Cats make a mess with the litter box!

I just don't get it. I have a 5 month old male kitten and whenever he goes to the bathroom he spends a lot of time in there and makes a huge mess, kicking litter everywhere around the litter box. I have to vacuum the area on a regular basis!

Any ideas?

A covered box solved that problem for me! I know some of them are made with ramps up to get inside so the little ones wouldn't have a problem getting into it... now I just have to deal with the little bit of litter that sticks to his feet on the way out, but a mat in front of the box helps with that

Yeah, perhaps I'll have to try that.

There's also the problem of him playing in his litter, too. He'll spend 10 minutes straight digging. Since he does that, he smells awful and he also kicks up the scent of the litterbox and it makes our apartment smell bad.

He's a pretty sweet guy, though

Hehe, I knew problems could arise when cats don't like the litter they get, but this seems like he likes it too much

Orion can be a tad overenthousiastic inthere as well. Not that much of a problem, though: we use the litter that comes in these little "sticks", which is generally easy to clean up..

Oh well I wish I had an answer for that eternal problem must say it seems to be a boy prob !!

Dino is the 2006 World Digging Champ

tried a covered tray he aint having any of that - just wont go in !
clumping litter - well use that all the time, he just digs through that

so I´m afraid, its just a job you have to put up with

Radar is a real digger, he spends ages before he goes getting the litter just the way he wants it. I think he is really building sandcastles in there.

Its not just the boys lol. Kirra will go in her box and spend forever digging for what i can only assume is the right spot to do her deed. We started with an uncovered box and i would have litter EVERYWHERE. We moved to a nice covered one and i placed a door mat rug under it to catch the litter from the front entrance. Now she goes in and you here her scratching the sides of the box for like 5 mins before she goes than after she has to maticulasly cover the mess up(unless spooked by the kids)

I have a small dustpan and brush beside the litter trays because Rosie flicks it everywhere. So going home on an evening, scouping and brushing is a normal daily task like brushing my teeth

Originally Posted by rosiemac

I have a small dustpan and brush beside the litter trays because Rosie flicks it everywhere. So going home on an evening, scouping and brushing is a normal daily task like brushing my teeth

Click to expand...

We do something similar, keep a Dustbuster close by, and it vacuums up the mess in a jiffy. I agree with what others have said, it just goes with the territory of owning a cat.

4 of mine have perfect litter box manners, go in, do their business and on their way. But Easy, will dig and dig and when shes done, she will make sure there is no sign that she has ever been there. She spends more time covering than digging and doing. I, also have to sweep daily.

Ollie's a big digger too.... and for those of you who've had trouble getting your cats to use covered boxes, try removing the door (it just pops off)... Oliver gets so confused with the door on that he wont use the box, but pop off the door and he jumps right in

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I just can't wait til they both get old enough to go outside and they'll do their business where I won't have to deal with it

Mine do that sometimes too. I have got a Rubbermaid litter box that is higher than the average litter box, so they have only one way they can go in and out of it. I don't like covered ones because, for me, I find it's a pain when it comes to scooping since you always have to take the cover off and put it back on.

I have cat mats that I got from QVC (Don Aslett brand). They are strategically placed and they are WONDERFUL! They really do "pick up" a ton of the litter, so I don't have to sweep as much.

The one thing that helps minimize the cats "spreading out" of their poops is making sure to keep the litter as clean as possible. This means scooping at least 3 - 4 a day. Also, I am sure your kitties are the same way too, but have you noticed how, the minute you finished scooping, in they come running to do their business. So I scoop after that too.

I know,..I know... I am no longer a woman, but a human poop and scoop machine