How to get a cat to cover their poop?

evakatharina · Nov 19, 2011

Marcel never covers his poop, and not only is it stinky, but with his furry paws it really causes problems. He poops, doesn't cover, steps in it, and then the poop gets stuck to the furry paws and gets tracked everywhere! Gross!!

Is there any way to teach him to cover his poop? Any insight on why he might be doing this? Do I have an options or am I just stuck with this!?

sugarcatmom · Nov 19, 2011

Some cats just can't be bothered. I have one of those, and then I have another cat who's so fastidious that he uses every single piece of litter in a 10 mile radius to cover his poop. He also goes around and covers poop from the other cats if their job isn't to his satisfaction. It's pretty hilarious.

I don't think you'll have any luck convincing your guy that covering poop is the feline way, especially if he's an only cat (for some reason, only cats have this tendency more often. My cat that doesn't bury his bombs was an only cat for many years).

To prevent him from stepping in it, you might have to scoop more frequently, or get a couple more litter boxes.

ducman69 · Nov 19, 2011

As kittens, I used greenies treats and praise to teach them their new cat door to the littercloset and litterboxes, and for Wesley just moved his paw in the motions since he didn't bury at first and gave him headrubs for a good job when he was done. I think its instinctual anyway, but at the very least my interference didn't seem stressful as to this day they still sometimes meow at me to follow them and watch them go potty... Ugh.

yayi · Nov 19, 2011

One of my cats never covers hers. But she never steps on it. Maybe the litterbox is not the right size for your cat?

cassiek1984 · Nov 20, 2011

One of mine never covers hers either, unless I tell her to. She goes back to it and then covers it up.

x2006nkg · Nov 20, 2011

When I first got my kitten he didn't really cover it. So when he would get out of the litter box, I would put him back in, move his paws to cover the poop a bit, and then he would usually get the hint a finish covering it. Then, I would give him a treat and a cuddle. Now he does it every time. I'm not sure how this would work with an older cat though

2ketzels · Jan 27, 2012

how do you "tell her to" do it? i have 2 cats, one is a boy who covers all the time; the other, the girl, never covers and then scratches on the wooden floor just outside the littler box. i have provided two little boxes - she just uses the one. and then she comes to meow that she's finished and i get up and clean it. i DO clean several times a day. the girl is rather skittish but affectionate - i don't know how to encourage her to cover. any suggestions?

p3 and the king · Jan 27, 2012

An alpha personality cat (top cat) will not cover their poop. It's one of their ways of showing who is top cat. My Piper does not cover her own but will cover the others. Poor King Arthur, as smart as he is, he doesn't have good paw eye coordination... He tries and tries so hard, but just can't cover it!! I have to do it or Piper has to for him... Not for lack of trying but the poor boy will be in there for hours trying if I don't say "Good boy, King Arthur! Such a good boy!" He is happy with this praise and finally leaves the box and just lets me do it for him! Piper does it when I am not around to do so!

rafm · Jan 27, 2012

2ketzels said:
how do you "tell her to" do it? i have 2 cats, one is a boy who covers all the time; the other, the girl, never covers and then scratches on the wooden floor just outside the littler box. i have provided two little boxes - she just uses the one. and then she comes to meow that she's finished and i get up and clean it. i DO clean several times a day. the girl is rather skittish but affectionate - i don't know how to encourage her to cover. any suggestions?

The scratching on the floor outside the box indicates, to me, that the box is too small. Try a larger box and see how she does.

levi68 · Jan 27, 2012

Sugarcatmom said:
then I have another cat who's so fastidious that he uses every single piece of litter in a 10 mile radius to cover his poop. He also goes around and covers poop from the other cats if their job isn't to his satisfaction. It's pretty hilarious.

That made me LOL!

My new kitten does such a great job that he buries it and then digs it up again in his thoroughness. (is that even a word?)

Have you tried to "help" him by doing the motions? Perhaps letting him smell the before and after? Then give treats as other's have suggested.

It's worth a try.

2ketzels · Jan 28, 2012

ok i think the pooh box is adequate but i shall try try to find a larger 'mess'....... on the other hand, the vertical pooh pot is utilised by the male cat. i clean once or two times per day and that seems OK.

i was wondeRING if this is some kind of competition! question?:' - i would love to get a red schaunzer .... /

crickets mom · Jan 29, 2012

What kind of litter are you using? I used that feline pine stuff, and my cats didnt cover their poop. Then I switched to a scoopable litter, and they started covering. When I found my cat she was an adult, and, im assuming, had never used a litter box (she was a stray). When I would try to show her to use the litter box, she would spread all four legs out and not let me put her directly in the box, like I was dropping her in hot lava or something. Finally, I took her paw and scratched at the litter with it. She had been holding it for a whole day up until that point, and immediatly got in and went. Its like it finally clicked. My point is, maybe you just need to show your cat how to cover.

2ketzels · Jan 30, 2012

hi, i am using Feline Fresh - it is a pine litter and is wonderful for controlling odour. i tried the arm and hammer andit was SO perfumed plus the cats didn't like it. i scoop at least twice a day. 'Boy' has no problem but 'Luna' is fussy and will only "go" at the sides of the box and then stratches outside the box on my flooring. she nevers covers yet she comes to 'tell me' she has done something. she seems to have to report to me if she has eaten, has pooped or peed or whatever. i get up immediately and clean.

they're not feral; i got them from a pet rescue store, supposedly brother and sister and they've been really good in all other respects.

when you say, i should 'show' my cat to cover? how is that to be done? she's already about 4-5 now (i adopted them as 'used' so i don't really know their birthdates'

?

nebula · Jan 30, 2012

Bandit never buries. I posted about this awhile back- I just do it for him.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/237579/litter-issues-burying

There is my original post! I got some good advice there

crickets mom · Jan 30, 2012

2ketzels said:
when you say, i should 'show' my cat to cover? how is that to be done? she's already about 4-5 now (i adopted them as 'used' so i don't really know their birthdates'

?

I would just take your cats paw in your hand and use it to cover the poop. Maybe try it a few times. I dont know if it will work, just a suggestion.

2ketzels · Feb 4, 2012

i appreciate your suggestion - i hadn't thought of that; i didn't know larger boxes were available.

However, there's been a change for the better - miss kitty now covers! why? because i'm putting in a LOT of litter, so there's more depth. i think that Boy is a competitive factor because he uses both litter boxes - the original one (which she uses) and the high-top one. that would also explain why she defecates only near the very edge of the box, whereas he goes all over both boxes.

hobo08 · Feb 6, 2012

Hobo sometimes does not cover his.

Don't know why, but I scoop enough that I am not to worried about it.

natalie_ca · May 29, 2012

Sugarcatmom said:
Some cats just can't be bothered. I have one of those, and then I have another cat who's so fastidious that he uses every single piece of litter in a 10 mile radius to cover his poop. He also goes around and covers poop from the other cats if their job isn't to his satisfaction. It's pretty hilarious.

I don't think you'll have any luck convincing your guy that covering poop is the feline way, especially if he's an only cat (for some reason, only cats have this tendency more often. My cat that doesn't bury his bombs was an only cat for many years).

To prevent him from stepping in it, you might have to scoop more frequently, or get a couple more litter boxes.

Yeah, I agree.

My Abby has never covered her poop, or pee for that matter. She just doesn't like to get her paws dirty. When she was a baby she tried so hard to balance all 4 paws on the corner edges of the box so she didn't have to get her paws dirty. She couldn't manage 4, so she resigned herself to balancing with 3 and leaving one in the box.

My RB kitty Chynna was the digger. She dug and dug and covered and covered. She even went in after Abby and covered up her business.

I notice that Katie doesn't cover her business either.

However, Spencer, Katie's brother, is my litter monitor. He often sits in the tub peeking over the edge and waiting for one of the girls to go into the box. After they leave he jumps out and manically covers their business and then goes back to hiding in the tub in between folds of the shower curtain.

My advice is just to scoop more often.

emilymaywilcha · May 30, 2012

I never had a problem with feces on floors, but Wilbur did not cover his poop every time either and it always stuck to his butt. Just be glad you don't see your cat eat the stuff.

emilymaywilcha · May 30, 2012

Natalie_ca said:
Yeah, I agree.

My Abby has never covered her poop, or pee for that matter. She just doesn't like to get her paws dirty. When she was a baby she tried so hard to balance all 4 paws on the corner edges of the box so she didn't have to get her paws dirty. She couldn't manage 4, so she resigned herself to balancing with 3 and leaving one in the box.

My RB kitty Chynna was the digger. She dug and dug and covered and covered. She even went in after Abby and covered up her business.

I notice that Katie doesn't cover her business either.

However, Spencer, Katie's brother, is my litter monitor. He often sits in the tub peeking over the edge and waiting for one of the girls to go into the box. After they leave he jumps out and manically covers their business and then goes back to hiding in the tub in between folds of the shower curtain.

My advice is just to scoop more often.

OMG I thought only Patricia did that! What I never understood was why does she stand on the edge of the box when she poops if she doesn't have any problem with squatting in the middle to pee. She also gets out, turns around, and puts her front legs back in no matter what she has to bury. I never saw any other cat do that either.

Wilbur's way of keeping his paws clean was wiping one on the wall. You probably would find a lot of dirt on that wall with a microscope.

How to get a cat to cover their poop?

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