What It Means When Your Cat Places Toys in Its Food Bowl

A reader recently sent in this photo and asked, “Do your cats do this? Suzie does this EACH time she eats, she puts a toy in her dish, sometimes more than one. I find it so comical but don’t understand the meaning, do you have any ideas? I have found as many as 8 toys in one day….!”

My cats don’t do this – so I went to the streets to ask!  Ha ha – I mean, social media to ask!

Here’s what readers said on Facebook:

And here’s what they said on Instagram:

Many readers commented that their cats do this too – and also that their cats put toys in the water bowl.

There were several responses, but the overwhelming reason why is because it’s primal and they’re doing it to bury their food from predators.

Petcha.com says, “Cats often put their toys away in a “safe” place after playing with them, and cats look upon their food area as a secure part of their territory. This behavior is similar to cats in the wild who often take their prey back to their nest area to hide it from potential predators.”

Do your cats bring their toys for collection at the food and water bowls?