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Is it OK to Feed Expired Cat Food?

If you want to save food waste, you may be curious if you can still use expired food. Or maybe you regularly leave food out (click here to see why I rated these Iseebiz & WOpet Automatic Cat Feeders my best for leaving food out) and are paranoid it may go off, let me guide you on the done thing.

Is it ok to feed your cat expired food? No, to be safe it’s best not to do this. Technically speaking, it is possible but, it is far too easy for someone to get wrong and make their cat sick. In my opinion, it’s best to avoid it. Just stay on the safe side.

However, in this article, I will go on to explain how you can differentiate between the “best by date” and  “expired date”.  Also, things that you can look out for to confirm if the food is actually off.

What happens after cat food is expired?

When food hits the expiry date there is usually a little bit of extra time available before it really goes off, are you with me?

You will notice that dry food typically lasts longer than wet or moist food. With time the proteins and nutrients within the food will start to break down, hence the need for the expired date.

Depending on the type of food that you have, whether it’s a premium type of food or not, there could be a big difference in the expiration dates.

What makes canned food go off?

Firstly the biggest thing, that can make can food go off, is exposure to the air. This can cause food to grow bacteria. This can happen for a few reasons, for example, if you’ve opened a sealed can and half-used it.

Also, high humidity in the air can also cause mold to start to produce in the canned food. Hot weather can also cause the food to go off. It can make the food go rancid.

What is the best way to store the food to prevent this from happening?

The best place to keep it is in a cool dry place. Keep it away from extreme temperature fluctuations. Usually within a pantry or kitchen cupboard is ideal because it can shield it away from these types of fluctuations.

Why is the best by date important?

The best by date is important because it explains when the nutritional value of the food will start to diminish.

Be careful not to confuse this date with the “expiry date”, they are different. “Best by” an “expired by” dates are two different things.

The best by date simply suggest, after its expiry,  it will no longer guarantee the nutritional benefit that is printed and promised on the packaging.

In other words, they can’t guarantee the nutritional benefits promised once it passes the best by date. The expiration date on the hand is an indication of when the food is not safe to eat anymore.

The expiration date on different food types can fluctuate quite significantly. To give you an example, dry food can last anywhere from 4 months to as long as 3 years. However, with canned food, you can see rather long expiration dates such. Anywhere from 1 to 5 years.

Cat snacks and treats usually last about the same sort of duration as dry food. This is a general guide because each individual product will have the expired and best by date clearly printed on the product.

What other things do you need to look out for in cat food?

In this section, I am going to explain what other things that you need to look out for before you feed your cat its food. This can be before the expiration date. In fact, its good practice to check this anyway.

The nutritional quality

Even if you have some food that, on the surface, it smells good does not have any noticeable deficiencies. It could still have a lack of nutritional benefit due to its age. So, for that reason, you have to be cautious before giving this type of food to your cat.

On a one-off basis, you may get away with it. But, over a long duration of time, your cat could start to have nutritional deficiencies because they are not getting the expected nutritional benefits that is promised on the packaging.

Look out for contamination

As time passes by, the packaging that the food comes with can also get contaminated. This is more likely with biodegradable packaging as opposed to other types. But, is still something to look out for nevertheless.

It is important to check the packaging and make sure there are no signs of contamination. Because if the packaging breaks down it could expose the food too early degradation. So, it’s always worth checking.

Spoilage of fats

In most cat food you will notice a certain level of fat content. This is expected because it’s an important part of your cat’s diet.

However, this presents a problem with the food that has expired. Potentially, this fat can contribute to it getting spoiled. It is important to check that the food has not spoiled before serving up for your cat.

Things to look out for, if you’re familiar with the particular product and it just doesn’t smell right or if it’s past its expiration date then take caution and do not feed this to your cat.

Preservatives Going off

Preservatives are in cat food to help increase its shelf life. However, the preservatives themselves also have a shelf life. After the expiration date, they no longer do their job. Meaning, the food can get moldy and go off. This is another reason why it is important not to go past the expiration date.

Related questions:

In this section, I will cover some helpful questions related to expired food. If you have any other questions feel free to let me know in the comments box below.

Does canned food need to be refrigerated after it is opened? Yes, it does. Once you open canned food it has limited time left before it goes off. Read the directions on the can itself, it will usually indicate how long you can keep it after it’s opened.

In general, canned food does last a long time. But, only if it’s sealed. Once you’ve broken that seal it doesn’t last long at all.

Should you leave cat food out all the time? No, cat food should not be left out all the time. Even if you are using a free feeding technique (click here to see if you should leave food out overnight), which allows your cat to graze on food all day, this does not mean that you should just leave it out all the time.

Instead, at the end of each day, you should refresh the food the next morning with new fresh dry food. If your cat is not consuming the food you leave out in one day. And this is happening consistently, say over a few days, then you need to consider reducing the amount that you leave out on a given day.

Can you refrigerate dry cat food? No, you shouldn’t really. Ideally, it should be kept in a cool dry place. Also, it is good to keep it in a sealable container to increase its shelf life. Canned food, on the other hand, is fine for the refrigerator. In fact, that is the ideal location for it.

However, as discussed earlier, it is important to not keep food long once it is opened. For example, canned wet food can not last that long once the seal is broken and it’s in the fridge. If it’s sealed it can last a very long time. Also, lastly it is not advised to put the metal can in the fridge, it should be transferred to a suitable container first.

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Should I Leave Food Out For My Cat at Night?

If you are planning a short break or weekend away, you may wonder if it’s a good idea to leave food out overnight (click here to see my best automatic cat feeders for overnight feeding) For this reason I will answer this and more…

Should you leave food out for your cat overnight? Yes, this is fine. But, do not try this with wet food. It needs to be dry food. Also, you need to consider your strategy of feeding you are using, if its free-feeding then leaving food out is ideal.

Now that you know this is fine, let me explain the different feeding schedules you can choose, the pros and cons of each, how they impact overnight feeding and much more…

What types of feeding is there?

As discussed briefly, Yes, you can do leave food out overnight. However, it’s best to provide dry food rather than wet food. The reason for this is probably quite obvious. But, to clarify, it is because wet food has a limited amount of time that it can be left out.

There is a limit with dry food as well. But, it will last a lot longer than wet food without being refrigerated. Regarding leaving out food overnight. You need to consider what type of feeding method that you’re going to use. There are two methods:

• Meal feeding.
• Free Feeding (Grazing).

It is fine to leave the food out overnight if you’re using the free feeding method (more detail on this later by the way). However, if you are using the Meal based approach, then leaving food out overnight is not a good idea.

I will explain more about these different types of food preparation in the next section.

What are the pros and cons of meal feeding?

Meal feeding is one of 2 different types of feeding schedules that you can use to feed your cat, as discussed briefly in the previous section.

Essentially, meal feeding is providing set meals for your cat during the day. As opposed to allowing them to graze on food without any set times.

During each meal, they will have specific portions laid out for them. Your cat will typically eat the entire meal in one sitting.

What are the advantages of meal feeding?

The advantages are, you can monitor your cat closely. You can see exactly how much food your cat is eating. You can also detect if he or she is losing their appetite. Or, if they might have some issues with their eating a lot faster.

In addition to this, if you have more than one cat in your household, this can help to eliminate the chances of one of your cats stealing all the food. If this happens, it leaves one smaller vulnerable underfed.

What are the disadvantages of meal feeding?

Meal feeding is great. However, you may find that your cat may moan and cry for more food in between meal times.

Therefore it’s important you establish and stick to a set routine. This is so they know when to expect the food. In time she will get used to the amounts that she gets and adjusts accordingly.

If you find that she is crying all the time you may discover that you are not giving her enough food. However, there is a fine line between you thinking its underfeeding and your cat just being greedy.

What are the pros and cons of free-feeding (grazing)

Free feeding is the complete opposite of meal feeding. Basically, you are allowing your cat to graze all day on a set amount of food that is left out for them.

Typically this is done with dry food. The reason for this is, if you attempt to leave wet food out all day it can go off or dry out (But, Click here to learn how to feed cats wet food while you are away for Work or Vacation). So, it’s not ideal or even worth trying to be honest.

Even though dry food can be left out all day, which makes it ideal for this, by the way. It does not mean that you can just leave out the same dry food day after day after day, are you with me?

If, after one day, all of the dry food is not consumed, then replace it with fresh food the following day.

Reducing Wasted Food

A tip to stop the wastage is, if you noticed that you are basically throwing away a lot of food over a few days in a row. Then you may need to reduce the portions. Because it’s clearly too much for your cat to consume. Also, check if there are any issues with their appetite or health, could she be off her food for some reason?

Advantages of Free-feeding

The advantages of free-feeding is, it’s quite easy to manage. You do not have to be present for each mealtime. For example, you can simply put out the food in the morning, then head off to work. Then come back in the evening and monitor what’s leftover. If you have multiple cats is even easier.

Disadvantages of Free-feeding

However, the disadvantages of free-feeding is that you do not have the ability to closely monitor exactly how much food your cat is consuming. This also becomes quite difficult if you have more than one cat.

Using this method you can have one cat that is hardly getting any food. While your bigger dominant cat is gobbling up all of the day’s portions.

One trick to avoid this…

However, there are some interesting strategies to control the amount of food consumed using the meal feeding technique.

If you are going to use the meal feeding technique or you are currently using it. And, if you are having problems with your cat eating too much here are some tips to help you.

Firstly make sure that once the food is consumed do not immediately refill it up. Because this will only entice your cats to eat it immediately again. If you get into the vicious cycle of constantly refilling, she is one step away from overfeeding and obesity.

Instead, once the food is done, it is done! No more food provided until the next day, are you with me?

Another handy trick is using a food puzzle

Food puzzles or “slow feeders” (click here for 3 of my best slow feed cat bowls) will make it a bit harder for your cat to guzzle up the food immediately as soon as you lay it down.

This is a good technique to use because not only will it slow down food consumption. It can also challenge your cat mentally. This is more in line with how they used to live in the wild.

What is the ideal meal feeding schedule (Frequency)?

If you are planning on feeding your cat using the meal feeding approach discussed in this article, I will help by explaining what is a good frequency of food for your cat.

According to cornell.edu, kittens are fine with food 3 times a day. For adults, this includes any cat one year or above, they can usually be fed once or twice a day. In fact, according to Cornell, you could even get away with once a day depending on your particular cat. Either way, many cat owners benefit from using the customizable meal schedule features on automatic feeders to help to automate this (Click here to see why I rate this one best).

Related Questions:

In this section, I will answer some frequently asked questions related to overnight feeding (Click here to learn if cats need night lights) . If you feel there are unanswered questions, please drop a comment below.

Do Cats get bored with the same food every day? Yes, they do. They are different from dogs. Dogs will just eat whatever you give them without complaints. However, some cats are quite picky and will flat out refuse some foods.

Also, they may like a certain food for a while but may change their mind on a later date. This is just cat behavior and not generally anything to be concerned about at all.

Sometimes, to add to the confusion, your kitty may just not be feeling comfortable while she is eating. This why some cat owners use high cat feeding tables (Click here to see why this one is popular).

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Iseebiz vs WOpet Automatic Cat Feeders (Reviews & Guide)

If you work all day or have a short trip planned in the near future then a cat Auto-feeder is ideal. Many people get stuck wondering which Auto feeder is best. Or, if the WOpet brand offerings are better than Iseebiz’s. Let me help and compare the best auto feeders from both of them…

Which Auto Cat feeder is better, WOpet or Iseebiz? Here is the best one (Click for the best price on Amazon.) This is because you can feed your cat from anywhere, HD camera to keep an eye on your cat, as well as voice recording to make her feel even more at home in your absence.

Now that you know my best choice. Let me explain how I arrived at this conclusion, other models that may suit you better and what things to look out for before buying any auto feeder.

Quick Comparison Table

Name	Image	My Rating
01. WOpet (Best All-rounder) SmartFeeder 6-Meal Auto w/ Wi-Fi Click here for the price on Amazon
02. Iseebiz (Best Iseebiz Feeder) Auto Pet Feeder w/ Voice Record Click here for the price on Amazon
03. WOpet Programmable SmartFeeder Click here for the price on Amazon
04. Iseebiz 6 Liter Cat Food Dispenser Click here for the price on Amazon

What is an Iseebiz or WOpet Auto feeder?

These are specific brands of Autofeeders for cats. These same feeders can be used for dogs and other small animals. So, they are favored by a number of pet owners.

There are a number of different styles, colors, and features, as you would imagine. There is also many other brands, other than WOpet & Iseebiz.

Ideal for keeping your cat feed during times when can you simply cannot be there. Such as an important weekend away that is not pet compliant.

Apart from this, it is also a great way to use portion control. This can help to prevent your cat from overeating. Which is a good added benefit.

Things to look out for, before you buy

Capacity & Portions

If you have a busy job or limited time (which is most of us these days) then you need the largest capacity within your budget.

This is because you can queue up more meals with a larger capacity, so it is definitely an important factor to look out for.

Timer Function (Programmable)

One of the biggest features of an Auto-feeder is the timer function. This allows you to program a schedule to feed your cat.

Usually, this is achieved by a lid that is open once your desired time is reached. This is the key feature for the power of remote feeding.

Accepted Food Types

Essentially some feeders are dry food only. While others cater for wet food as well. Majority of the ones reviews in this article only allow dry food.

Wet food auto feeders typically have a refrigerator feature as a bonus (which will cost more, in most cases) to keep the wet food fresh.

It depends on what your cat eats really. If she won’t eat dry food, then you have no choice. However, if she eats both you can decide if the dry food is more convenient for when you are not there.

Iseebiz vs WOpet Reviews:

In this section, I am going to reveal my top Iseebiz and WOpet auto feeders. I will highlight the pros and cons of each feeder to help you decide which on one meets your individual needs.

01. WOpet SmartFeeder 6-Meal Auto w/ Wi-Fi (Best Overall)

Click here to see the price on Amazon

Pros:

• Feed your cat from any location.
• HD Camera & Voice Recording features (To check up & make her comfortable).
• 2 x Food dispensers.
• The feeder can be customized (more flexibility for you).

Cons:

• The app doesn’t send notifications when food is low (only when finished).
• The camera doesn’t have night features.

Things I like about the WOpet SmartFeeder 6-Meal Auto w/ Wi-Fi

The beauty of these auto feeders is the convenience of feeding them from anywhere, while you are physically not there. And this feeder does not fail to deliver. With its wi-fi feature set, it is easy to use their app to keep tabs.

It has an HD camera so you can have a look at how she is doing back home while you are on the move or away on business. In addition to this, you can record a custom voice message for your cat, to make her feel at home in your absence.

It has two feeder dispensers, so you can even consider feeding two cats. These dispensers can be customized easily.

Things I do not like about the this WOpet SmartFeeder

More of an annoyance rather than a deal-breaker. However, I need to mention that while it does have a notification to prompt you to re-fill. It only triggers when the food is finished.

In my opinion, it would be a far more valuable feature to have it notify if the food is low. Therefore you get a chance to re-stock before the food depletes.

Lastly, although this is not something that was promised, it would be good to have night features. Meaning maybe a night cam so you can see your cat when it is low light or night time.

02. Iseebiz Auto Pet Feeder w/ Voice Record (Best Iseebiz)

Click here to see the price on Amazon

Pros:

• Customizable feeding portions (for your flexibility).
• Voice Recording (To make your cat feel at home).
• Double power sources (To keep it running all times).
• IR Detector Built-In.

Cons:

• Dispences small amounts.
• The cover is not tight enough.
• Portions are not always 100% accurate.

Things I like about the Iseebiz Auto Pet Feeder w/ Voice Record

One thing I love is customizability and flexibility. This is great for that. You can choose your own feeding portions to match your cat’s needs.

You can record your voice calling your cat for feeding time once, then play this recording over and over again. This will make her feel like you are at home, even though you may be away at the time.

To keep this unit fully powered, you have two power sources, batteries and mains power.

Things I do not like about this Iseebiz Auto Cat Feeder

Although you can customize the portions, one dispense is quite small. To put this into context, let’s say you want to to give your cat half a cup of food. You may need approx 10 dispenses.

Sometimes you may notice that the portions do not come out with consistent measures. Meaning, one portion may only have a few pieces of dry food, and the next has considerably more.

03. WOpet 7L Automatic Pet Feeder

Click here to see the price on Amazon

Pros:

• HD Camera – To keep an eye on your loved one.
• Programmable settings (So you can set a food schedule).
•  Customizable Feeder (So you can select the best portion sizes).

Cons:

• Audio is not great.
• Directions are poorly translated.

Things I like about the WOpet Programmable SmartFeeder

The things I like about this one is the HD camera so you can see your cat anytime, to make sure she is doing ok. It is great that you can also incorporate audio as well (but, more on this later).

It has programmable settings allowing you to set up your own schedule to match your cat’s needs. It also allows you to customize your own portion sizes.

Things I do not like about this WOpet feeder

Although it has the ability to use audio. It is also a negative thing. Reason being, it does not have great audio ability. Granted, its better than not having it. But you can’t sem to talk and listen at the same time if that makes sense.

Also, the directions (or instructions if you like) appear to have been translated from another language or just poorly written, maybe it as outsourced poorly, who knows. You can get away without it, but its a shame.

04. Iseebiz 6 Liter Cat Food Dispenser

Click here to see the price on Amazon

Pros:

• A large volume of storage.
• Protects against dust & crumbs.
• Easy to setup and program.

Cons:

• Buttons can be unreliable
• Doesn’t inform you when it’s low on food.

Things I like about the Iseebiz 6 Liter Cat Food Dispenser

Firstly it’s a good size. 6L means you can plan ahead for a long trip and not worry about her feeding times. Another thing I love is, it is designed to avoid dust and crumbs clogging it up. Which is an annoying issue with some other feeders on the market.

Lastly, it is simple to set up. Even more interesting is the fact that it is also easy to program your meal schedules.

Things I do not like about this Iseebiz Dispenser

I have to moan about the buttons. They do work, but not as responsive as I would like. Granted, once its set up you are done, so its a minor annoyance rather than a deal-breaker. Basically, sometimes it may take more than one press to register. Quite annoying.

Also could benefit from an indicator when the food is getting low, to help prompt you to refill.

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How to Make Your Cat a Vegan (Should you do this?)

Many people are curious if vegan cat owners feed their cat meat, should they? and can this even be possible? Our main focus, as cat owners is keeping our cats happy and healthy, such as stopping them eating too fast (click here for my 3 best slow feed cat bowls to stop them doing this) and being healthy, so let’s see if veganism for cats is a good idea and how to do it.

Can you make a cat a vegan? Yes, you can but there is a hot debate if this is even ethical. To do this you need a nutritional plant-based diet with the addition of synthesized supplements. Cats need more than just protein to survive, hence the need for supplementation.

Now you know it is possible, let’s look into how this can be done, the concerns that arise around this, the ethical dilemma and more.

So, How do you switch them over to a vegan diet?

This is possible, as discussed earlier, with the right combination of a plant-based diet and synthesized supplementation. However, this is quite a complex diet and often referred to as “experimental”.

The only thing I would say is, you have to be very careful that you get this right and it is also a good idea to consult your vet to verify your intentions to make sure he agrees.

Essentially, you can replace a meat-based diet with plant-based, with the addition of supplementation (more on this later). It is possible but it just depends if you believe it is the right thing to do.

There are supplements being sold commercially, for example, James Pedan (Author of “Vegetarian Cats & Dogs” – Click here to see the book & price on Amazon) has a product line of supplements for cats.

He is a known authority regarding meatless diets for cats and dogs and according to Peta.org It is believed that a cat can meet its nutritional needs, without meat, with the correct diet and supplementation.

The real debate comes down the ethics, is it right or wrong? In the following sections of this article, we will delve a bit deeper.

So what are the concerns and arguments surrounding vegan cats?

The arguments against vegan cats is, it is unnatural. However, on the opposite side of the fence, there are counterarguments which suggest conventional cat food that is consumed by cats today in the western world is no better or any more natural than vegan food.

The reason behind this argument is, to truly match the natural environment of a wild cat, you would have to serve your cat live mice or birds.

However, feeding your domestic cat in this way is unmanageable for the average 9-5 working middle-classed cat owner. As well as the moral conundrum of it is even right to do this.

Can a cat’s nutritional needs truly be met with a vegan diet?

In this section, I’m going to explain if it is possible to meet your cat’s nutritional needs on a strictly vegan diet.

According to PetMD.com they don’t agree that it is possible to maintain a healthy cat on a vegan diet (not easily, anyway).

Their argument is based on the types of protein and nutrients that is needed by a cat that cannot be fulfilled by a strictly plant-based diet.

Protein is Protein, right?

Firstly many people believe “protein is protein”. The understanding is, as long as they give their cat enough protein then it doesn’t matter if the protein comes from meat or plant-based food.

PetMD.com explains that it is not just any old protein that is required. There are specific nutrients within the protein that your cat needs.

For example, Taurine. This amino acid is something that your cat simply has to have. Without it, there are a number of potential health-related issues that they may encounter. Including, but not limited to:

• Heart disease.
• Vision Problems.

There are other potential issues if they do not get a sufficient amount of taurine. Also, it is only in food, but not possible to get it from plant-based food.  However, it is possible to have a synthesized protein supplement with it in.

This requirement for taurine is different from dogs which is why people argue that cats, in particular, are not ideal candidates for a vegan diet.

However, the argument doesn’t end here there are other nutrients to consider as well such as Vitamin D, Vitamin A, and arachidonic acid.

Vitamin D

Cats need vitamin D to lead a healthy life. Humans can absorb vitamin D through natural sunlight. However, cats are not able to do so in the same way. Therefore they need to consume vitamin D through their food.

Unfortunately, vitamin D is not present in plant-based food. Therefore this is another argument why a vegan-based diet is not the best way to go.

Vitamin A and arachidonic Acid

Also for vitamin A and arachidonic acid, they also need to be provided through food. Again, this is not found in plant-based food. So, it backs up the argument that a vegan diet is not a good idea.

From this explanation, you may be thinking to yourself ok, but it is still possible to do this using synthesized supplementation. According to PetMD it is quite difficult and potentially dangerous (if done wrong) to fully rely on synthesized supplementation.

What is a Natural Diet for Cats?

In the wild, a cat will naturally get its protein from mice (click here to find out why cats eat mice and the risks associated with it) , birds, and other amphibians. They will also get their fat source from these food groups as well.

It is true that they are known to eat grass (click here to see why indoor cats eat grass). However, this is not a necessity for their diet like taurine, vitamin D, etc.

Commercial food is the industries best attempt to give cats what they need and for the most part, it does the job. However, there are concerns about commercial food as well.

What are the concerns with commercial cat food?

Many people believe that cat food is a great option because it is well presented and packaged. However, according to Peta.org, there are concerns what goes into these products. Such as ground-up pieces of off-cuts that are deemed to be not fit for human consumption.

Should Vegans Have Cats?

This is a subjection question depending on your personal beliefs. Some say it is not morally correct based on the fact they are “obligate carnivores”. Others argue that meat is not right and they do not feel comfortable serving this to their cats. How do you feel about it?

Related questions

In this section, I’m going to cover some related questions that are specific to cats and veganism. If you feel that there are some questions answered in your head, then take this opportunity to leave a comment below.

What is an obligate carnivore? According to the dictionary, “obligate” means by necessity. An obligate carnivore basically means eating meat is a necessity.

Therefore this term, often used when we get into the discussion of veganism for cats, suggests that a cat, by default, is a carnivore and must consume meat. On this basis, it is believed that a vegan cat is not possible.

Obviously, this is where the debate unfolds. Arguments on both sides of the fence come into play.

Is a Vegan diet healthy? Although people assume it is, because it is deemed as “plant-based”, it is possible to eat unhealthy as a vegan. The problem is there are quite a lot of processed vegan-compliant foods available that have low nutritional value.

My cat ate a carrot and is sick, is it because she doesn’t like veg? It could be, but the chances are it is something else. Personally, I would contact your vet first to clarify. It could be because she is eating too fast (click here to see my 3 Best Slow Feed Cat Bowls to stop cats eating too fast).

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Can I Feed My Cat Mice? (Risks & Why they do it)

If you are thinking about what your cat can eat, you may have been curious about mice. Or maybe your cat is feeling sick after eating and you are worried if it’s connected to a mouse (this could just be because she ate too fast – Click here for my 3 best slow feed cat bowls to sort this) Either way let me explain the deal with mice & cats…

Can I Feed My Cat Mice? Yes, you can feed your cat mice(if you want to). However, you need to make sure that you do so under certain circumstances. If you allow your cat to eat just any mouse you will run into problems. If you purchase a mouse and know its history it’s better.

Now you know your cat can eat mice, let me explain the reasons why I say wild mice are not good, why cats even eat mice, the potential diseases mice can pass on (even to you) and more…

What’s the problem with wild mice?

Basically, you do not want your cat to eat any random mouse that they find on their journeys. The reason for this is, you don’t know where that mouse has been. You don’t know what disease it could bring to your cat (more on this later).

Cats are natural hunters, anything that is moving will entice them. They will instinctively go and attack it. So, if you want them to just play with the mouse, instead of eating it, you need another strategy.

Basically, you need to make sure they’re fully fed before you allow them to play with the mouse.

Why do cats eat mice?

To cut a long story short this is basically because it is ingrained into their system. Hunting is instinctive from birth.

From the age of only 6 weeks old, you can see signs of a natural hunter. Have you ever tried to run a piece of string past a kitten before? I don’t even need to spell it out, they will chase that thing until the cats come home.

Hunting for Survival

Less than 100 years ago cats were largely living in the wild and hunting for survival. In time they were gradually domesticated to help with pest control issues by their cat owners.

Many years on from this, they are more kept now as fun-loving pets rather than pest controlling animals. However, they still have that same animal instinct built into them.

One of the main features of a cat that made them the ultimate pest controller is their acute hearing. They are capable of seeking out their prey even if they cannot visually see them.

Do mice present any risk of disease to your cat?

If you provide mice that you know the history of, maybe you purchased it from a pet shop, then it is fine.

However, if your cat comes into the kitchen with a random cat in his mouth then you need to be concerned.

There are a number of diseases that your cat could be carrying. However, there are also other risks. Such as rat poison consumed by the mouse.

Obviously, you do not want your cat consuming this poison indirectly through the mouse so this could be an added risk.

Fortunately for you, the chances of this happening are quite low because you are unlikely to be putting down rat poison if you have cats running around your house, right?

So for the most part, the biggest risk will be the diseases it can pass on such as toxoplasma, hantavirus, rickettsialpox & roundworms.

What should you do if your cat has already eaten the mouse?

In this situation, you have no choice but to monitor your cat and see how they react to this. Because you have no idea where this mouse has come from.

You should look out for the following symptoms:

• Vomiting.
• Abdominal issues.
• Generally out of character.
• Also diarrhea.

This is a general guide of what to look out for, but in general, you should look out for anything that causes concern or is different from the norm, are you with me?

If you detect any of these symptoms or anything else that concerns you then I would advise that you contact your vet as soon as possible.

In fact, even if your cat does not display these symptoms and you have any slight concern, the best practice is to go ahead and contact your vet. Even if it’s for general peace of mind.

Related questions:

In this section, I’m going to cover some related questions to cats eating mice. If you feel that there are questions in your mind that have not been answered feel free to leave a comment below.

Will getting a cat keep mice away? In general, it will help but it won’t necessarily get rid of the entire problem. If you have a mouse infestation the problem is mice have a knack of getting into places that your cat simply cannot get to.

For example, you may notice that there are mice hidden in your attic, cavities in the wall or even hidden just behind your skirting boards.

The chances are, even if your cat has an idea that they are there, it won’t be able to deal with the problem

Can mice detect or sense that a cat is in your house? Yes, they have a special organ in their body called “vomeronasal”. In basic English, it is an advanced sense of smell.

They use it to detect the scent of your cat. This will ultimately deter them from nesting in your house. Obviously, this is not guaranteed to completely get rid of an infestation problem. But, it will help you.

Are mice afraid of Cats? Yes, of course. This may seem like a silly question to ask now, the reasons why is more interesting.

According to the BBC, there have been recent studies done to confirm that when mice detect cats or rats, identified by special proteins in cats and the urine of the rats, it causes immense fear.

What should I do if my cat catches a mouse? First of all usher your cat out of the room, without the mouse. Leaving the mouse behind for you to clean up. Put on some rubber gloves and start preparing yourself to clean.

Use some bleach and disinfect the area and make sure it’s clean. However, only take this approach with a hardwood surface. You can also use a watered down bleach solution, such as one part bleach and ten parts water. This will be a bit safer, are you with me?

While you still have the gloves on, pick up the mouse, place him in a plastic bag. However, make sure that you seal the bag before placing it into the bin for removal.

If the mouse was dumped onto a fabric-based surface, such as a sofa. You will need to clean it differently. For these surfaces, you will need to either steam clean or use special fabric furniture cleaner.

The reality is, she will probably do this again, so make sure you have your cleaning items prepared for the future.

Do Cats Actually Eat The Mice? Yes, some do. The reality is some will, some won’t. The chances are she will hunt the mouse. Grab it and play with it. If she is really hungry, she probably will, but it is less likely in a domestic environment.

As discussed earlier, the are instinctive hunters. They rarely hunt for food in a domestic environment. Think about it, they have no need to, right?

You feed her daily and spoil her rotten, why would she even have the need to find food. The fun for most of them is merely catching the mouse, rather than eating it.

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How to Teach Your Cat to Climb Down a Tree (Easy?)

If you have ever witnessed your cat stuck, and vulnerable in a tree, you would do anything to find a way for that not to happen again, right? Using a cat tree to practice will help (click here for 3 of my best Bewishome cat trees) but, is there other ways?

Can you teach your cat to climb down a tree? Yes, you have two options, either use an indoor cat tree or practice outside on a real tree with the aid of a harness and leash. This takes some time and patience so don’t expect results in a few hours.

What you will need (Quick look)

Description	Image	My Rating
01. Cat Tree (Indoor Training) Click here for the price on Amazon
02. Yizhi Miaow Harness (Outdoor training) Click here for the price on Amazon
03. Eagloo Cat Harness (Alternative) Click here for the price on Amazon

Now you know that you can do this, let me explain why your cat can get stuck in a tree, a full guide on how to train them to prevent this happening and how to get them down if they are already stuck there, read on…

Why do cats get stuck in trees?

This happens because of the design of cat claws. If you were to look closely at a cat claw, you can see they are designed to allow them to go in one direction (and it is not down!).

They have a specially shaped claw that secures them to a tree as they go up. This gives them maximum grip. However, this grip is only sufficient for going upwards.

Like an Ice Axe

To make this more understandable, if you compare this to your average mountain climber, who uses their Ice Axe, this is the T-shaped tool used to help them to ascend up the mountain.

This used to pick and dig into the wall so they can climb easier, are you with me? Think about the angle, great for leveraging up a mountain, right?

However, when they are climbing back down the mountain not the same advantage, right?

Exactly! In reverse gravity would pull them down and their hooks would be worthless. This is similar behavior for cats they simply do not understand how to do this in reverse.

Why not tail first?

The Logical solution to us is for them to go down tail first, instead of head first, right?

But, unfortunately, cats do not have this same logic. They will instinctively go head first. This will obviously end in tears, with them falling from a great height. You often see younger cats stuck in trees simply because they have not experienced it before.

How can you train your cat to climb down a tree?

In this section, I’m going to explain how you can help your cat to learn how to climb down a tree to prevent this even happening.

Please understand,  this is a slow process, it’s not something that should be rushed. It will take some time and persistence.

If you are located outside

If you are located outside then you need to take a slightly different approach. You need to get hold of a harness and a leash (Click here to see the price on Amazon) so that your cat doesn’t run away or get stuck up the tree.

Once your cat is secure, guide them up and down the tree with the leash on. This is so that you can be there to help them if they get stuck. The idea is not to make him go really high, just to give him the general idea of how to do this, are you with me?

If you are indoors

If you are indoors it is better to use a cat tree (click here for my best 3 Bewishome cat trees) which has a cat scratching post attached.

The idea here is to use a controlled environment to let them learn the concept of climbing up and then down. This is great because they can do this without injuring themselves. 

Trust me, using a cat tree (Click here to see if cats really like cat trees) is a lot easier than trying to attempt it straight away outside.

Even basic things like using a cat window perch (Click here for the best one) will appeal to her natural urge to climb and prepare her.

How to get them down if they are stuck in a tree

In this section, I’m going to give you some tips on how you can get your cat down from a tree (Click here to see if Faux Fur or Carpet cat trees are best)  if they are already stuck there.

Using Cheeky Coaxing

This is a simple method of trying to get your cat’s attention. You need to simply coax them out of the tree. Sometimes your cat is just generally scared and they need a little bit of coaxing to get them to make that move.

What do I mean by coaxing?

What I mean is just shouting their name or some other action to gently persuade them to come down from the tree, are you with me?

If this fails or she just looks at you and then still stays in the tree you can also try using some treats to coax her down.

This will be done by getting some of her favorite treats and either placing them at the base of the tree to entice her down or waving them so that she can see it.

You may find that this may take some time so leaving them at the base of the tree is probably a better idea.

If this also fails, you can also try to grab their attention in another way. Do you know those annoying laser pens that some people use? Yes, those! You can use it to get your cat down.

If you’ve never used one before, they basically send a laser beam of light that will drive your cat crazy. It will feel compelled to run after it. Use this to try and direct your cat down.

Helping her down the tree

If the coaxing fails, you can try to help her down. This is a more proactive measure. The idea here is to get a bit closer to her and offer her an easy way down.

First, grab yourself a ladder you will be carrying an item up the tree to try and help her down. The best items to use for this is either a pet carrier or a broom.

A what now?

Yes, I did say a broom, but I will come back to that in a moment.

Firstly, using a pet carrier, you can gently send this up the ladder and offer your cat the opportunity to jump into it. This should be a much more comfortable option for your cat. Basically, you are doing all the leg-work.

Failing that broom I mentioned…

You need to offer your cat the broom but, you are also going to use a slightly cheeky method…

For this, you are going to trick your cat to grab the broom. The idea is to make her feel slightly unstable by gently prodding her. Be careful not to knock her down though. You want her to grab the broom for stability.

Once she grabs it, you can safely help her down the tree.  This takes a bit of skill to get right so it’s not usually the first thing to try.

Carrying her down

For this, you need to make sure you prepare yourself. Ideally, you want to have some thick gloves and a long sleeve top on. The reason for this is your cat may panic and attempt to bite or scratch you.

This is not because they are angry or mad at you. It is because they will be scared and this may be an instinctive move for them to lash out.

The key thing here is to either grab your cat family and simply carry them down. Or, grab the cat by the scruff of the neck and place them into an item such as a pet carrier and then carry them down.

Before you head up there make sure there’s nothing on the ground that could cause harm if fall unexpectedly. By the way, use this as your last option, because it can be quite difficult and potentially dangerous.

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What to Do After Your Cat Throws Up (Serious?)

If you have witnessed your cat throwing up, it may just be she has eaten too fast (click here for my 3 best slow feed cat bowls to get around this). However, if it’s worse, you need to know what to do next, let me explain…

What to do after your cat throws up? You need to assess how often this has happened. If its a one-off it may not be serious. And a general clean up and rest will suffice. However, if its a regular occurrence you need to seek some advice from your vet immediately.

Now you know what you should be doing at a high level, let me explain how to look out for their body language. Also, when to take it more seriously, different types (levels) of thro up to look out for and more…

Gauging Their Body Language & Frequency.

As discussed, if this is the first time you’ve seen it happen, for example, you notice signs of grass that he may have been eating (click here to see if indoor cats need grass), then the chances are it’s probably nothing to worry about. Chances are, you could overlook it and allow them to sleep it off.

However, if this is happening on a regular basis or displays any sign of discomfort, then you need to take it more seriously.

You have to study their body language, does she look normal in your opinion? Only you will understand what is normal for your cat. If there are any concerns, even the slightest concern, then I highly advise that you contact your vet.

What different types of vomiting (Throw up) is there?

In your mind you may be thinking sick is sick, right? However, there is different levels of sickness. In particular:

• Acute vomiting.
• Chronic vomiting.

Acute Vomiting

This is more of an unexpected, out of the blue occurrence. It may only last for 1 or 2 days. In some cases, it may even be just a one-off. An example could be, like what we discussed earlier, where your cat has consumed some grass.

Chronic vomiting

This is more serious. Can go on for days or even multiple times per day. This is something that needs to be taken a lot more seriously. You may also expect to see symptoms such as depression, weight loss or excessive stomach pains.

What Causes Acute Vomiting?

This can be caused by a number of different issues. For that reason, I’m going to share some with you now…

Transitioning

Transitioning is a posh way of saying trying out new food. Effectively, this is when you make a drastic switch from one food type to another. The consequence is your cat throwing up.

Basically, the new food doesn’t agree with your cat. This can cause acute vomiting because your cats body is rejecting it.

Instead of making a drastic switch to a new food brand or product it is advisable to transition gradually. Simply give them a portion of the new food along with the old one that they are used to.

Eating too fast

Another issue often seen by cat owners is cats that are eating too fast. On the surface, this doesn’t sound like a real problem but it can cause your cat to throw up.

The reasons for this is, if your cat is rather enthusiastic about the food, she can gobble it up without actually chewing it up properly. Basically, it cannot be digested properly.

Also, in the process of shoveling the food down, there is a good chance that they’ll be gulping down lots of air into their stomach. This doesn’t agree and therefore the food will be rejected.

This is also seen if there are multiple cats competing between each other. This tends to happen if one cat feels that if they don’t eat fast they won’t have anything.

The best solution for this is looking into a slow feeder (click here to see my 3 best slow feed cat bowls for wet food) which will slow down the pace of their eating.

Eating random objects

Another habit that some cats have is eating things that they shouldn’t. In particular random objects such as toilet paper, carpet or even things like grass.

The problem with these items, as you can imagine, is they cannot be digested by your cat. Therefore, its body does the natural thing and rejects these items.

These items are not so bad when compared to other more serious objects. For example:

• Bits of string
• Kids Toys
• etc

If you are unfortunate and your cat consumes one of these objects, it can cause a serious problem. They can lodge in their intestines and can also cause severe pain along with vomiting.

Consuming cow’s milk

Not many cat owners know this, but you should not really be feeding cows milk to your cat. The problem is, unlike humans, cats do not have the appropriate enzymes to fully break down cow’s milk.

If you do want to give them some form of milk you need to make sure that it is special milk which your cat can consume (click here to see the price of this cat milk on Amazon).

When should you be concerned when you see your cat vomiting?

According to iams.com, if you see your cat vomiting two to three times in a month this is not necessarily a cause for concern especially if it’s not consecutive days. However, if its:

• more frequent than this (such as daily or multiple times per day).
• Notice blood in the vomit.
• Continuously retching.
• or seem in serious discomfort.

If any of these match your case then I strongly advise that you take your cat to see the vet to get advice immediately. To be honest, if there is any doubt, it’s better to be safe than sorry and take them to the vet.

What can you do to prevent this from happening?

We’ve talked a lot about why these things are happening and different types of vomit, etc. Now I’m going to talk to you about ways that you can actively prevent this happening.

One of the biggest issues is your cat eating too fast. Here are some ways that you can get around this to make life easier for yourself…

Smaller portions

The first thing that you can consider is giving her smaller portions of food. This will cut down the amount that she can actually get into her body at any one time. She won’t have the luxury of overfeeding in a fast manner this way.

Slow Feeder

Another thing that you can consider it’s purchasing a slow feeding cat bowl (as discussed earlier). These are ideal because you can put a regular-sized portion in there but the design of the bowl will allow your cat to naturally slow down the food consumption.

This will also help because as they eat slower, they will feel fuller earlier. This may even help them to eat slightly less and lose weight.

Splitting up cats at dinner time

As discussed earlier if there is more than one cat in the household. You may notice them fighting to eat the food. This competition can result in eating too fast.

Instead, consider feeding them separately to avoid this competing. It may be a bit of hassle setting up two feeding spots, but it will be worth it.

Using an object to distract her

Using an object such as a ball is a clever way to slow down their eating. However, you need to be careful and make sure the ball is quite large, to avoid her eating it. The idea is the ball will force her to eat around it.

This will force her to slow down her eating pace. To be honest, I much prefer a slow feeding cat bowl. Something about this ball is not ideal for me. But, it is a method never the less.

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3 Best Slow Feed Cat Bowls for Wet Food (& Guide)

If you are concerned about your cat eating too fast and making itself feel sick, then you need to consider these slow feed cat bowls. Let me share my best ones with you…

What is the best slow feed cat bowl for wet food? This is the best (click here for the price on Amazon), I like this one because it’s toxic & odor-free. It also has a really solid base that stops it from moving around during meals. Most importantly great for wet food.

Now that you know my best choice, let me also share another two (three in total). Reason for this, each one has its strengths and weaknesses and could be better for your unique situation. Keep reading…

Quick Comparison of Slow Feeders

Name	Image	My Rating
01. Lorde Slow Feeder Cat Bowl (Best All Rounder) Click for price on Amazon
02. Simply Pets Online Slow Feed Cat Bowl (Best For Larger Cats) Click for price on Amazon
03. Mogoko Cat Slow Feeding Bowl Click for price on Amazon

What is the point of a Slow Feed Cat Bowl?

Some cats eat faster than others. Unfortunately, some eat too fast. You may be thinking, so what? The problem is, if they do this, they can make themselves sick, choke or gag. Neither of which is wanted. Because you will the one to clean it up.

The slow feed cat bowl is a solution to this problem. It is a product designed to slow down the eating speed of your cat. Obviously, there are many options out there. So, for this reason, I have selected my best three to review.

What Are the benefits of these bowls?

Apart from stopping them vomit, they also have other benefits, let me explain…

• Aids Weight loss.
• Prevents obesity.
• Extra exercise for indoor cats.
• As explained, prevents vomiting, gaging or even choking.

Let me just elaborate on some of these benefits…

Aids Weight Loss

Although it is not a weight loss product, it does “aid” weight loss. But what am I talking about exactly? Well, they help with portion control and slowing down the consumption of food.

When you slow down the conception of food, it gives the brain time to acknowledge the food. This will make your cat feel full up sooner. Which, in turn, make her eat less. This feature will aid weight, get it?

Prevents Obesity

Following on from above, one of the knock-on benefits is obesity prevention. If your cat starts to eat less, in time, she will start to reduce her weight and combat obesity.

Extra exercise for indoor cats

If you have an indoor cat, you will benefit from these feeders. These interactive feeders keep them entertained and provide another exercise outlet.

My Best 3 Slow Feed Cat Bowls for wet food:

In this section, I will share with you my best 3 cat bowls. These have been specifically selected for their usage with wet food. They also have many other features that will benefit you.

01. Lorde Slow Feeder Cat Bowl (Best All-rounder)

Click here for the price on Amazon

Pros:

• Toxic & Odor-Free.
• Fun Shape (Your cat will love the maze & Fish shape).
• Reduces the chances of indigestion.
• Stable Base (Avoids unnecessary food mess).

Cons:

• Breakable (Made from ceramic).
• Can’t repair (If broken).

Things I like about the Lorde slow feeder

Its always reassuring when the material is toxic and odor-free, to protect her as much as possible. The playful maze shapes will be appreciated by your cat as well. A small thing, but never the less, its a bonus.

The design reduces indigestion to give you peace of mind. The thing I like most, weirdly enough, is the stable base. It saves you some hassle by avoiding unwanted spillages, are you with me? (high five!)

Things I don’t like about the Lorde Slow feeder

In a way, my favorite feature, is a small negative, in my opinion. Basically, it’s a breakable item. While it has a nice strong heavy base, if you accidentally drop this bad boy, you are stuffed! It will surely break.

This is not a deal-breaker for me, to be honest. Because I feel this is not a high risk of this happening. But, I feel I need to let you know.

02. Simply Pets Online Slow Feed Cat Bowl (Best For Large Cats)

Click here for the price on Amazon

Pros:

• Simple to use.
• Works for wet food.
• Ideal for larger cats.
• Two cats can chomp away in this!

Cons:

• Not ideal for small cats.
• Grooves are quite deep.

Things I like about the Simply Pets Feeder

This thing is big, in a good way 😉 You can have two cats chomping away in this mo’fo. Or, if you have a bigger cat, say a Maine Coon (Click here to see why Maine Coon cats are so big) then this is bang-on.

It’s great for wet food (Click here to see what you should do if your cat won’t eat leftover wet food), that’s why you are here, right? And, finally, it is really simple to use. You will love this big cutey!

Things I don’t like about the Simply Pets Feeder

Ok, the bad bits…

Although it’s ideal for the big’uns, it’s not ideal for the smaller cats. If you have one of these, maybe look at the other options I have provided in this article. Basically, the grooves are a bit too deep for a small cat. And, the general size is just too big for them.

03. Mogoko Cat Slow Feeding Bowl

Click here for the price on Amazon

Pros:

• Eco-friendy material (Made using hard plastic).
• Reduces the chances of her puking (A known symptom with Fast feeding cats).
• Soft spikes (So it won’t irritate her).

Cons:

• Not good on hard floors (gets dragged around).
• Some cats may struggle to get food from the inner section.

Things I like about the Mogoko Cat Feeder

First, let’s address the environment. This one is classed as “Eco-Friendly” by the manufacturer. I always like to hear this. This is largely due to the fact that it is made from hard plastic.

As you may have already seen, if your cat is a fast feeder, she is likely to eat so fast she pukes, right? This feeder is built to reduce the chances of this happening. It is also designed with nice soft spikes to make it comfortable when eating.

Things I don’t like about the Mogoko Cat Feeder

I have to be honest, it does not have a strong solid base. Basically, while your cat is attempting to eat, you may notice that she will drag around the feeder, not ideal.

Finally, you may notice, due to the design, that some cats may not be able to get to the food in the inner section of the feeder. This is because of the length of the inner spikes.

Is there any alternatives to these Bowls?

Yes, there are, hower, in general, they are more time consuming and not as effective. But, let me explain for your benefit.

Many small meals

One tactic is to substitute the bigger meals with multiple smaller meals. This means you will provide more meals but they will much smaller.

The idea is to manually control their portions. This effectively forces them not to overeat on each meal. This is effective and will work. However, it will take more of your time to organize because of the extra mealtimes.

Separate Meal Times (If you have more than one cat)

If you have more than one cat this is a technique you can try. This entails separating their food at mealtimes, rather than putting all their bowls together.

The idea behind this is to stop one cat overeating by stealing food from its cat mate. Again, this is a good idea and effective. The only issue is, you need to set up multiple feeding areas and will take more of your time.

This gets even worse if you have more than two cats, imagine that?

Related Questions:

In this section, I am going to cover some related questions to slow feeders. If you feel there is a question in your mind, that is not covered, please leave a comment below and let me know.

How long can you leave wet food out for? This depends on the temperature. If you are in the height of summer, without air con, I personally wouldn’t leave it out for more than 15 minutes.

If it’s in the winter, and the heating is on, again, I wouldn’t consider leaving it out for more than 15 minutes. You could try longer, but this is just what I would do. As a general rule, I personally wouldn’t leave it out for more than 25 minutes under any conditions.

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How Do You Stop a Cat From Scratching Walls? (+Pics)

If you are sick of your cat scratching your walls, then you need to look at solutions such as scratch posts (Click here to see my best 3 Bewishome cat trees that have built-in cat posts) Let me give you many more solutions…

How do you stop a cat from scratching walls? The best method is prevention because scratching is normal behaviour. You can provide alternative surfaces for them to scratch, such as scratch posts or pads. As well as methods such as trimming their nails or covering their nails with cat claw covers (Click here to see their prices on Amazon).

Now that you know a few solutions let me explain why your cat is scratching your walls, what surfaces they are naturally attracted to and other methods to prevent them from doing this.

Why do cats scratch the walls?

In this section, I’m going to discuss why cats actually scratch their nails. There are a number of different reasons for this so to help you I’m going to summarise them now…

To sharpen and remove the surface from their nails

In an attempt to keep their nails maintained cats will scratch the surface layer of their nails off on surfaces, such as your walls or furniture. Unfortunately for you, your cat will see these items as their nail file.

In addition to removing the surface layer of their nails. You will also notice that cats have very sharp nails. This scratching against your wall is important, in their mind, because it helps their nails stay sharp. This keeps their nails from growing too long and uncontrollable.

If they neglect their nails they can grow back into their paws. This will obviously cause them pain and discomfort. So, this is a necessary exercise for them.

To pass on their scent

When cats scratch walls or furniture they leave a scent behind. This is because they have scent glands within their paws. When they scratch the walls, not only are they leaving a visual mark of their territory, they are also leaving their scent behind.

Stretching their body

They sometimes do this just to generally stretch their body. They use their claws the dig into the wall and create leverage so they can stretch their body properly.

General exploration

In general, cats like to explore and the very curious creatures. They are very tactile in nature. For them, using their claws and scratching in this manner allows is a means of exploration.

Remember, this is normal behaviour

One thing to understand, scratching is normal. All cats will do it. It may be an inconvenience to you but it is not actually a behavioural problem.

The best way to deal with this issue is to not try and stop it. But, to try and redirect their attention to areas or surfaces that you are happy with them scratching. I’ll explain more about this further on in this article.

What types of surfaces are cats naturally attracted to?

They like surfaces which are typically a bit coarse or textured. Something that can create some resistance. Unfortunately for you, this includes your walls, door frames (Click here for the best cat door frame scratchers to protect it) and furniture. You may also witness them trying to dig up your carpet.

What can you do to prevent them from doing this?

In this section, I’m going to explain a number of different methods that you can consider using to help prevent your cat from destroying your walls or furniture…

Using citrus or menthol

In case you didn’t know this already cats do not like citrus or menthol. For this reason, you can use it to your advantage. Simply wipe it on surfaces that you do not want them to scratch.

If you are thinking to yourself “how is it possible to apply these liquids to surfaces that do not have fabric on them”? Don’t worry, there is a workaround for that as well.

On these surfaces, that are not fabric-based, you can simply douse some cotton wool (or something similar) in the menthol or citrus. Then attach it to the surface that you do not want them to use.

Using alternative objects

Click here to see the price on Amazon

Another tactic that you can use is purposely supplying objects that you are happy for your cat to use. This is falling in line with my point earlier about focusing on redirecting them to other objects instead of trying to stop them (if you remember).

For example, you can consider using a cat tree, scratchpad or post.

The beauty with cat trees, specifically the Bewishome cat trees (Click here to see my best 3 Bewishome cat trees), is they typically come with scratch posts built-in. Meaning, you can effectively “kill two birds with one stone”.

There are a number of different materials available for cat trees and scratch posts. One particular material, that usually goes down well with most cats, is sisal rope. This is attached to the scratch posts on the Bewishome cat trees.

One of the tricks that you can use, to help your cat transition into using this, is to offer them positive reinforcement. Every time they use the cat scratching post or cat tree, give them some praise. It’s a very simple thing to do, doesn’t take much of your time and will be much appreciated by your cat.

Trimming nails

As discussed in the previous section in this article, cats need to trim their nails on a regular basis. Unfortunately for you, one of the reasons your walls are probably getting scratched is because they want to maintain their nails.

So, to prevent this, you can take a proactive measure and actually trim their nails (Click here for the best trimmers). This will keep them maintained ahead of time, in an attempt to stop your cat from using your wall, are you with me?

Use unwanted materials to deter them

This is another method that you can use to deter cats from scratching your walls, couches (Click here for the best cat scratcher protectors), or other furniture.

The idea is simple, purposely use materials that your cat will not like. I’m not talking about citrus or menthol here, we have covered that already, right?

I’m talking about materials such as sandpaper, aluminium foil or even double-sided sticky tape. Use these materials to cover items that you want to keep safe. This will avoid them damaging them.

Using cat claw covers

A number of cat owners have effectively used cat claw covers (Click here to see their prices on Amazon) as a method to stop them scratching their walls or other surfaces.

It’s a very simple and cheap product that allows you to physically cover your cat’s nails. This is a better solution declawing in my opinion (more on this later).

You simply stick these cat claws over her original claws. This prevents her from scratching your walls.

However, you need to understand that this is not a one-off task. You need to maintain it. Its the same concept as fake nails that millions of ladies (& men) use worldwide. Once the claws start to grow, you will need to reapply the cat claws to cover the regrowth.

Why is Cat Declawing Not The Answer?

Maybe some cat owners do not fully understand, but when you declaw a cat, its not just its claws you are removing. You are actually removing its knuckles as well. Let me explain…

When declawing surgery is done, they also remove the knuckle from each toe as well. This is obviously painful for cats and its not a good idea, in my opinion.

For these reasons, this is why some cat owners prefer using cat nail clippers or grinders (Click here to see why I feel these are best) to control their nail growth.

Other Things To Avoid

In this section, I am going to give you a couple of tips on what to avoid when trying to prevent your cat from scratching your walls:

Do not drag your cat to the scratch post

If you decide to use a cat scratching post (Click here to see why I rate this one best), or cat tree with a scratch post-built-in, you need to take your time transitioning them to using it. Do not get tempted to drag them to the post and force their paws onto the scratch post.

This will not entice or treat them to use it, in fact, it may to the opposite. They may get freaked out and start avoiding it completely.

Keep the old scratched up post!

Although the scratch post may seem scratched to shreds, do not get rid of it. It may be an eyesore to you. But, yo your cat it is ideal. Why? Because it now has their scent and they will feel comfortable with it.

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Why Does My Cat Scratch the Area Around His Food?

If your cat is scratching around near its food bowl, it could be causing some damage to your flooring or carpet (Click here to see my best 3 Bewishome cat trees with scratching posts to help this issue) But the question is why is this even happening?

Why does my cat scratch the area around his food? This is an instinctual behavior to hide the scent that leftover food leaves behind. Although this behavior is obsolete in captivity it still happens, which confuses cat owners.

Now that you know at a high level why this happens. Let me explain further as well as what is “floor pawing”, if some cats attempt to bury unwanted food, why they do this and more. Keep reading…

Why does this scent cause cats to behave this way?

Some people look at this behavior and incorrectly interpret it as their cat not wanting to eat the food that they have provided. The reality, it is possible, but it is unlikely. Let me explain what it is more likely to be…

Instinctual Behaviour

In the wild cats have to hunt to eat. This is obvious I guess. However, what is less obvious is the reasons why they hide this food. There will always be some form of leftovers. These leftovers present a problem for cats, because of the scent it leaves around.

In the wild, this scent can alert their predators that they have been there. This can, unfortunately, help to track them down. Therefore, they have built an instinctual behavior of covering their tracks by digging up and hiding them.

This scratching around the area of their food in captivity stems from this behavior. It may seem odd to you, especially if you have wooden or tiled flooring. But cats still have this ingrained in them and will foolishly attempt to dig up wooden flooring to hide the scent of their leftovers, are you with me?

What is “Floor Pawing”?

This is similar to the same behavior we have discussed in this article. With a small twist, you may also see them kneading as well as pawing the area around their food.

Ultimately, it is arguably the same thing, to be honest. Depending on your cat, some have an almost obsessive tendency to spend a large amount of time doing this following a meal.

Even if your cat seems a bit obsessive, it does not necessarily mean that there is anything to be concerned about. It all still stems from the instinctual behavior of trying to hide the scent of leftover food.

Is this Behaviour the Same as Cats Burying Their Food?

Yes, this is a relatively common behavior. “Floor Pawing”, burying food or scratching around the food area after a meal is all pretty much the same thing.

If you witness your cat trying to bury their food, it may seem similar to them attempting to bury their mess in cat litter (Click here to see why I chose these rimmed litter pans to hold in the mess). If that is what you are seeing, it is definitely the same thing.

Why Do cats Attempt to bury their food?

Typically, feral cats will bury their feces as well as their food. The reason why they do this is that buried food loses its scent. This allows them to avoid predators.

Female cats with kittens will have an even more vested interest in doing this. As well as hiding their own scent. They want to avoid any predators finding out that they have kittens nearby.

An extra deterrent from male cats, in particular ones that are not neutered, they will spray the area they perceive as their own (Click here to see if it is dangerous to clean cat urine with bleach). This is why some cat owners neuter their male cats.

Similar to Food Caching?

This behavior is not just isolated to the domestic cat. Other big cats, such as leopards, display similar behavior. This is commonly known as “Food Caching”.

Food caching is when the Leopard will store its food (catch of the day) high up in the trees. This is to stop any scavengers or predators stealing the food or detecting their presence.

Will Cats try to bury food they dislike?

This does actually happen sometimes. In fact, it is quite similar to the behavior of hiding their feces. Effectively cats will see the excess food as waste, and even though they have no intention of returning to it, will instinctively want to bury it.

It is also part of a cats persona to keep clean and tidy. Always looking for an opportunity to keep their personal space clean and tidy. This will also get rid of the scent that is left behind to avoid discovery by unwanted predators.

Why do cats cover up their food bowl?

This again is a similar concept to “floor pawing”. However, you will notice that your cat will actually try to cover its bowl with an object(s) to hide it.

For example, if you had a newspaper laid underneath your cat’s food bowl. You may notice after the meal the newspaper is torn to shreds. This isn’t done for fun mind you. Your cat is trying to re-use this paper to hide its food.

The reason for this is the same, its an attempt to conceal the scent given off by the food and prevent their detection. Even though, technically, they have nothing to fear in a domestic home.

What is the best way to stop this?

If you notice that your cat is damaging your flooring or carpet, then this behavior can be quite a problem. For this reason, I am going to share some methods to stop this happening…

• Take the food bowl away after eating.
• Restrict portions to one meal.
• Distraction.
• Use a hard surface (that can’t be damaged).
• Avoid “All-day grazing” food options.
• Avoid punishing your cat for this.

Take the food bowl away after eating

Immediately after she has finished eating you need to remove the food bowl. This will take some patience and persistence, mind you. The annoying thing with this option is the fact that it is a reactive strategy, meaning you will need to monitor each meal like a hawk.

Restrict portions to one meal

Instead of large meals, restrict the portions to just cover one meal. This may take some practice to get the sizing right, but it is easier for you once you get that right. This is because you won’t have to monitor the bowl so much.

Distraction

This method will entail you waiting for your cat to start scratching away, then immediately distracting his attention. This is easily done by using a toy, ball of string, etc. The idea is to move your cat’s attention away from clawing up your flooring.

Use a hard surface (that can’t be damaged)

To avoid this happening you can consider placing the food bowl on a hard surface that can’t be scratched and damaged, such as concrete (Click here to see how you stop a cat from scratching walls). This largely depends on what options you have in your house.

Avoid “All-day grazing” food options

Some cat owners like to leave out dry food options for their cats to graze on all day. The idea here is to avoid this. This only gives your cat ample opportunities to start scratching and burying food (Click here to see why this could be the reason why your cat is scratching up your walls).

Avoid punishing your cat for this.

Lastly, even if you catch your cat “at it”. Avoid punishing her for this. It is instinctive and will confuse her. Better to use one of these methods to ween her off it rather than trying this negative reinforcement method. Or even consider a cat scratcher to refocus her energy (Click here for my best 3 quality ones, not from cardboard).

Should you worry about this anyway?

Truthfully, if your cat is not disrupting or causing any damage to your house, such as your couch (Click here for my best 3 couch scratching protectors), I wouldn’t worry about it. This is normal behavior and should not be a cause for concern. If you can live with this, I would just ignore and accept it.