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Catsey Junior
 
Cats owned: Moggies
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Preston, Lancs
Posts: 90
23-08-2011, 12:12 AM   #1

Pawing/scratching the floor...


Abi does this a lot...the same movement they do in the litter tray to cover their business (although she doesn't do it there....Trouble does it for her lol)
She will stand near her food/water bowls and do it on the floor....any idea why?!



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Squirrel's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: British Short Hair
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Fife, UK
Posts: 1,944
23-08-2011, 07:59 AM   #2

Re: Pawing/scratching the floor...


Food and water tends to be covering it so that someone else can't come along and see it. And to hide tracks so that you're not advertising your presence.

As for the litter tray, sounds like Abi is the cat in charge!!!



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Catsey Junior
 
Cats owned: Moggies
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Preston, Lancs
Posts: 90
23-08-2011, 08:57 AM   #3

Re: Pawing/scratching the floor...


Ahh, I just didn't think of that, thankyou!
Will report back to my Fiance, as he was just as curious as me!



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Velvet's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: 5 DSH. 2 DLH
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Nth Ireland - UK
Posts: 3,605
23-08-2011, 10:32 AM   #4

Re: Pawing/scratching the floor...


Mindy does that near her food bowls - lol

Tim stands half in, half out of the (covered) litter box & scratches the floor with his front feet. Amber does it the proper way



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dandysmom's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: Leia: blue torbie
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Posts: 31,378
23-08-2011, 03:41 PM   #5

Re: Pawing/scratching the floor...


Dandy was careless about covering; gave a few random scrapes and jumped out; Misty had to bury it for him with a disgusted look on her face.

I agree, the scraping by the food is probably symbolically hiding it from possible predators ......



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truthisouthere's Avatar
Catsey Senior
 
Cats owned: Birman.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Hampshire, UK
Posts: 759
24-08-2011, 09:00 PM   #6

Re: Pawing/scratching the floor...


Yes, one theory is it may be a throw back trait from the wild where they buried any excess food for later and to divert any unwanted attention away from others.
This would certainly be a useful survival trait for a mother cat who was denning with youngsters because any food left out in the open would just attract predators which could be fatal for the young.

Dandysmom would you say Dandy was the dominant cat,...only the dominant cat tends to make little effort to cover up it's business and sees it as merely a calling card... Poor Misty, bless!



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dandysmom's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: Leia: blue torbie
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Posts: 31,378
24-08-2011, 09:12 PM   #7

Re: Pawing/scratching the floor...


Oh yes, he was the little apha cat! Never aggressive, got his way being clever. But Misty loved him, he was a kitten when he came and adopted her as his new mum!



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truthisouthere's Avatar
Catsey Senior
 
Cats owned: Birman.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Hampshire, UK
Posts: 759
24-08-2011, 09:42 PM   #8

Re: Pawing/scratching the floor...


Bless him Dandysmom, certainly a sophisticat too by the sounds of it; got his way through careful planning, diplomacy, and tact! My Mitzi does a great disgusted look, some cats just have it, it's quite comical.

But I digress, a lot of cats 'cover' up their left over food, and no-one knows the exact reason why, we can only speculate. Now mine have to take it OFF the clean and rinsed saucer and eat if off the floor, possibly anothr throw-back to the wild where saucers for eating one's freshly killed meal were hard to come by.



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dandysmom's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: Leia: blue torbie
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Posts: 31,378
24-08-2011, 10:31 PM   #9

Re: Pawing/scratching the floor...


Some have heard this story before, bear with me!

Truth, when Dandy wanted the lap.which was occupied by Misty or Patches the tortie, he never jumped up and shoved; good heavens, no brute force for him! He would sit on my shoulder, then slide down ever so slowly (no problem as I'm not a Dolly Parton/Diana Dors type! ) until he was sitting gently on top of the current lap sitter. Who would disgustedly leap off, leaving himself the sole ccupant which is what he intended all along ....



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Squirrel's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: British Short Hair
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Fife, UK
Posts: 1,944
25-08-2011, 06:00 PM   #10

Re: Pawing/scratching the floor...


that's quite a move!!!



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