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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2006scratching around food bowl before eating
I wondered if someone could tell me what's going on here: My cat is on an antibiotic. At first I would mix it with a little canned food - a real treat for him. He'd run right over and gobble it up. He did that for a few days. Then he started turning his nose up at it and I switched to tuna juice. Again he LOVED it for a few days. Now every time I put down the dish with the tuna juice and medicine he spends many minutes scratching around the bowl. He'll sniffs the bowl and scratches. Sniff again and scratch. This goes on and on. Usually, not always, he will eventuall start to lap it up and once he starts he doesn't stop until the bowl is clean. Sometimes he won't eat it until I've left it there for hours, which isn't good for the meds. It's as if he's torn between wanting to eat it and not wanting to eat it. Luckily we only have two more days of meds so I'm not overly concerned, just curious. My cats always scratched around food they didn't like. It was like they were trying to bury it. Maybe your cat doesn't like the taste of the meds. -- Barb Of course I don't look busy, I did it right the first time. I agree with Barb. All my cats would act as if burying their food if they didn't like it. They are so sensitive to smell and taste - I am sure he recognizes something is in the food. You are lucky he is eating it. > I agree with Barb. All my cats would act as if burying their food if > they didn't like it. So you have never had a cat eat half the food then pretend to bury it? > My cats always scratched around food they didn't like. It was like they > were trying to bury it. Maybe your cat doesn't like the taste of the meds. > > -- My cats go this on and off whether they like the food or not. It is supposed to derive from an old instinct left over from when they were wild, to cover smelly things like a kill (food) or poop so as not to attract predators. >Now every time I put down the dish with the tuna juice and medicine he >spends many minutes scratching around the bowl. He'll sniffs the bowl >and scratches. Sniff again and scratch. This goes on and on. If he's tired of the tuna, you could try something different such as a bit of canned salmon - my cats love this. Another treat they love is some chicken baby food (should have no onions in it though). > I wondered if someone could tell me what's going on here: > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Luckily we only have two more days of meds so I'm not overly concerned, > just curious. If you put just a drop of the medication on his nose he won't smell the med in the food. After he licks the med off his nose with his tongue he won't taste the med in the food. The med on the nose and tongue neutralizes the cat's olfactory and gustatory senses to the smell and taste of the eds. --Has about an 80% success rate. Phil Thanks! I'll try it. > If you put just a drop of the medication on his nose he won't smell the med > in the food. After he licks the med off his nose with his tongue he won't [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Phil Wow, great idea, I'll remember that for the next time. :) |
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