2006-12-08 05:51:27 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
Yes she is being very Alpha cat. Also female cats have a problem sharing litter boxes with other adult females. My alpha "she-lion" would even beat on the side of the covered box whenever our second oldest was in there, scaring the her "rival."
Finally we just got a box for each one. 8'} Our third cat never had a problem, but she arrived as a kitten.
PS covered boxes really help corral the smellthe , that and scooping every day.
2006-12-08 06:57:08 · answer #1 · answered by MEAcat 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You don't say how old your other two cats are, and what genders.
If the 6-year-old is the only female you have, the theory of her being the "alpha" is VERY probable, because unlike what people might think, it's usually the female who is in charge. Sort of like "behave and do as I say, or no sex!" ;p
Even if you have other females, if this one is your oldest that's another reason for her to be dominant. Or if the other female(s) have a more timid temperment.
It is, of course, possible that she wasn't taught how to cover it up when she was a kitten, but I would GUESS that she would in that case have had problems using the litterbox overall. Not to mention your other cats would probably have instructed her. So my theory is that she's simply telling the other cats that this is HER territory, and that they shouldn't think that they can call the shots.
Use a covered litterbox if you can, since that lessens the smell, and clean it often. But other than that, I don't know if there's anything to do about it, because if you spray with de-odorizer your cats might even stop using the litterbox altogether because it smells "wrong".
2006-12-08 07:09:50 · answer #2 · answered by chibs 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some cats just don't. I've seen multiple theories as to why this may be (one of my cats also just does not understand that covering it up would make Mom much happier!). The best one I have found claims that cats who are more dominant (or arrogant, I like to say) don't cover their feces because they WANT their scent to be smelled by other animals. Kind of like they are marking their territory. Honestly, I feel that my cat is just too... slow... to understand the concept. Maybe she doesn't like spending any more time in the litter box than she absolutely has to.
2006-12-08 05:56:10 · answer #3 · answered by Lauren M 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I read somewhere that the more independent the cat, the more likely he won't cover his stuff. I have a cat like that, but fortunately the other two will cover it for him........I also had success when I changed the litter - He started to cover more often. Good luck
2006-12-08 06:01:16 · answer #4 · answered by T M 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I dont know for sure but the other answers above seem to be pretty good explanations. I also have a cat that does the same thing I had to scoop the box before coming online today because of it Ewww!! What I want to know is how you teach them to cover it up instead of leaving it out to stink!!!
2006-12-08 05:59:51 · answer #5 · answered by Kelly + Eternal Universal Energy 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Especially because there are other cats, she may be trying to be dominant and territorial. By not covering her poo it really stinks and lets the other cats know that its hers.
Seems silly to humans but I guess in the cat world territory is a big thing.
Or maybe she's just lazy ;).
2006-12-08 05:54:08 · answer #6 · answered by Kemmy 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I had a cat who wouldn't bury her stuff either -- very stinky. I think she was just not the brightest cat in the world! Some cats just don't ever catch on. (Fortunately, our other cat would go in there and bury it for her...the other cat didn't like the smell any more than the humans did!)
Another possibility is that the cat's sense of smell is not very strong, and she doesn't notice that it's stinky.
2006-12-08 06:01:00 · answer #7 · answered by kittenpie 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
If she's the oldest of them, or just the alpha, it is likely a dominance thing. She's marking her territory and letting everyone else know whose boss.
My male Russian Blue does the same thing.
2006-12-08 06:00:52 · answer #8 · answered by ljn331 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It depends whether your pet is neutered or spayed. Typically animals do that to show their territory and show others that they own that piece of property. They are also proud of showing that poopie.
2006-12-08 07:28:06 · answer #9 · answered by candy803 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you're cat probably doesn't cover its business because her mother wouldn't have taught it to. hopefully through time bye seeing the other cats do it she will learn.
try asking you re vet for further advice
2006-12-08 06:05:57 · answer #10 · answered by munchkinhead 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋