by Charlie (Clinton Township Michigan)
clean freak cat
About 6 months ago i rescued the greatest cat in the world from the Michigan Humane Society. He is lovable, playful, energetic, and most of all he is a clean freak. I noticed my cat acting very weird when he is eating. After eating, my cat has the urge to “sweep” all the food that may have spilled on the floor into one nice neat pile. Then (and this is the bothersome part) he will soak his paws in his water bowl and begin to “mop” his eating area clean. This isn’t a huge issue for me, in fact it is kinda cute. However it is getting to the point where Grover (my cat) will empty his water bowl on the floor and try to mop it all up, leaving the floor wet, and sticky. I have been trying to find out why he is doing this, and I cant figure out how to stop this. if anybody has any suggestions on how to stop this OCD like behavior please let me know. I am desperate! please respond with a comment if there is anybody who has seen this before!
Comments for Clean Freak Cat
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Fastidious or Eccentric ? by: Mary Lou I agree that your cat looks adorable in that photo.Never heard of this water bowl behavior. Try moving the water bowl to another spot away from his food dish. My cats are very messy eaters and don’t clean up after themselves. I wish mine were more fastidious when it comes to their eating habits.
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clean cats by: Anonymous I don’t know but that is a great picture of your cat!
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Food Bowl Sweepers by: Gina Bear My Darwin Bear does kind of a similar thing. He will sweep like crazy around his bowl when he is done eating, then try to cover it up with the mat the food and water is on, usually spilling his water everywhere in the process.I think he is trying to mimic his instinct of burying food in the wild in order to keep the smell of dead animal from scaring off new potential prey (or trying to hide his food from Ju Ju Bear who eats everything). I try to stop him and he plants himself and will not stop sweeping. If I pick him up, he keeps sweeping the air with his paws. I started to fill the water bowl only half way and replace it more frequently throughout the day. I also have a more absorbent food mat.He only does it here and there, not everyday anymore. I have also learned to love and appreciate this weird quirk of his and stopped trying to stop it.