My cats are finicky. I've tried so many different kinds of cat food and they'll try it once and then, for some reason, the food becomes heinous and they won't eat it. The thing that really baffles me is that they'll get some new food, like it, and then they try to bury it! What the heck? Why would they like the food, try to bury it and then later eat more? I did a little research and found out that most likely what they're doing is "caching" their food, or covering it like wild cats do to protect it from predators and then eat it later.
On the site, blog.chron.com, I found just such an article which quoted from the English natural history author, Reverend John George Wood regarding this act by cats as far back as 1853. This is what the quote said.
"She delighted in covering up the remnants of her food with any substances that seemed most convenient. She was accustomed, after taking her meals, to fetch a piece of paper and lay it over the saucer, or to put her paw into her mistress’ pocket, and extract her handkerchief for the same purpose. These little performances showed some depth of reasoning in the creature, but she would sometimes act in a manner totally opposed to rational action. Paper and handkerchiefs failing, she has been often seen, after partly finishing her meal, to fetch one of her kittens, and to lay it over the plate, for the purpose of covering up the remaining food. When kitten, paper, and handkerchief were all wanting, she did her best to scratch up the carpet and to lay the torn fragments upon the plate. She has been known, in her anxiety to find a covering for the superabundant food, to drag a table-cloth from its proper locality, and to cause a sad demolition of the superincumbent fragile ware.”
Well, my cats don't have kittens, so they haven't tried to bury their food with their kids, but it just goes to show the peculiar things animals do. Check out the full article regarding "caching" here.
