uNcoVeReD BuSiNeSs!!!

i've noticed that my cat, Jiro, has not been covering up his #1's and #2's lately in his litterbox...He is about 10 yrs old and he's always covered his "stuff" but for the past 2 or 3 weeks, he's stopped covering! I have another cat, Yumi, she is a 2 year old bengal and she has been going in after him to go cover it up for him! I think she's getting tired of it cuz for the past 3 days, she hasnt been covering for him...and let me tell you...his poo's are STANKY!!!! man!!!! Jiro has been on anti-depressants for about a month and a half now due to his spraying issues. Could this be why he doesnt care whether or not his waste is covered? Or is it typical for an older cat? I'm just worried because i dont want Yumi to start not covering her stuff! I've read in some of the other posts that not covering their wastes could be a sign of dominance?...

My 12+ Joji always buries hers, so I don't think old age is making Jiro lazy to cover his.
Probably it's the meds and dominance. Has spraying been always a problem or did it start when Yumi arrived? Is Jiro neutered?

It's not just the older cats who may get lazy. Wilbur is almost 4, and he has almost NEVER completely covered his poop. Sometimes it sits there right on top of the litter with no attempt whatsoever to cover it. And the smell is enough to singe the nose hairs off a grizzly bear!

When I first got Wilbur, I did not have a cover on the litter box as I was trying to get him accustomed to his new home/litter box. He covered his business then. Once I started putting the cover on, he stopped covering his stuff and hasn't since. He probably figures it's already covered!

Milo, the baby, always covers his but he goes overboard and digs FOREVER. I have noticed that he covers Wilb's too. How considerate! But I'm sure that'll just encourage Wilb to continue leaving it out in the open -- "let the runt take care of it."

Just make sure his paws are OK--that he's not getting arthritis in them or anything. If covering it is uncomfortable for him, he might've stopped doing it.

Other than that, yeah, dominance. He's gotta be the big boss in the house. Silly cat.

yes, Jiro is neutered and he's had a big spraying issue for quite sometime now! (he used to be an outdoor cat when he was younger!) but i think the meds are working...i actually adopted Yumi per the vet's suggestion that he was spraying b/c he was lonely and upset that i was at work all day. Yah, so in came Yumi! the spraying did not stop!... I used to have a covered litter box, but Jiro is a very big cat and he cannot fit inside of them! I had to buy a hug rubbermaid box and cut an "entry way" into it because Jiro likes to pee right in the corner of his box so i needed "High, heavy duty walls!" I guess he must want to be the big boss man!

If he knows you're going to clean it up anyways he may figure there's no use in bothering My 4 year old Sho doesn't bury and never has, though he has started to scoop a couple paws full over it lately since the kitten complains... he actually sits outside of the box while Sho uses it and whines, then whines more while he buries the other cat's mess.

I am pet sitting a cat that is almost 18 right now and every time I go to the house I'm afraid (that she's dead!) but am guaranteed that IF she has pooped which is only once every other day or so, she doesn't cover it at all! She doesn't cover the pee either. When I went in yesterday she must have just gone because it was still a puddle in the box. But her box is covered too and it was way in the back. So who knows?