Here’s Why Cats Really Lick Each Other, And It’s Less Cute Than I Thought

Posted on 17/07/2026 by Boris Clair

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about the heartwarming reason cats might lick their owners, as well as the pretty cute meaning behind a feline headbutt.

So perhaps it’s overdue for us to look at some of the furry friends’ less pure intentions.

According to a new study published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, it turns out that cats’ “allogrooming” – including licking one another – isn’t always as wholesome as it looks.

Instead, the research, led by Morgane Van Belle, a cat behavioural scientist at Ghent University in Belgium, found the action has “multiple social functions”.

Allogrooming should therefore “not be used on its own to infer that the cats are socially bonded,” the study – which involved analysing 106 videos of feline pairs from 53 households – reads.

What does it mean when cats lick one another?

1) To show escalating tension

Sometimes, cats seem to lick each other as a kind of pre-conflict warning sign – like when one cat is annoyed by another pet stealing their favourite sunbathing spot.

This type of licking has been described as “passive-aggressive”.

In this case, the recipient of the lick might flatten their ears to show they’re not exactly loving the interaction.

Allogrooming in this case might be a “subtle agonistic signal to covertly solve conflict,” the paper reads. This type of licking might come alongside head shaking and even striking and biting.

2) To de-escalate a possible fight

Other times, the researchers said, licking can be “used as a form of appeasement to avoid escalation”.

Before a fight gets too serious, one cat might lick another as a way of re-establishing the peace.

“For me, [this] shows that they are quite elegant in the way they resolve conflict,” Van Belle told The New York Times.

“They could walk over and swat another cat in the face to get the blanket it is lying on. Instead, they lick it a little and fuss around. They have these very subtle ways of resolving conflict… that shows they are intelligent and flexible in their behavior, rather than simply being jerks.”

3) To intimidate each other

Some cases involved one cat “leaning over the other one” while licking them, which might be an intimidation or even bullying tactic.

Whatever the reason, the cat being licked in these cases typically shows signs of displeasure.

4) To clean one another

87% of the time, cats licked one another in the head and neck area.

That’s a hard spot for cats to reach by themselves, though it just so happens to be a very enjoyable place for most cats to be groomed, too.

5) To bond

Some licking is used for the adorable reason we assume it is: strengthening social bonds.

This is likely to be true if the cats are also playing together and have synchronised body posture.

Seeking physical contact with another cat, including snuggling, was followed by allogrooming in 41% of cases, for instance.

Licking was also sometimes used to initiate play.

6) To help one another relax

Lastly, licking may help the recipient relax.

Previous research showed that in various animals, “The behaviour has an immediate relaxing effect for the groomee, as it leads to a reduction in heart rate… and a release of beta-endorphins [natural pain and stress relievers].

“More research is needed to further explore and confirm the suggested functions for allogrooming in cats,” the paper ended.

“Ultimately, this knowledge can contribute to the recognition, resolution and prevention of social stress between cats in multi-cat households.”

Researchers Think Cats Could Help Our Brains Age Better

Posted on 05/07/2026 by Boris Clair

Owning a pet, be it a cat or a dog, has previously been linked to lower heart disease risk. This is especially true for cat owners aged between 40 and 64.

Our feline friends may also reduce stress and boost our mood.

As if they don’t do enough for us already, researchers from the University of Bath, Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine in the US, and École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse in France have said they might help us to age better too.

Why might cats help us to age better?

Their paper, published in the journal Biology Open, reads: “Pet cats may inform human ageing since humans and cats age similarly and they develop health challenges that mirror those observed in humans”.

Unlike a lot of lab animals, they added, cats tend to live long enough to develop age-related brain changes, like those seen in humans.

And, on the flip side, because they live a lot shorter lives than us, we can study their ageing at a much faster rate than we could in people.

The researchers used a biological model which looked at how multiple species age at a physical level.

They tracked 3,754 data points – like MRI (not CAT, sadly) scans, blood samples, and developmental milestones – gathered across human, cat, and other mammal species.

They found that cat and human brains seem to age remarkably similarly. Both species experience age-related neurodegeneration.

Like us, cats age in bursts. And they reach the equivalent of human old age: a teenage cat is the rough equivalent of a person in their 80s, ageing-wise.

“It was interesting to see that cats show patterns of age-related brain atrophy similar to those observed in humans,” said PhD candidate Brier Rigby Dames, who was involved with the research.

“These findings add to growing evidence that companion animals can provide valuable insights into ageing.”

Cat owners are increasingly requesting more detailed pet scans

Speaking to the University of Bath, the study’s co-author, Dr Ryan Gibson, said that more and more pet owners are sending their cats in for increasingly detailed scans as they age.

This, he said, might provide an exciting opportunity.

“This expanded clinical access creates meaningful opportunities for translational research (research that bridges the gap between scientific findings and healthcare), improving our understanding of aging and neurologic disease in ways that can benefit both feline and human patients,” he said.

For her part, Brier Rigby Dames said: “There’s potential to develop large-scale veterinary health databases for companion animals, analogous to human health databases such as the UK Biobank.

“These kinds of resources could enhance our ability to study ageing and disease using real-world clinical and owner-reported data collected across species.”

Sloths Could Help Us Manage Disease And Travel Further In Space

Posted on 13/06/2026 by Boris Clair

Sloths, famously, are pretty slow. They move fewer than 38 metres a day, and sleep for up to 20 hours at a time – they’re so sluggish that fungi, moths, and algae grow on their fur, forming an entire ecosystem.

As it turns out, this lethargic lifestyle might be helpful to astronauts hoping to survive long space missions.

In fact, scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge have just published a study about how helpful the animals’ DNA might be to people heading to galaxies far, far away, as well as those with diseases like diabetes down here on Earth.

Why might sloths help people?

Study co-lead author, Dr Camila Mazzoni, said: “Sloths have the slowest metabolism [the sum of chemical processes happening in your body] of any mammal, yet they remain healthy.

“Understanding how they achieve this may reveal new insights into how cells manage energy efficiently.”

Sloths don’t need to eat much, they barely move, and they generally keep their temperature low.

Despite this, they remain healthy and manage to get all the important stuff, like finding a mate, getting food, and swimming for surprisingly long distances, done.

The study authors wanted to find out which part of the animals’ DNA enabled them to do as much as they can with very little energy input. They compared their genomes, which they described as genetic “instruction manuals”, to those of other mammals to work out why sloths were different.

After examining these genomes, that found out that sloths had several copies of ‘transposons’ or ‘jumping genes’, which, the Wellcome Sanger Institute explained, are “DNA sequences that can copy and paste themselves to change their position in the genome”.

Humans have some parts of these transposons, but they’re usually not whole, and are often inactive.

It turns out many of these relate to mitochondria, or the energy-generating parts of cells.

What’s that got to do with space, or disease?

Study co-author Dr Pedro Galante said, “Many human conditions – including diabetes, ageing-related disorders, neurodegeneration, and muscle wasting – involve problems with energy production and mitochondrial function.

“While further research is needed, sloth cell lines may offer a natural model for understanding how organisms cope with low-energy states, and what goes wrong in disease. In the long term, this could inform research into tissue preservation, critical care medicine, ageing, metabolic disease, and even long-duration space travel.”

That’s because saving energy in space, especially if you’re out there for a long time, is important. The further we travel, the more important this may be.

These genome discoveries could help us to manage diseases that involve metabolic changes, like diabetes, too.

Study author Dr Marcela Uliano-Silva added: “Evolution has already run billions of experiments. By studying unusual animals like sloths, we sometimes uncover biological solutions that humans never evolved…

“These sloth-specific genes are linked to mitochondria and metabolic pathways, suggesting they might be related to the evolution of their extremely slow metabolism.”

Punch The Monkey’s Plush: Why Animals, Including Humans, Love ‘Cuddle Therapy’

Posted on 25/02/2026 by Boris Clair

Primate expertise provided by Dr Luke Duncan, a postdoctoral research fellow, primatologist, and part of the University of Warwick’s ApeTank. Therapy comment by relationship therapist and author at Passionerad, Sofie Roos.

If you’re 1) on social media and 2) have something resembling a heart, chances are it’s been broken by the Japanese macaque, Punch, from Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan.

The adorable monkey, whose mother abandoned him, has gone viral for clutching an IKEA orangutan plush to help manage his feelings of abandonment (the burnt orange stuffed toy has since sold out in multiple stores).

But why do animals, including humans, so often turn to stuffed toys in our times of need, or as a more everyday source of comfort?

One study suggests that dogs can become almost “addicted” to their toys, which another paper says may boost their welfare. Over a third of adults sleep with a plush every night.

Here, we spoke to primate expert Dr Luke Duncan and therapist Sofie Roos about the “cuddle therapy” a variety of species can get from stuffed toys.

Emotional support plushes are pretty common among adults, and could be helpful for distressed animals

Punch’s toy orangutan was given to him to help him handle the loss of his parent. According to Dr Duncan, that move makes sense.

“Young primates are biologically programmed to cling to their mother ― it’s a normal and essential part of emotional and psychological development,” he told us.

“Harry Harlow’s foundational research in the 1950s and 1960s showed that infant rhesus monkeys overwhelmingly preferred a soft cloth surrogate over a wire one that provided milk, demonstrating that tactile comfort is a powerful driver of attachment behaviour in infants.”

So, while the goal should always be to provide a “safe, living social partner of the same species,” in a pinch, “A soft surrogate, in the form of a plush toy, can… provide meaningful comfort for an orphaned infant primate.

“While a plush toy cannot replace a real mother, it may help alleviate distress in the short term.”

And Roos said that while humans – and almost certainly other animals – know our toys aren’t really alive, they can “work as a ‘transition object’, which… stands as a symbol for safety when an important person is no longer with us”.

Among adults, she added, stuffed toy use offers a kind of “cuddle therapy”, which provides a combination of physical touch and pressure that a lot of animals find soothing.

“Physical touch, [even] from an object, can make our body calm and feel safe.”

Then, there’s the fact that, generally, toys don’t leave us.

“For people who lose someone important, and have wounds connected to abandonment and an insecure attachment, the cuddly toy can give a feeling of not being completely alone, which for some becomes a saviour,” the therapist said.

“We’re born with a… need to… belong, and this need stays with us until the day we die. A stuffed animal doesn’t get any less good at giving us this just because we grow older.”

Perhaps that’s why 44% of adults hold on to their childhood toys.

The therapist doesn’t think it’s that different to using meditation apps

Lots of animals, including humans, “are born social, and seek closeness, warmth and touch. A cuddle toy can work as a complement to give that safety, care and attachment we so strongly seek, especially if we feel lonely,” said Roos.

This is not unlike what may be happening with Punch: Dr Duncan shared, “Physical contact with a soft object can help regulate [primate] stress responses and provide a sense of security during a vulnerable period”.

Roos continued, “Many also connect the cuddle toy with childhood, a time most look back at as easier and more protected, where the stuffed animal can stand as a symbol for that time when we felt cared for, comforted and soothed in another way.”

In fact, the therapist doesn’t think relying on a stuffed toy for “cuddle therapy” is all that different to other forms of self-soothing.

“When looking at what the cuddle toy does for you, it’s not far away from what using mindfulness apps, yoga, stress balls or weighted blankets do – the stuffed animal is just less socially accepted, even though in my [opinion], it works better than many other more accepted methods of dealing with stress, loneliness, overthinking and anxiety.”

I Just Learned Why All Thoroughbred Racehorses Share A Birthday, And I Had No Clue

Posted on 06/12/2025 by Boris Clair

You could fill a book with all the things I don’t know about racehorses (and they probably have; I imagine it’s called something like ’Basic Racehorse Facts For Newly-Landed Aliens, The Simplified Edition’).

But I reckon that even people more horse-savvy than me will be surprised to learn that thoroughbreds all share the same birthday.

Yup – Barbara Wrathall, a horse expert at Discount Equestrian, said, “every thoroughbred racehorse, including those in the Royal Stud breeding programme, is officially considered to be born on 1 January”.

Here’s why.

Why do thoroughbred racehorses all share a birthday?

Obviously, not all of the horses actually enter the world on the first day of whatever year they were born.

But the New Year date was chosen, Wrathall said, “because the racing world needs a single, standardised date for age categories”.

The age of a horse is really important in racing, she continued, because “a few months can mean a noticeable difference in strength, development and training readiness”.

The Jockey Club stated that, because flat racehorses can begin their careers at just two years old, this can mean a big discrepancy between a horse born in the early months of the year versus those born later.

But most horses don’t enter the most prestigious flat races until at least three years old, while jump horses don’t even begin participating until they’re four or older.

And, prior to the Jockey Club decree in 1834, which set Jan 1 as the horses’ new “birthday”, owners were racing horses with vast age gaps against each other – partly because birth records were so poorly kept.

Wrathall said: “The universal birthday ensures fairness and consistency across the sport, especially important for elite breeders like the Royal Stud.”

And, the expert continued, “at the Royal Studs, where bloodlines are planned years in advance, having a single ‘birthday’ for every foal makes breeding, training schedules, and race eligibility far easier to manage”. Huh!

Thoroughbred horses have different “birthdays” across the world

Prior to the Jockey Club ruling, thoroughbred horses in the UK shared a “birthday” of 1 May, reported Horse Racing Nation.

But it’s 1 August in southern hemisphere spots like Australia.

“That date is set so that mares will begin foaling from early August and in some cases, may still be going in December,” veterinary surgeon Glenn Robertson-Smith told Victoria Racing Club.

“But despite the disparity or distance of, say, August 3 and December 2, the December foal, while some five months behind the August foal, both will be categorised by the same age.”

Study Names Dogs With The Most (And Least) Wolf DNA

Posted on 26/11/2025 by Boris Clair

If I told you a recent study showed that a majority of modern dog species have wolf DNA, you’d probably mutter something along the lines of “shocker: fork found in kitchen”.

Except that the research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), found that just two-thirds of modern dogs have detectable wolf DNA – and it is likely not an ancient remnant from their wilder ancestor, from which they separated tens of thousands of years ago.

Instead, it seems that the gene may have come from more recent interbreeding between dogs and wolves within the last few thousand years.

In fact, the study reads, “Ancient [dog] genomes from the Roman era… show no evidence of wolf ancestry… nor has wolf ancestry been detected in ancient dogs in the Arctic or the pre-colonial America”.

Still, study co-author Logan Kistler, a curator of archaeobotany and archaeogenomics at the National Museum of Natural History, told AFP this doesn’t mean “wolves are coming into your house and mixing it up with your pet dog”.

What are some “wolfish” dog traits?

In a statement, the study’s lead author, Audrey Lin, said: “Modern dogs, especially pet dogs, can seem so removed from wolves, which are often demonised.

“But there are some characteristics that may have come from wolves that we greatly value in dogs today and that we choose to keep in their lineage.”

Some characteristics often linked to high-wolf DNA breeds, the study reads, include:

Suspicious of strangers
Independant
Dignified
Alert
Loyal
Territorial,

While lower-wolf DNA breeds were more associated with being:

Easier to train
Eager to please
Courageous
Lively
Affectionate.

Traits like obedience, intelligence, being good with children, dedication, calmness, and cheerfulness seemed evenly distributed among both groups.

This study stressed, though, that these associations, which came from kennel clubs, could not definitely be linked to wolf genes themselves.

Which dog breeds are the most and least ‘wolfish’?

This research found that Czechoslovakian and Saarloos wolfdogs have the most detectable wolf DNA (up to 40%).

The great Anglo-French tricolour hound had an impressively high percentage for a “breed” dog – 4.7-5.7% – while Shiloh shepherds have 2.7%.

The Tamaskan, bred in the UK in the ’80s, has 3.7% wolf ancestry. Even chihuahuas have 0.2%, which, Lin joked, likely “makes sense” to their owners.

Surprisingly, bigger breeds like St Bernards have zero wolf DNA. The same goes for the Neapolitan mastiff and bullmastiff.

In general, detectable wolf ancestry is higher for bigger dogs and dogs bred for certain jobs, like Arctic sled dogs, “pariah” dogs, and hunting dogs.

But on average, terriers, gundogs, and scent hounds have lower wolf DNA.

As Kistler shared in a statement: “Dogs are our buddies, but apparently wolves have been a big part of shaping them into the companions we know and love today.”

Attention All Cat And Dog Owners – New Customers Get 20% Off This Vet-Approved Pet Food

Posted on 26/09/2025 by Boris Clair

We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI – prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

When it comes to the happiness of our pets, there’s not much we won’t do for them.

From rainy walks to (speaking from personal experience) letting them stomp their heavy paws all over you on the sofa in a bid to find the most perfectly comfortable cuddle spot, we do it all in a bid to give them the very best lives possible.

Their food is a big, if sometimes overlooked, part of making sure they stay happy and healthy. We are what we eat, after all, and cats and dogs are no different.

While you can’t really put a price on the value of their health, if you were to try, you’d probably want that price to fit within a certain budget while not compromising your beloved pet’s well-being.

It’s a delicate tightrope to walk (we’re not exactly made of money), but a Lily’s Kitchen promo code (FIRSTLILY20, which gets you 20% off) might make it a little bit easier.

Lily’s Kitchen is a dog and cat food brand that’s made with natural ingredients like meat, fish, and offal, and formulated with vet-approved recipes.

Lily’s Kitchen has also just dropped a new-and-improved wet cat food range, which includes a new texture and different pack sizes.

The whole idea for the brand began more than 10 years ago when a border terrier called – wait for it – Lily started to suffer from sore skin.

Her owner, Henrietta, tried a host of different treatments, but nothing worked until she started cooking the pooch her own food from scratch.

Just two weeks later, little Lily was back to normal, and Henrietta was left wondering why it was so difficult to find pet food made with quality natural ingredients.

So she enlisted the help of vets and pet nutritionists to help give more dogs and cats food that isn’t just tasty, but healthy too. Why shouldn’t our pets be able to eat as well as us, after all?

If you’d like your pet to get in on this goodness, just use the code FIRSTLILY20 at checkout, and you’ll get 20% off.

6 Signs A Hedgehog Is In Serious Need Of Help

Posted on 25/09/2025 by Boris Clair

This year’s hot, dry summer has been hard on creatures like hedgehogs, Natural England said, partly because it’s led to fewer insects.

And as they settle down for hibernation, hedgehogs face what the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) call a “complicated and often perilous energy conservation strategy”.

The time before hibernation, which typically begins in November, is therefore key to hedgehog survival.

So it’s a good thing the experts have shared six signs that show a hedgehog is in need of some help, as well as what to do if you notice them.

1) Lethargy

“Hedgehogs don’t sunbathe,” the site advised.

They are usually nocturnal, so spotting them reclining in the day is a sign they’re in urgent need of help.

2) Flies

If there are flies swarming around a hedgehog, it needs help.

“If you find a hedgehog with what looks like small grains of white rice on its face (a common area) or between the spines (prickles) the hedgehog will need URGENT help,” Bruntisland Hedgehog Sanctuary added, as this could be a sign of fly strike.

3) Wobbling as they walk

If a hedgehog seems a little unsteady on its feet, it could have a neurological condition that requires intervention.

4) Obvious injury

Wounds and clear distress are enough to seek help for an affected hedgehog.

5) Trapped hedgehogs

Hedgehogs can get trapped in places like drains, ponds, and holes and need to be removed from these.

Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, gardening expert James Lewis said: “To help the hedgehogs, you should cover [kitchen drains], or alternatively you can provide a small ramp to enable them to get out.”

6) Unaccompanied hoglets

If you see a baby hedgehog (hoglet) on its own or next to a dead adult hedgehog, notice it’s squawking a lot, or if it’s out in the day when it’s very cold, it may need rescuing, the RSPCA said.

What should I do if I spot a hedgehog in need?

“If you have found a hedgehog you are concerned about please use gardening gloves or a folded towel to collect it up, bring it indoors and put it in a high-sided box with an old towel or fleece in the bottom for the hedgehog to hide under,” the BHPS said.

You can fill a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel at the base of the box with enough water to keep the animal warm, and also provide a space for them to move off of it if they get too hot.

Leave it in a quiet room and don’t check on the hedgehog more than you strictly have to. Offer meaty cat or dog food – not the dry kind – and water, but don’t force them to eat or drink.

Then, call The Hedghehog Society as soon as possible on 01584 890 801. They’ll be able to offer advice and help you find local help centres.

If you notice severe injury and/or distress, however, take the animal to a vet instantly.

After Reports Of ‘Cat-Sized Rats’, We Need To Know: Are UK Rats Getting Bigger?

Posted on 05/08/2025 by Boris Clair

I wasn’t expecting to read a headline about cat-sized rats while eating my lunch today – but here we are.

According to news reports, a massive rat “the size of a cat” was discovered in a person’s home in Teesside (the Mirror actually went one step further and likened it to a dog in size). The rodent was said to be a whopping 56cm long.

Meanwhile Birmingham, which has been impacted by bin strikes for weeks on end that have seen bags of waste piled high in residential areas, is also witnessing feline-sized rodents.

One resident Kim Blakeman told the BBC: “The rats are huge – they are like small cats and their tails are really chunky.”

So, are rats getting bigger?

Pest controller David Parnell suggested the cat-sized rat found in Teesside is not a one off. “The rats are getting bigger, bolder and harder to deal with,” he wrote in a piece for the Independent.

He suggested the possible increase in size we’re witnessing is due to genetics, but also what rats are eating – namely, takeaways and processed food that people are “carelessly” chucking out.

Leaving bin bags in streets is giving rats – who can easily chew through wires, so a bag won’t phase them – a free ticket to an all-you-can-eat buffet. But it’s not just that that’s causing the problem.

“The UK has created a perfect storm for rats: poor waste management, exploding takeaway culture, weak sewer infrastructure and water companies failing to maintain ageing systems,” Parnell said, suggesting rats have even crept up water pipes into people’s toilet bowls.

But Niall Gallagher, the British Pest Control Association (BPCA)’s technical manager, suggested “generally, there’s no evidence that rats are getting physically bigger on average”.

That said, every year a pest professional is bound to stumble across an “outlier”.

He told HuffPost UK: “A typical rat measures around 9 inches long (not including tail). With the proper environmental conditions, such as easy access to an open water source, food source and safe harbourage from predators, they have been known to grow to larger sizes of around 17 inches!”

How to keep rats away

Rat populations peak from August to October, so chances are you might catch a glimpse of one in the coming months. (Although hopefully they won’t be cat-sized.)

If you do want to keep them out of your home and garden, follow this advice:

1. Get rid of food and water sources

Don’t leave your BBQ leftovers out in the garden (even the bones). Clear away and wash food bowls and plates once they’ve been used.

Rats will eat “almost anything”, said Miroslav Radov, owner of garage clearance company Rainbow Rubbish removals. “Therefore, ensuring that you have eliminated any food or water sources that they could feed off is crucial.”

He added that if there’s no available food source, “rats will be less likely to reproduce, which can aid in ensuring that rat numbers don’t multiply in your property”.

2. Inspect your home for entry points

Despite growing to large sizes, rats can squeeze through very small holes (we’re talking a 15mm gap), so now’s the time to scout around for any entry points that a rat could sneak through – and seal them up.

Gallagher advises people to “plug any gaps around pipes, cables, near doors and windows with mesh or wire wool and quick-drying cement”.

“Check that inspection covers for drains are in good repair and securely closed, and that any disused pipes are sealed off,” he added.

3. Keep clutter to a minimum

While eliminating food sources and sealing entry points are crucial to keeping rats away, so too is minimising clutter in your home and garden, said Radov. This is because piles of junk can serve as a great hiding, (or worse) nesting, place for rats.

Gallagher said overgrown patches of weeds, piles of wood and debris can provide nesting sites and routes of travel for rats. He also advised to “trim back overhanging branches or climbing plants” as these can provide routes into higher roof spaces for rats, mice and squirrels.

4. Get a decent dustbin with a lid that stays on

Rats love rubbish, so if your dustbin lid is prone to blowing off in the faintest breeze, it’s time to sort it, as Gallagher said: “Rubbish bins should have a securely fitting lid which is kept closed at all times. Any food waste should be bagged before going into an outside bin to avoid attracting pests.”

5. Call for backup

If you do have a rat inside your home, it’s time to call an expert. In the event of an infestation taking hold, BPCA recommends contacting one of its members for help via bpca.org.uk/find.

Best of luck!

The Cute Reason Dogs Love Digging In The Bin (And How To Stop It)

Posted on 31/07/2025 by Boris Clair

There is nothing worse than coming home from a busy work day, putting down your bag, and walking into the kitchen to see the contents of the bin are quite simply… all over the place.

Then your pooch looks at you with those sweet eyes and their tail wagging and you just cannot stay mad at them, even if their favourite hobby is nothing short of disgusting.

Why do they do it, though? Especially if there isn’t actually any food in there? Is it for the love of the game?

Well, kind of.

Why dogs love to dig in the trash

“Never forget that dogs are descended from grey wolves,” said BBC Science Focus Magazine.

They may feel like our furry babies but in reality, these domesticated pups still have a little wildness in their bones.

The experts added: “Our pampered pets have inherited the wolves’ keen sense of smell and scavenging tendencies, making ‘playing’ with rubbish a favourite pastime for some.

“Wild wolves also roll in strong-smelling substances, such as faeces, to mask their scent when they’re hunting.”

This will also sound familiar for dog owners who find themselves regularly scrubbing fox poo off their dog’s paws (and coat). Lovely.

How to stop dogs from rummaging through bins

The pet experts over at Pets4Homes advise:

Keep your dog out of rooms containing bins unless supervised, using doors or baby gates as barriers.
Use bins with secure, childproof lids that cannot be easily knocked off by your dog.
Anchor outdoor wheelie bins to walls or fences and add catches to prevent your dog from tipping them over (remember to release catches on bin collection day to avoid issues).
If your dog tends to go after other people’s bins during walks, consider using a well-fitting muzzle and keep them on a lead when near bins.

Good luck!