Why is my cat scratching the ground?

In the category of strange animals, the cat is certainly at the top of the basket.  In a real paradox, these bizarre behaviors made his success as evidenced by the social networks through which he became a real star.  Sometimes we wonder about the origin of these unusual reflexes such as scratching the floor, even the tiles.  Truth be told, this is purely instinct adopted very often when it was still in the wild.  Explanations.

A reflex inherited from his ancestors:

The cat is an animal which develops a strong atavism, in other words, it kept the ancestral behaviors of its ancestors and tends to reproduce them even today.  These gestures resulting from an instinctive reflex no longer need to be given that the feline has been domesticated and that it no longer lives in the wild.  And yet, it is difficult to get rid of these instinctive attitudes, especially since the animal no longer has to hunt for food, but is served by its masters.  Scratching the ground is actually a habit of the ancestors of the domestic cat who allowed them to hide food in the ground in order to annihilate the odors and thus prevent predators from finding them easily or stealing their loot.  Wild cats adopt the same attitude by burying their prey in an area of ​​water, under the grass or the ground.  At home, the domestic cat does the same.  After eating, he will start frantically scratching his bowl, imagining that it will hide the remains of his meals which will be protected from other animals.  We grant it to you.  This gesture is completely unnecessary.  But as explained above, it acts only out of pure instinct, without thinking.

 The domestic cat reproduces the same gesture around its litter.  No wonder we see him scratching all around after he has done his business.  This hereditary and natural behavior is also a means of protecting oneself from predators.  Covering its excrement prevents them from finding its trace.  The smell is reduced and its presence on the territory goes unnoticed.

A territorial marking system:

Scraping the earth is also a technique of territorial marking.  By scratching near its bowl, it leaves its pheromones, chemical molecules that emanate from the pads and glands located under the skin intended to mark its presence.  In this way, if ever a fellow member decides to venture close to his bowl, he will know that the territory already belongs to another thanks to the smell given off by pheromones.

 From time to time, the cat starts to come back near its litter box or its mess tin and then sniffs the place.  If he feels that the place is not sufficiently permeated with its smell, he will start scratching again.  He thus has the assurance that his territory is marked with his presence and that his food is well hidden.