Scratching Food Dish

[Amy]

We have our cats’ food dish on our deep freeze. There is a decorative cloth beneath the food dish.

When my female cat, Dory is finished eating she beings scratching at the cloth as if she is trying to bury the food dish with the cloth. She does this for quite awhile before she leaves.
I have never understood why she does this and no one I know has ever seen this kind of behavior before.

I was wondering if anyone knows what this is or could be. Or if anyone has ever seen/had cats do this before?!

[**Sapphire**]

My male cat EJ will do that when I give them all their wet food. When he's done eating he will scratch the place mat I have their bowls on top of for a little bit & then leave.

He only does that the first time he eats as well. I never figured it out either. I THINK it could be that he wants to bury it so that the other cats dont' eat it, I just don't know? :dunno:

[Amy]

Ahhh! I bet that is why she does it because she shares her dish with my other cat! She is also "protective" of her food. She doesnt like to be touched when eating. She had a rough start to life and I believe that is why is guards her food.

[ginahunt3]

My grandfather's cat does that. There aren't any other cats in the house, but I always thought she tried to hide it so no one would get it. My cat does it in his litter box. I think it's the same.

[Cinder]

My cat Blackie that stays at my moms cause he's far to old to for me to take him w/ me when I moved out.

However while he's eating he'll claw the counter the food is on. even when he's drinking the water he'll dig around it before drinking..

[jessepalermo1]

Cats have scent markers in the pads of their feet....what your cat is doing is probably marking that area as his territory by "scenting" it with his feet.