Why cat like to leave some of their food?

If you notice, whenever your cat is having it’s meal, they rarely will finish their food. I mean not always, but often. You might wonder why they do this? There might be 3 reason why they do this.

Reason no 1 : They want to save it for later.

Instinctually, like in the wild, cats will hunt and save some food for later. They likely hunt throughout the day and eating multiple small meals. Most likely they keep some food left just incase they don’t have fresher food supply.

Hunting on the other hand, does not trigger by their hunger but by instinct instead. Usually Cat would prefer to eat several small meal through out the day instead of a larger one.

Reason no 2 : Sensitive whiskers

Second reason your cat tend to leave some food behind is because of their sensitive whiskers. It is uncomfortable for them to be burrowing through a narrow bowl. So they leave the food around the bottom edges rather endure the discomfort.

Typically cat whiskers are sensitive as it is an important tools to hunt and navigate in the dark. Whiskers also help the cat to figure out if they can fit somewhere or not. If their whisker fit then most probably their body will also fit. Pressure on their whiskers means they likely will get stuck.

Reason no 3: They might just had enough 🙂

Most people don’t know this, but cat has stomachs as big as a ping pong ball. When the stomach is full, your cat won’t continue eating.

Then again cat usually only take a short break before they start feeling hungry again. It is very common for cat to eat only a bit, then after a while they eat a bit more.

What should do?

If you notice your cat leaving behind some food, try switching out her deep bowl for a flatter plate.