I've noticed this with out adult 5 year-old cat, and didn't think anything of it, until I saw my new 8-week old kitten does the same thing.
When they eat their kibble, they do this little shake of their head when picking it up. I thought maybe it's dust or something, but have eliminated that as cause, and have no other possibility - can anyone tell me why they do this?
2007-07-10 14:43:57 · 14 answers · asked by Unicornrider 7 in Pets ➔ Cats
I guess it might keep their prey more still. Let them know who is in control you know! Why does my kitten kill and growl at the raw chicken wing.....it's gotta kill it a few times and really let it know who's boss.
2007-07-10 15:10:19 · answer #1 · answered by ili 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is a predator instinct. They do it for 2 reasons.
1. They are killing the prey. When a cat kills, say, a mouse, it will pick it up and shake it. I believe this is too break the neck or back.
2. Cats cannot chew. They shake their head with every bite because in the wild this shake would tear bite size hunk of meat off their prey.
I agree, it is adorable and I love to watch mine do this.
2007-07-10 22:54:53 · answer #2 · answered by NANCY K 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I once had a cat named Ashes and she would paw the whole area around her dish for at least five minutes and I looked and thought is it bug, dust, but it turned out she had a little OCD and that was her way of hiding her food, at least in her mind. Your kitten sounds like a birder if he's shaking his food and probably is copying the older cat I think it's cute.
If you have a kitten that's a birder get them the little mice and a light floor rug, she will play hide and seek over and over they love it and when she finds the mouse she hides she'll shake it and shake it my cat does it, I could watch for hours, but she always ends up losing her mice under the furniture after awhile, so at least the dust comes out of under my furniture when it's mouse round up day.
2007-07-11 11:14:25 · answer #3 · answered by Pearl N 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I once worked as a vet tech and a few people would ask that question every so often. The vet would say its instinct and a type of reflex. I notice my cats do it also with their food every morning and night when they get fed, and especially when they catch a bird. But That is what the vet would tell clients that asked the same questions.
2007-07-10 22:14:35 · answer #4 · answered by Rina 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I always thought it was the cat trying to get a better mouthful of food or attempting to knock it back to where its easier to chew. But maybe its one of those built in things... my cat whenever she drinks water, she always kneeds the floor infront of the waterbowl before drinking, like she would do if she was still a kitten and nursing...
2007-07-10 21:50:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it's inbuilt instinct. Hunting for prey, some cats pick up by neck and shake to break neck and kill before eating.
2007-07-17 05:30:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is naturall reflex all my cats do it and all the cats i have treated do it in domestic life they have there food handed to them they do not need to hunt and catch their dinner so to balance it out they treat their domestic food as if it were a mouse or such like the head shake is perfectly normal and its their way of staying wild whilst being domestic .
hope this helps.
2007-07-11 12:58:55 · answer #7 · answered by lyndsey j 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is innate like they are tearing off a piece of meat.
2007-07-17 23:34:04 · answer #8 · answered by samedi48 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats are predators by nature. Maybe they are making sure it is dead.
2007-07-10 21:48:30 · answer #9 · answered by quilt 4 life 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's instinctive--they shake the "prey" to kill it! It is cute, isn't it?
2007-07-10 21:47:25 · answer #10 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋