I have three cats, 2 spayed females and one male (not neutered yet), all under a year old. The females both know how to use the litter box well and have no problem covering their poo/pee. Sometimes my oldest cat will even follow behind the male (he's the youngest) and cover his poo for him, but only sometimes.
I know he was taken from his mom too early. We got him when he was only 5 weeks old! I'm not sure his mom was the greatest at cleanliness either though.
He'll go into the box, dig a hole and go potty. Afterwards, he'll dig/scratch at everywhere but the litter. The wall, the side of the litter box, the carpet outside the litter box, etc. He's had some bowel problems in the past, such as diarrhea and such so he's had problems with getting it on his paws and what not... that hasn't been a problem recently as he's been to the vet and been put on a solid diet.
He just doesn't know how to cover it! It gets so annoying hearing him try to cover it for sometimes as long as 5 minutes.
2007-01-26 16:31:37 · 4 answers · asked by Jenna 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Thanks for the suggestions so far, but I guess I should have mentioned a few other things.
I have two extra large litter boxes (the biggest I've seen), one set upstairs and one downstairs. I clean both daily and keep the litter pans about half deep with litter.
The little guy was 5 weeks when we got him but he's about 4-5 months now (I'd have to look on the calendar to know for sure).
I've tried to move his paws gently a couple times but he doesn't quite understand what I'm trying to show him, I don't think.
It is possible that my oldest female is trying to show him, bless her heart. Maybe I'll see where that goes. It's been a couple months since we brought him home though... I am kinda starting to lose hope. :/
He wakes us up around 5-7 with his trying to bury it. He's so loud and I end up having to jump out of bed to cover it myself so he'll leave it alone.
2007-01-27 04:15:23 · update #1
He is still very young. Like you said, he was taken from his mother too young. Having other cats in the house will help him out in learning these "cat behaviors". I would, as awful as it seems, try to ignore him for a few months and see if he picks up that habit on his own from your other cats. If this doesn't work then you should bring up the subject to your vet when you get him neutered (you mentioned he wasn't, "yet" so I assume you have plans for it to be done). One last thing, if you have multiple cats, you might want to have a larger litter box, or more than one box so they don't have to fight for space. This might encourage your little one to dig deeper and maybe he will start to cover it. I am sorry I can't help more, this is such an odd problem, I have never heard of it before.
2007-01-26 18:33:35 · answer #1 · answered by Cortiana 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are a couple of things you can do. When my cat thinks his litter is stinky, he will also just poop and not bother to cover up. Our cats have more sensitive noses which also happen to be nearer to the litter than our own. I have also seen him reach out of the litter box in an attempt to cover all the litter (maybe). You can try getting a bigger litter box or have more than one. You can also try sitting next to him when he poops and move his front paws in the sand (won't make much use if he think the litter is putrid and he want to gets out though) to cover his poop. It's an instinctive thing, he'll remember what to do in no time. Good luck.
2007-01-26 23:50:40 · answer #2 · answered by aken 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh boy! This poor baby should have learned this from his mama, but there's hope yet. It sounds like your one female cat is trying to teach him how to do this. If possible, try to allow those two (the teacher & the student) into the litter box area by themselves, without the other female around for distraction. Cats have a way of communicating between themselves, and given time, it sounds to me like this lady cat WILL teach him how to do it right. Just be patient and see what happens if you leave them alone in there together. Good luck.
2007-01-27 00:36:38 · answer #3 · answered by sharon w 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in my view i do not imagine a cat would properly study some thing. I had a cat that ought to pee interior the field yet hanged her butt over the sting and pooped precise outdoors the field. (answer, I positioned the field on a huge cooking tray also with somewhat muddle in it.) i ought to signify you conceal the poop for the cat ideally even as the cat is only ending. The cat's mom received't have taught it. i ought to also propose you visit some cat help information superhighway information superhighway sites.
2016-10-16 04:10:55 · answer #4 · answered by faulkenberry 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋