# Why is my cat picking up food with her paw and eating it outside her dish? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281 "2013-08-15T04:42:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/21 "2013-08-16T00:00:10Z")
My cat would go to her kibble bowl, put one in her mouth, then run like hell away from the dish. Turned out she wanted to eat, but her teeth gave her pain. I guess she thought the food was giving her pain, so she ran from it. The vet pulled a couple teeth and all was well. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/22 "2013-08-16T01:31:41Z")
> [@want2befree](#): > > Do your guys’ cats scratch/paw at the area around their dish and litter box? I’ve read it’s some kind of inherent marking behavior. My cat does it all the time. Come to think of it, maybe she started after the second cat came along. My new kitten does that! I read somewhere that it was an instinct to bury food he likes to eat later kicking in. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/23 "2013-08-16T15:52:41Z")
yep first thought was dental. also good advice to lose the plastic dishes and go with porcelain or stainless steel. re the dental. don’t wait too long. cats are masters at hiding pain, and a bad tooth could develop into something a lot worse with surprising speed. Turk the Mighty had what i thought was a bad tooth. unfortunately for him - and my wallet - the infection had gotten into his jaw. fortunately it wasn’t terribly severe and only bit of bone was removed, but it taught me a valuable - and expensive - lesson. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/24 "2013-08-16T16:14:45Z")
> [@Scubaqueen](#): > > re the dental. don’t wait too long. cats are masters at hiding pain, and a bad tooth could develop into something a lot worse with surprising speed. We didn’t even realize Púca was having difficulty until it hurt so profoundly that he could hardly eat. Little bastard never let us know something was wrong until something was REALLY wrong. Thankfully we needed fewer extractions than I would have expected. Yes, and even if it’s not terrible YET, a cleaning now will prevent the need for extractions later. Kitty dental care is expensive as all hell (as it has to be done under general anesthesia), not to mention that chewing kibble is hard with few teeth, so the fewer extractions, the better. In good news, they now have the technology/advances in care that even if the tooth is a lost cause, in some cases it can be appropriate (and cheaper, and faster/easier to heal) to amputate the exposed tooth and leave the root alone, instead of yanking it root and all. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/25 "2013-08-16T19:02:40Z")
My cat Stormy used to lie on the floor next to her food bowl and flick the pieces out and eat them off the floor. Remaining upright while eating is so _exhausting_! ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/26 "2013-08-16T19:09:27Z")
> **[What is Whisker Stress? - Adopt-a-Pet.com Blog](https://www.adoptapet.com/blog/what-is-whisker-stress/)** > > Do you have or have you seen a cat that doesn’t want to eat their kibble in their bowl, preferring to pull it out one piece at a time with their paw, then eating it off the counter or floor? Or maybe a cat that only seems to like to eat the top layer... Never followed that up but it seems legit ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/27 "2013-08-16T22:05:13Z")
After reading that article I started using a flat dish to feed. No more pawing at the food. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/28 "2013-08-16T22:56:25Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > [http://blog.adoptapet.com/what-is-whisker-stress/](http://blog.adoptapet.com/what-is-whisker-stress/) > > Never followed that up but it seems legit Oh my goodness! I never knew that. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/29 "2013-08-17T03:02:16Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > We have a cat that does this. She pulls each piece of food out of the bowl onto the floor and eats it. She also jumps up into the kitchen sink and tries to drink out of the faucet whenever the water is turned on. I have no idea why. Many cats have a strong preference for running water. When my cat outgrew the vanity bowl (she’d contort herself so her head was under the faucet spout), I got her a fountain - the Drinkwell, Rinse daily - the pimp is overly complex and has a reservoir which can sprout crud. There are other fountains - look around. I found she drank a LOT more from a fountain than from a bowl. I want her kidneys well flushed - I can’t afford the vet bill for blocked plumbing. If you’re real handy and your kitchen is plumbed for an ice maker, well, how much time on your hands and how easily can you rig a drain? Per peeve: building code should require a drain under the refrigerator - the evaporation pan doesn’t always work, and now days, with reefers pouring water on the outside of its door - where is the overflow going to go? All supply lines must have a corresponding drain - 1/2" and over also need a vent or simple access to tap an existing vent. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/30 "2013-08-17T03:23:54Z")
> [@April\_R](#): > > My cat Cleo (RIP) would bat pieces of dry cat food from her bowl before eating it, so the top of our dryer where the food and water were kept out of reach of the doggies was always covered in cat food pieces. > > I agree, cats is weird. > > On a side note, we had a female chow chow who would pick up mouthfuls of dry dog food from her bowl and set them on the ground from out of her mouth then eat it off the ground. She would not eat unless she had done this weird intermediary step. I realize this is a weird cat thread, but that reminds me of something my dog did. He found a dead bird in the yard and carried it up to my daughter on the porch. She got him to drop it and went to get a plastic bag to put it in. When she came back out with the bag, the dog had taken the bird and dropped it into his dish. He wagged his tail and looked at her as if to say, “So can I eat it NOW?” > [@MissTake](#): > > Mayme started doing this around the same time we started tossing treats (to make her run to them, as she’s a tad plump. Okay, she’s fat). She will also take hard food out of the bowl, dip them into the water dish, then eat it it. > Then she’ll dip her paws in the water to wash them off. You may want to get this cat to a specialist for identification. Mayme may be a raccoon. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Oh my goodness! I never knew that. :eek: I didn’t either - this makes me want to change out the bowls now, but I’m a little afraid that the cats will stop eating altogether if I change anything. (Actually, that’s a lie. My cats wouldn’t stop eating altogether unless they had life-threatening illnesses.) ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/31 "2013-08-17T03:42:31Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Oh my goodness! I never knew that. :eek: You’re welcome. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/32 "2013-08-17T03:44:00Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > I realize this is a weird cat thread, but that reminds me of something my dog did. Out with you! I was proud the other day when the dog found a dead bird, and didn’t immediately seize it. > [@](#): > > You may want to get this cat to a specialist for identification. Mayme may be a raccoon. [Or…](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2279/2403154561_c20bd686a8.jpg) (I’m skeptical, but either way, I like how they note it’s a male.) ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/33 "2013-08-20T21:35:53Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > [http://blog.adoptapet.com/what-is-whisker-stress/](http://blog.adoptapet.com/what-is-whisker-stress/) > > Never followed that up but it seems legit Didn’t seem to work for my cat. I got her a flat dish, based on what the above article is saying, but she continues to take food out. So, at least in the case of my cat, this is not a case of “whisker stress”, and I am beginning to doubt if this is a real thing. ---
**Author:** ![Arabella\_Flynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/34 "2013-08-22T03:32:34Z")
Behavioral experiment. Make sure she knows you’re consulting with others of your pack on this matter, so she can forward all the data to whoever at Feline High Command commissioned the study. In other words, cats is weird. We used to have one who would thwack food bits off of the counter and onto the kitchen floor. Occasionally, she’d come get someone and complain, because the _one specific_ kibble she wanted to eat had fled from her and found refuge beneath the refrigerator. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/35 "2013-08-22T05:42:56Z")
I suppose you could get one of those plasticky/rubbery food mats meant to catch water spills, with the rim around the outside edge, and just put her portion on food on that. I wonder what she would do. Probably still take food off it and move to the floor! I don’t use a flat dish, but use ceramic soup bowls that leave plenty of room for whiskers. The one still drops kibble on the floor or carries it around in his cheek. He’s just a weirdo is all. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/36 "2013-08-22T05:57:40Z")
> [@Arabella\_Flynn](#): > > Behavioral experiment. Make sure she knows you’re consulting with others of your pack on this matter, so she can forward all the data to whoever at Feline High Command commissioned the study. You know how cats will stretch one hind leg so that it goes straight up into the air? That’s not a grooming posture. That hind leg is actually an antenna, and they are contacting Feline High Command/The Mothership. If you see a cat in this position, you have a duty to humanity to disrupt the message. Go gitchy on the kitty tummy, that usually works. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/37 "2013-08-22T06:34:26Z")
I don’t know if there is any science behind it. I do know that the one cat that always picked food out of a bowl doesn’t do it when the food is on a plate. ---
**Author:** ![silvermist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@silvermist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silvermist)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/38 "2013-08-22T08:19:56Z")
All my cats did that. I figured they were bookmarking the spot where the dish went. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/39 "2013-08-22T16:33:51Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > Didn’t seem to work for my cat. > > I got her a flat dish, based on what the above article is saying, but she continues to take food out. So, at least in the case of my cat, this is not a case of “whisker stress”, and I am beginning to doubt if this is a real thing. One more anecdotal case… my mom’s cat won’t eat food in his dish, but he also has one of those fill-at-the-top self feeder things. He prefers to flip up the top, stick his whole head in the feeder, grab a small mouthful of kibble, take it out, put it on the floor, and eat it. If it was whisker stress, I don’t know why he would choose to put his whole face in the food hopper. Once it gets too low, he will resort to picking food up out of the tray and putting it on the floor, though. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281/40 "2013-08-22T18:02:19Z")
I know my cats, and every cat I ever knew, does NOT like the whiskers touched, played with, or involved in any way with my hands. They do seem very sensitive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-picking-up-food-with-her-paw-and-eating-it-outside-her-dish/666281.md?page=3)