Cat that eats everytime he goes out and comes in (eating, rug)

[bmd69]

I have an older cat that has to check out his bowl every time he goes outside. Never had a cat before. I've Had him for 8 years came with my new house. I'm guessing he is 12 yrs old.

Anybody have a cat that does that

[moved]

Snickers doesn't go out, but he goes in the kitchen periodically to check his bowl. He's hoping that there's a new can of food in it, because he already finished it.

[catsmom21]

Cats form their own little habits and rituals. Often mere humans cannot see the reasons for these, but I'm sure the cat has his own reasons.

[texdav]

You have humans who if they don't go after getting up in morning ;start worrying. As someone once said being regular is a sign of good health.

[thatdurncat13]

My 4yr old, Jem, does that. Sleeps most of the day but when the sun goes down he grabs 5-6 bites of food then runs to the door and hollers to go out. About an hour later he hollers to come in. He then runs to the food bowl and gulps 5-6 bites of food then high tails it to the door and howls to go back out. My vampire cat, long nights in my house lol.

[Zeurich]

Same as Diesol every time he check his bowl before going out and after coming in, as vet says he need to be sure other cat did not use it. Mine is 4 years old.

[goyguy]

Originally Posted by Zeurich

Same as Diesol every time he check his bowl before going out and after coming in, as vet says he need to be sure other cat did not use it.

This! But with two cats in the house I'm not sure what either one of them gains by doing that.
And here I thought I'd scored when I once took over an apartment complete with piano. I think the OP went me one better, buying a home complete with cat!

[mawipafl]

Originally Posted by bmd69

I have an older cat that has to check out his bowl every time he goes outside. Never had a cat before. I've Had him for 8 years came with my new house. I'm guessing he is 12 yrs old.

Anybody have a cat that does that

My cats don't, but my dog always goes to his water bowl for a drink before going out. It's some sort of habit created by who-knows-what, so I'm guessing it's the same for your cat.

It may be a unique behavior, but definitely not an unhealthy one. As texdav said, it's when rituals change when we have to pay attention.

I know that cats are smart and do have the ability to remember and to reason -- maybe this eating before and after has something to do with the instinctive hunting desire which for some cats requires more mental energy than others, and that they know historically hunting always fails when they go out. Associating food with energy, maybe some cats grab a few bits of "energy" before heading out, and then after an outdoor session are a bit hungry and grab a few bites to recharge the batteries.

OR, still on the hunting theme, maybe the association of going outside triggers the thought of hunting which triggers the stomach to say "I'm empty" (even if it isn't). It's the same concept when we drive by a favorite ice cream shop and salivate even if we're not hungry for dessert :-)

OR, as Zeurich wrote, maybe a cat needs to be assured that the bowl is still there and/or has not been "tainted" by another cat.

OR maybe it's just a flukey habit, a sequence ritual like my dog has. "Wanna go out?" triggers the ritual of running to the water bowl for a few slurps and then standing at the door. Coming in, the ritual is to sit on the rug and wait for the treat - and he'll sit there patiently waiting until he gets it (which is sometimes minutes if I cluelessly forget). He sticks to a ritual, and when he does it tells him all is right with the world. Maybe it's the same for your cat bmd69.

[tasmtairy]

George does this, he eats a couple of bites, wants outside, 5 minutes later wants in. I pick his bowl up, otherwise fat Bridget would eat it.

[bmd69]

This cat was left at my house that was under construction. He was a inside cat. Overall he is pretty good. I think he wants to make sure there is food there.