Put my cat's food bowl on a raised mat and now she eats with her paw, what gives?

Wade Garcia · 2026-10-01T16:50:05.08434+00:00

About three weeks ago I moved my 2 year old cat's food bowl off the floor and onto one of those raised silicone mats because I read it helps with neck strain. Since then she has started scooping kibble out with her paw, eating it off the mat, then doing it again like some little raccoon. She never did this when the bowl sat flat on the linoleum in our kitchen. I thought raising it would make things easier but it seems to have turned dinner into a game. Did I accidentally create a foraging puzzle for her? Has anyone else's cat done this after a bowl height change, and did it ever go back to normal eating?

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Put my cat's food bowl on a raised mat and now she eats with her paw, what gives? | Cat Behavior Decoded - Librear