This is a short and simple article that explains this behaviour, it is not really that complicated and I really want to simplify it for you, so that you know why this is happening and what you can do about it.

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The WHY is actually this simple: Because the cat is not fully comfortable or trusting of the humans and/or other pets in the home, so he needs to have his eyes in the directions where someone could sneak up on him.

You have seen the videos of cats getting scared of cucumbers, have you noticed that most of the videos are taken while the cat is eating?
This is one of a few times a day that your cat is (or supposed to be) fully relaxed and totally in to what he is doing – eating. So he lets down his guard and feel that he can trust his owner and therefor eat in peace. Until the owner gambles with this trust and for no reason put a cucumber next to her loving cat and starts videotaping it.

And now you know my feeling of the cucumber videos 😉

Anyway.
If your cat has always been a little scared and shy, maybe you got his from the streets or a bad environment, then this cat might always eat with its back against the wall – and that is perfectly fine! There is noting really wrong with that at all, you can always adjust and find a way to maybe have him sit in a corner where he has two walls next to him and feel even more safe.

What can you do?
If you must do something, then try to find out why your cat is not fully trusting of the home.
These are a few things that can make this behaviour start:

  • New family member moving in
  • New baby in the home
  • New furniture or other redecorating items
  • A family member that the cat loves is away
  • New noises or smells in or around the house

You probably see the red thread here..

This article is mostly to get you to understand that this is common, and so that you understand why this is happening. How you can change it is totally based on the WHY? and just be patient with your cat and make the corner or wall a bit easier to access by putting the bowl further out from the walls.

This is one of the things that I can help you with if you want to book a chat with me