Strange

tallyollyopia

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I feed my cats canned food and dry food (not a lot of canned food since I don't think it's very nutritious, but I keep the dry food down because I know it is). Recently I've been finding dry food all over the kitchen, but it wasn't until a moment ago that I found out why. The smallest of my cats, Princess, has been trying to bury the plate that held the wet food (I put down one can per three cats, so it doesn't stick around long) with the dry food. My question is--why? How do I get this to stop? (They won't eat the food that hits the floor, or it wouldn't be a problem.)
 

mani

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Wet food can be just as nutritious as dry, if not more so.. it depends on the quality of either type.  And wet food does ensure that your cats get the moisture they need as cats are not big water drinkers.  It may be that Princess wants to come back for more wet but it's usually gone... my cat goes through the motions of burying wet food and I'm sure it's because she lives in hope that her big boofy 'brother' won't scoff the lot and that there'll be more when she's hungry again.  It just could be that Princess prefers the wet and is trying to hide it for later.

How about trying more wet and no dry for a while?
 
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tallyollyopia

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Well, we're in the middle of a financial crisis right now, and the dry food is cheaper. That's one of the reasons it's bothering me; we can't afford to waste the food.
 

robbie watson

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I don't know where you live, but here in Tennessee, the canned food is actually less cost than the dry.  I buy Friskies brand, since Max is 3 now and no longer

needs the Purina, but Friskies is made by Purina.

    The dry is as nutritious as the canned, except if one uses the dry or canned, it's best to have fresh water available 24/7 for them.

Hiding the food is an instinct of the felines so no predatory animal will smell it and be led to the food AND the one who ate from it. Also, so they can come back

a bit later to feed.

    They will not go for ruined food, however, and when house cats eat, they tend to nibble at dry food.  I've noticed this in Max.  I honestly do not know of any way of stopping this behavior. Perhaps a vet. might give some advise on this? I am sorry I cannot help you more.

    Max will also not eat food off the floor. lol.  I thought he was just picky until I read that yours won't do it either.  I used to have a dog that would not eat anything off the floor. lol
 
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tallyollyopia

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I used to have a dog that washed his face and front paws before he ate (we learned to have two water bowls for him). LOL. I live in South Carolina where it's possible to get a ten-pound bag of Purina One cat food (or the closest equivalent; I'm still learning cat food sizes) for less than eight dollars and a box of 24 cans of wet food is almost fifteen. (And that's the cheap Meow Mix that we get.)
 

MoochNNoodles

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Can you separate your feeding areas?  Pick the dry food up while the wet is down and then put it back once they've eaten their wet.

Mooch has always been one to bury things.  Sometimes a heavier bowl helps.  I notice she is more likely to do this with water or wet food than dry.

Another thing we discovered by chance is that when we switched to a steam mop from a traditional mop; our girls started eating off the floor!  That wasn't why we got the steam mop; but what a nice result!  I'm sure the floor no longer smells like chemicals that their sensitive noses can pick up. 
 
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tallyollyopia

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That's a good idea. :) We have a steam mop (and they still don't eat off the floor), but I can try pulling up the dry food while they eat the wet, and maybe get a heavier bowl that's harder to knock over?
 
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tallyollyopia

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Okay--new problem. I've been pulling the dry food bowl up while the wet food is down, and now when I put it back down Ra--that's the biggest and the roundest, but he's not done growing yet--will gulp down food so fast he starts choking. (I have learned the kitty version of the Heimlich, and I didn't have to break any ribs to do it.) This is clearly not healthy for Ra (or anyone who's around when he starts choking), so does anyone have suggestions on what I can do here?
 

Columbine

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You can get all kinds of different bowls designed to slow eating time. As money is tight, I've found a free alternative is to place an upside down bowl in the regular food bowl (or eggcup if the main bowl is small). The idea is that the cat has to eat around the bowl, and so finds it very hard to eat fast. Be sparing with the amount you put out in one go too - it needs to be hard for the cat to take big mouthfuls.
 
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