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Why Do Cats Play With Their Food – How To Stop It!

Why Do Cats Play With Their Food – How To Stop It!

A playing cat can be so much fun to watch. Many pet owners love watching their cats get the zoomies, go after a feather, or toss a mouse in the air. But playtime can be a little more confusing when your cat decides that their kibble is a good toy. So why do cats play with their food?

Cats play with their food because it’s entertaining, rewarding, and relaxing for them. Cats may also play with their food when they are disinterested in the ingredients, or if the food is old. 

Let’s take a closer look at why cats play with their food and what that means. We’ll talk about healthy behaviors, and when your cat playing with their food might be more concerning. 

5 Reasons Cats Play With Their Food

Cats play with their food for a variety of reasons, but here’s some of the top ones!

It’s Fun And Relaxing

For cats, there is nothing more critical to their survival than their hunting instincts. Without being able to catch prey, cats can’t survive. They are obligate carnivores that need to get most of their nutrients from meat and can’t effectively process other sources of nutrients. 

Since cats need to get their nutrition from meat, hunting behaviors have evolved to be highly rewarding for cats. Many of their favorite activities, running, pouncing, climbing, and even surveying their domain, are all related to hunting behavior. 

Playing is part of how cats practice their hunting skills since hunting is fun and relaxing for your cat. Playing with food is even more rewarding since your cat also gets to eat their food after they’re done.

The combination can be incredibly satisfying and fun for most cats, especially indoor cats that don’t get to do much natural hunting. 

Your Cat’s Instincts Want Them To Hunt

Your cat might also start playing with their food without it seeming fun. These are typically cats with a higher hunting drive than normal and are more motivated by hunting behaviors. 

If your cat is growling or making other angry noises while playing with their food, they are likely motivated mainly by those hunting instincts. If you haven’t owned these cats their whole life, it’s more likely that they might have been rescued feral cats or indoor-outdoor cats if they show this kind of behavior. 

Usually, this is still harmless and rewarding for your cat. Just make sure your cat doesn’t get aggressive with you or your other pets while playing with their food if they show some of the more aggressive instincts while playing. 

Your Cat Might Be Bored

Your cat might also start playing with their food because they feel bored and don’t think anything is interesting to do.

Cats might laze about all day, but they still need quite a bit of stimulation to be happy and fulfilled. Fortunately, many cats can find their sources of stimulation, like watching birds outside of windows or playing with a scrap of fabric or a loose feather. 

The problem is that not all cats can self-entertain as much as others. Some might need more interaction with their owners or might need more toys or more engaging toys to enjoy. Other cats might just be used to more interaction that they’ve gotten that day and end up playing with their food more to help compensate. 

Your Cat Is Tired Of Their Other Toys

Even a cat with many engaging toys might sometimes get bored with those toys, especially if they play with the same toys every day.

It’s essentially the same reason people get bored doing the same thing over and over again or why zookeepers have to provide a variety of enrichment to their animals to keep them entertained. Even the best toy in the world is eventually boring it’s the main thing your cat plays with. 

Playing with food every once in a while is a way for your cat to shake things up and get a different, potentially more rewarding experience. 

Food Stimulates Your Cat More Than Toys

Your cat might also choose to play with their food preferentially. If your cat doesn’t play with their toys, but they play with their food, it’s likely because the food is the more rewarding toy.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it might be a sign that you haven’t found your cat’s favorite kind of toy yet. Or you might have a cat that thrives best with food-based toys that help simulate hunting. 

Why Do Cats Want You To Touch Their Food

When cats ask you to pay attention to their food or seem to want you to touch their food, it can be pretty confusing. Don’t worry though, your cat isn’t asking you to chow down on a couple of pieces of kibble. Instead, this behavior goes back to your cat’s need to stay safe while eating. 

Eating takes a lot of focus and energy for your cat. It’s one of their more vulnerable states, and your cat might not be entirely comfortable eating if they don’t feel safe and secure. 

Chances are, when your cat is trying to bring your attention to their food, especially when they have plenty of food already, they are asking for your protection.

Your cat wants to know that you’re nearby because you’re their primary safety net, and having you close tells them that they aren’t vulnerable while they eat. 

Why Does My Cat Throw His Food On The Floor

There are a few reasons your cat might throw their food on the floor. Some of these are problems you can address to help your cat keep their food in its bowl, but some of these habits might be permanent parts of your cat’s psychology. 

Your cat might pull food out of their bowl because they developed the habit as kittens when competing with the rest of their litter.

Putting food on the floor made it easier to defend and make sure they got a few more bites of food than they would in the bowl. This is hard to undo, except by giving your cat a wider bowl. 

You might want to get a wider bowl for another reason as well. Some cats pull food out of their bowl because their bowl is too narrow and irritates their whiskers while they eat. 

Of course, your cat might also just be playing with their food, in which case more toys or different toys might be an excellent option to help keep your cat from making a mess. 

Why Do Cats Make A Mess With Their Food

Cats make a mess for many reasons, but the main reason is that they don’t see it as a mess. Having an environment that smells like food, especially kibble that doesn’t spoil over time, isn’t much of a problem for your cat. 

Your cat might also make a mess because it’s hard for them to get to their food, especially if you have a slow feeder or a tall food bowl. 

Cats can also make a mess because they play with their food as much as they are eating their food. Playing isn’t a bad thing, but it can be a sign that your cat needs more mental stimulation from toys and interactions with you. 

Final THoughts

Cats playing with their food can be a severe inconvenience to you, especially if your cat makes a big mess in the process. It’s important to remember that your cat isn’t trying to make trouble and probably doesn’t understand why you’re upset if they make a big mess. 

Try to help your cat not need to make a mess instead of getting mad at them if you’re running into this problem. Wider shallower bowls are a great way to give your cat access to food without having to make a mess. Having various toys and occasionally bringing home new toys can also help prevent your cat from making a mess with their food. 

You may also want to look into whether you’re potentially overfeeding your cat if they are always making messes. Many cats won’t overeat, so that extra food becomes a toy a lot more than its food. 

If those techniques don’t work, consider using food toys to help give your cat the food-based stimulation they are craving, but without as much mess as playing with food from their bowl.