Cats are chockfull of strange behavior, but most of the time there’s a completely reasonable explanation behind their odd actions. One of these common acts from cats is hiding food. Sometimes cats drag cloth or paper over their food to hide it, remove the cover to eat, and then recover it all over again when they leave. Just why do they do that?

The most common cause behind cats hiding their food is that they find the scent offensive.  They can often do this when they’re ill and don’t feel like eating or when their diet is suddenly changed. If the cat continues to eat normally, then there may be something else behind the strange behavior.

Sometimes it’s just instincts. In the wild, cats would have to hide their food to protect it from predators and scavengers and return to it later. Another reason could be for fun. Hiding and uncovering the food could be your cat’s way of playing. Cats are expert finders and they could simply be trying to entertain themselves.

Either way, it’s not a serious problem. It’s a cute personality quirk that at worst is fun to watch.