Why does my cat paw her food out of the bowl?

Have you ever had a cat that loves to dip her paws in the bowl and then lick the water off? Or maybe she grabs kibble out of the food bowl and drops it on the floor to eat it. Is there a reason for this odd feline behavior? Actually, there are a few different possible reasons.

Many Cats Prefer Moving Water

When your cat bats at the water in her bowl, she might be trying to get it moving. That's because, in the wild, cats evolved to learn that still or stagnant water isn't as safe to drink as running water. Puddles of unmoving water are more likely to have harmful bacteria growing in them.

Slapping at the water dish is a way for cats to get their water moving a bit, which makes them feel more comfortable about drinking it. If your cat bats at the water in her bowl before getting a drink and likes to climb on the counter to drink water out of the tap when you turn it on, this might be the reason.

If you think your kitty prefers running water, get a water fountain. They have charcoal filters to get rid of yucky tastes and smells that might turn cats off from drinking, and the water is continuously moving. Water fountains can encourage more water drinking in cats, and that's a great thing because they often tend to run dehydrated, which may exacerbate or cause specific medical issues.

Getting Food and Water Out of the Bowl Might Give Extra Security

This happens most often in multiple cat households where some of the cats might jump on or bother others. When that's the case, a cat might not want to turn her back to the rest of the room and hunker down for a drink or a bite of food. Those cats might feel more secure facing the room and drinking water off their paw or food pulled out onto the floor.

If you think security might be the reason your cat is engaging in this behavior, try feeding your cats separately or pulling the food and water bowls out from the wall, so your cat can face the room while eating and drinking.

Cats Just Want to Have Fun

Some cats might bat at their water or pull food out of their bowl because it's fun. Cats might not generally like to be submerged in water, but they often do like to play with it on their terms. This might be a more significant reason in kittens than older cats.

If you think your kitty might be playing in the water for fun, try increasing your interactive play time with her.

If your cat makes a mess around the food and water bowls, consider getting new litter mats (ones never used by a litter box) to set the dishes on. They are easy to clean and can catch much of the mess.

Getting Food Away from Water Is Important to Some Cats

In the wild, cats don't like to eat near their water source. If it ends up there, they'll often drag the food to another spot. That's because evolution has taught them that their prey can contaminate their water. So, if you have the food and water bowls next to each other, some cats will drag the food to another spot to get it away from the water.

Move the food and water bowls to opposite sides of the room to see if this is the reason your cat engages in the behavior.

Cats Like to Be Near Their Humans

Sometimes cats pull food out of their bowl, carry it to where their human is, drop it, and eat it. If your cat does this, it can be because she feels like you are part of her pride, and she want to eat together. It can also be because you provide protection from other cats in the home who might be bothering the kitty while she eats.

If your cat is doing this, consider feeding your cats separately.

Whisker Fatigue Can Be Uncomfortable or Painful

Perhaps the biggest reason cats engage in the behavior of drinking water off their paws instead of directly from the bowl and pulling kibble out of the bowl to eat it on the floor is whisker fatigue. When cats eat or drink out of deep, narrow bowls, it pushes their highly sensitive whiskers backward. That can be extremely uncomfortable or even painful, especially over time, and the kitty will try to avoid it by getting the contents out of the bowls before consuming them.

If you believe your cat might be having whisker fatigue pain, try a shallow, wide bowl like Dr. Catsby's Whisker Relief Bowl, which is excellent for dry kibble, or Dr. Catsby's Stainless Steel Water Bowl, which is even wider and a tiny bit deeper, making it better for wet cat food and water.

We experienced this with our youngest cat, Bella Boo. She prefers wet food from a pouch and if we didn’t mash it up with a fork, she would take it out of the bowl in chunks and eat it elsewhere. Many cat owners have experienced this strange behavior, both with wet and dry food. Therefore, we decided to investigate and try to discover the reasoning behind this behavior.

There are several possible reasons to explain why a cat would pull her food out the bowl:

Food chunks are too big

Wet food from a can or a pouch will often come out in one big lump. This may simply be too big for your cat to manage. By taking it out of the bowl, it may be easier for your cat to manage, and to bite it into smaller, manageable chunks. As we mentioned above, this was certainly our experience with one of our cats. Mashing up the wet food with a fork before serving it to your cat can be a quick and easy solution to the problem. The smaller chunks are easier to manage and eating from the bowl will be effortless.

Your cat doesn’t like the food bowl

Cats can be pretty fussy at times and are often not shy in showing their dislikes. The reason may simply be that she doesn’t like her food bowl. It may be the material of the bowl, for example, some  cats aren’t keen on plastic bowls. It may be the size of the bowl. If the sides of the bowl are too high or the bowl itself is too small, this may cause her whiskers to touch the bowl whilst eating. A cat’s whiskers are so light and fine, and very sensitive. At the end of each whisker is a sensor, called a proprioceptor, which sends messages to the brain. These sensors can detect the size, location and texture of an object and their effect in relation to the cat’s limbs and body position. This is how a cat can determine if a space is suitable to go through. Deep or narrow bowls may cause your cat’s whiskers to be uncomfortable or even painful when feeding or drinking from unsuitable bowls. A flat feeding surface or a shallow wide bowl is best for serving your cat’s food.

There are endless choices on the market to suit the needs of all cats. One of our favorite finds are these shallow feeding bowls, in a very cute cat shape.

If you want to learn more about the important functions of cat’s whiskers, along with some fun facts about whiskers, check out our article ‘Why do cats have whiskers’.

Using her paws to eat

Before cats were domesticated about 10,000 years ago, cats would have to hunt for their food in order to survive. Although today’s domesticated know that they will be served daily tasty meals, the instinct to hunt still exist in their makeup. Using her paws to eat may simply be an instinct to treat the meal as prey, and paws are useful to cling on to the catch of the day.

Your cat is protective of her food

Another reason, stemming from the hunting instinct, is the need to protect the prey once it’s caught, from other hungry mouths. Your cat may simply be protective of her food and takes it to somewhere she feels secure. Try placing your cat’s food bowl in a quieter, more private area. This may be more prevalent in a multi cat household. Rather than placing the food bowls all together, it may be best to try placing the various bowls in different locations so that each cat has some privacy to eat.

Food is placed to near the water bowl

Cats can be fussy about the location of their food bowl. In particular, many cats will dislike having their food bowl close to their water bowl. This is easily rectifiable by ensuring your cat’s water bowl is away from the food bowl. It is believed that the reason for this also stems from instinctive hunting behavior. Having the water source too close to the prey could risk the water being contaminated.

Cats prefer to eat little and often

If your cat is simply removing dry food from the bowl and scattering the food, it may be a way of communicating to you that she’s had enough. Given a choice, most cats prefer to eat little and often. However, this isn’t always a practical option for many cat owners. There are now advanced feeding bowls available which enables several meals to be dispensed at various times of the day.

Puzzle feeders are great too for providing activity and some treats or food between meals. They are many different kinds available and some can be used for feeding both wet and dry diets. By varying how we feed our cats we can ensure that both their nutritional requirements and their mental stimulation are cared for. The food used in activity feeders should not be additional food – merely a different way of serving up the daily allowance of food. We’ve had fun making our own activity feeders but it’s great to see all the different varieties on the market.

We like this Trixie 5-in-1 activity feeder – 5 different challenges on one board.

Activity feeders certainly don’t have to be as elaborate as the one shown above. Simple ones like this Mice Tumbler shaped treat dispenser can provide some fun and challenges too.

Position of food bowl may no longer suit an older cat

As your cat becomes older, she may find it a little more difficult to bend down to eat from her bowl on a flat surface. Try placing the food bowl (and separate water bowl) on a little platform. There are also bowls available which are adapted for higher feeding. Adjusting the feeding height will make it more comfortable for your cat especially those with arthritis or neck and back problems.   For more tips and information on ensuring your cat’s elderly year are as comfortable as possible, you may enjoy our article ’16 Top Tips to ensure the senior years are comfortable for your old cat’.

By observing your cat and trying some of the above recommendations your cat may once again start eating from her food bowl. If you have any concerns regarding your cat’s eating habits, or notice any changes, please do not hesitate to contact your veterinary for advice.

Other articles you may find of interest:

8 common feeding problems in cats and how to solve them

8 common toileting problems in cats – and how to solve them!

How much water does a cat need?

Can cats drink milk?