anyone know why? curious...

this is not really a problem..it just amuses me abit and i find it a little fascinating. every time i try to clean kuan yin's litterbox (several times a day)...she tries to stop me!! she jumps in the box, bats at the scooper, or jumps and bites my hand. she doesn't seem upset and she is a kitten so i was first just assuming she is simply playing..but she now must use the box immediately after i am done or even WHILE i am cleaning it..it's like she has to "fix it" again...i always thought only dogs would mark their territory like that and since cats are tidy that their smell alone in the box would be enough to satisfy them (the box doesn't smell, i just mean the smell she must pick up on from herself)..i don't dump all of it out daily or anything so i'm fascinated why she feels she needs to mark it after. she's not spraying, she's been fixed, and she's only 5 and 1/2 months old...i guess i'm just curious. anyone ever experience this before? none of my previous cats used to do this and i'm just interested what's going on in her mind.

My girls love to help me clean their boxes too! And it's just like when we buy a new car, or get a new outfit....we have to try it on! They have to make sure their fresh litter fits right!!

At least two of mine do it. From the books I've been reading, it seems to be a "dominant" cat behavior.. the first one to use the litter box leaves their scent first. I guess it's just instinctual even if there's one cat.

oooh, great insights..thank you!!!

Whitey does something similar too....if I'm scooping, he'll pounce at the edges (outside of the litter box).

Also if I'm pouring in new litter, he'll help spread it around by pawing at it.

He also has to go as soon as I'm finished (sometimes I don't even have a chance to put it bak before he's going right there in the middle of the room.

I just equate that to anxiety...kind of like me painting my nails then having to go to the bathroom right after I'm done.

Hrm... I always thought it was akin to waiting for the stall the maintenance person was cleaning at the public restroom: you *know* that one's clean. =P

Blossom does something similar. When she hears me scooping she rushes in the bathroom to make sure I'm doing right. Once a week I empty it, wash it out & leave in the sun to dry. When I bring the box inside I don't always fill it straight away, leave it somewhere else & she'll sit in it.
I have pet mice & use recycled paper litter in their cages. I have to be watchful because she'll sit in the mice tanks too.

Kissa watches me clean the litter box and I swear she is waiting just to tell me..."ahem...you missed a spot."

yea, usually the kittens are right there waiting for me to finish so they can mess it up again

One of our cat's does that, except he doesn't stop you from changing it. He insists on pooping in it as SOON as new litter is put in!!