010, 10:29 AM   #1

Kitten clawing the floor


Hi all,
I have a 7 week old kitten.
After he defecates in the litter tray, he smells his own faeces, and then with his left paw claws the kitchen floor. Then he will repeat this action.
The thing that is puzzling me is that when I give him wet kitten food from a pouch, he does the exact same thing. He sniffs it, then paws the floor, but he wont eat it. It seems odd that he has the same reaction to this cat food as his own faeces!
What is odder is that he was reared on the same wet cat food and previously wouldnt touch the dry food they gave him. I have had him for 4 days now, and all he will eat is the dry food.
The only way I got him to eat any wet food was by mixing it with a small amount of tinned tuna in brine, but even then he didnt eat much.
I am trying to get him onto a regular eating times, but since he wont touch the wet food, he just picks at the dry food all day.

I didnt know which forum to put this in, if anyone can elucidate what the pawing behaviour signifies I would be very grateful.



Reply With Quote


lisa01uk87's Avatar
Catsey Junior
 
Cats owned: 1 tortie(f) 2 b&w (m) 1 black(f)
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: south lanarkshire uk
Posts: 121
16-03-2010, 11:13 PM   #2

Re: Kitten clawing the floor


my trouble does this when he is done its almost as if he is trying to cover it to stop the other cats and the dog getting to it, he will try do it to the wall aswell lol



Reply With Quote


New Member
 
Cats owned: 7 week old shorthair tabby
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2
drzygote is Male
17-03-2010, 12:14 AM   #3

Re: Kitten clawing the floor


Its quite funny to watch him do it!
I just cant figure it out why he does it after smelling whiskas kitten pouches, especially since that was the only food he would previously eat..
strange little thing



Reply With Quote


angieh's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: Magnificent moggies
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Hampshire, UK
Posts: 21,718
17-03-2010, 12:28 AM   #4

Re: Kitten clawing the floor


My Pip does this too - with any food, even with food he seems to like. After he's finished - it's just like you describe - he's trying to bury it.

I have heard that cats do this with food they don't like, but with food they do seem to like and therefore eat ...... doesn't make much sense.

I would love to hear any theories about this behaviour.



Reply With Quote


pookyandjo's Avatar
Almost a Veteran Member
 
Cats owned: 2 moggies = DLH and DMH
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Victoria Australia
Posts: 1,021
23-03-2010, 11:38 AM   #5

Re: Kitten clawing the floor


Sorry Angie... no theory... i do know that Harry does this when she's finished eating... but just the wet food and she loves the wet food... (hence the nickname Dyson)... George doesn't do it at all... not sure what the reason is...



Reply With Quote


jacks's Avatar
Catsey Senior
 
Cats owned: tabby cat
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: crawley.uk
Posts: 273
23-03-2010, 09:40 PM   #6

Re: Kitten clawing the floor


I dont know why they do this but Minnie does it to,just to wet food.Its like she trying to cover up the food for later.She does it to food she likes and dislikes. There such strange little sweethearts.But we love them.



Reply With Quote


pookyandjo's Avatar
Almost a Veteran Member
 
Cats owned: 2 moggies = DLH and DMH
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Victoria Australia
Posts: 1,021
25-03-2010, 03:11 PM   #7

Re: Kitten clawing the floor


I have done some research on this and i believe the reason they do this is they are marking their territory... sounds plausible i suppose!



Reply With Quote


angieh's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: Magnificent moggies
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Hampshire, UK
Posts: 21,718
25-03-2010, 05:57 PM   #8

Re: Kitten clawing the floor


Yes, it's plausible ........... I wonder if we could do a quick poll to see if members' cats do it and if so whether they are boys or girls. Pip does it, but Kizzy never has.



Reply With Quote


dandysmom's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: Leia: blue torbie
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Posts: 31,378
25-03-2010, 08:44 PM   #9

Re: Kitten clawing the floor


Dandy (male) did it, the food burying dance; he was the only one who did. none of the others left anytting to bury. Well, Sultan did until Misty came, who promptly ate it.

Leia is good at covering feces but sometimes gives the wall behind her tray a good scratching too for good measure.

Jo may have a point there about marking territory...don't they have scent glands in their paws? I vaguely remember reading something about marking the places they regularly scratch on .......



Reply With Quote


random's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: Siamese and Moggies
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Stockton, UK
Posts: 4,182
27-03-2010, 10:17 PM   #10

Re: Kitten clawing the floor


Anakin (male) does it too, he's the only one I have noticed, they all bury their poo but he is the only one scratches at the floor and walls and does it to his food too. No idea why, I just assumed he was a bit of an oddball, lol! He also does it to an empty bowl!



Reply With Quote

Reply