A carried meal is a protected meal
When your cat picks up her own food, or food meant near her kittens, and carries it to a particular corner, she is usually acting on a deeply practical instinct. A meal eaten in the open is a meal that can be interrupted, stolen, or fought over. A meal carried somewhere quiet, enclosed, or familiar is one she can finish in peace. Domestic life has removed most of the rivals, but it has not removed the calculation, especially in a cat who has lived outdoors, shared a home with other animals, or simply prefers to eat unobserved.
For a mother cat the logic is stronger still. Leaving young kittens to eat at a distant bowl means leaving them unguarded, so carrying food back toward the nest lets her eat and stay on duty at the same time. Some queens also move food closer to kittens who are beginning to notice solid food, which can look like deliberate delivery even when it starts as self-protection.
Why that particular spot wins
Cats rarely choose the destination at random. The favoured spot is often away from foot traffic, out of the direct line of sight of other pets, on a surface that feels secure underfoot, and close to a resting place she already trusts. A hallway bowl beside a washing machine, a front door, or a dog's usual route can feel exposed in ways that are obvious once you watch the room through her priorities instead of yours.
Timing matters too. A cat who eats happily from her bowl when the house is empty but carries food away when children are home or visitors arrive is telling you the spot is fine and the audience is the problem. A cat who has always relocated meals, even in a calm house, is more likely showing a settled personal habit than a new worry. A sudden change in an older cat is worth more attention than a lifelong quirk.
Work with the spot she chose
The simplest fix is usually to move the meal, not correct the cat. Put a washable mat and a sturdy bowl in the corner she keeps choosing, provided it is hygienic and away from litter trays, and let that become an official feeding place. Dragging pieces across carpet leaves crumbs and can attract ants, so giving the habit a proper station protects your floors without fighting her instinct.
If she feeds kittens, set her own bowl within sight of the nest during the weeks she is nursing, and keep other pets out of that room at mealtimes so she has no reason to shuttle food defensively. Feed set meals rather than leaving food down all day, because a bowl that is always available in a spot she dislikes gives her all day to redistribute it. Wash the chosen area regularly, and rotate the mat so relocated meals do not build up a stale smell that puts her off the very refuge she picked.
When carrying food is a flag, not a quirk
Look more closely if the behaviour starts suddenly alongside appetite change, weight loss, hiding, growling over the bowl, or tension with another pet that has recently escalated. Carrying paired with dropping food, chewing on one side, or leaving pieces behind can also point to mouth discomfort making her seek a place where she can take her time undisturbed, and that deserves a vet check. Kittens who are not gaining, or a mother who barely eats herself because she will not leave them, should also be seen promptly.
Noting where she carries food, when it started, and what else changed in KinsLe through Care Teams helps everyone who feeds her respond the same way, so one person is not moving the bowl back while another has already learned which corner she trusts.