Weird behavior .. pooping problem ..

My  cat\kitten  DOES NOT cover his poop/pee very often. He scratches the side of the box like he is covering it but of course that does not cover it and it also doesnt clean itself .. its smells its poop and even walks on it ... i have picked it from the streets but he\she sounds like home pet .. i dont know what to do though ,i have to clean it after every single pee\poop because he walks on the poop and smells bad .. so why doesn't he clean himself or even cover the poop and why does he walk on and smell his poop? i have to say i don't use a litter box nor a litter sand just some old plastic box we have in home with normal street (building) sand :l .. so what shall i do ?

It sounds like it might be the size of the box. If he's scratching the side, he's trying to cover, he just reaches too far. I would try a bigger box. Some of the posters here use the big under-the-bed plastic organizing bins. sand shouldn't be an issue. If he's using it, it should be fine as a litter, although some of the others do help eliminate the smell. I would try a bigger box first, though.

Good luck!
 

As for a bigger box--have you tried using one of those big plastic storage bins? I use the kind that have clear see-through sides, because as far as I can tell my cats like to use the box in an area where they can see what's going on around them, so they won't be surprised. What I do is buy a jumbo-size litter box, and put it inside one of those big plastic storage boxes--the ones that are big enough to store winter blankets in during the summer. That way, the cats use the box, and I can buy a new box when I need to (which costs about $2 where I am) without needing to replace the big storage box; and the big storage box catches litter spray from the enthusiastic scratching my cats tend to do. They do scratch at the sides of the box, but they aren't clumsy enough to step in their poo, thank goodness.

Actually, hang on, I'll snap a picture; that should help you understand what I'm trying to describe...



There we go. Oh, and check the nice little space for the litter scoop. (Don't worry, the Mr. Coffee box is empty and waiting to be taken to the trash. I certainly wouldn't store my coffee maker next to the litter box. Icky!)

One last thing--my cats are young and have no problem jumping into the big box. If they were older, I'd have to carve an entry point for them so they wouldn't have to do any jumping. Christy's probably going to be the first to show signs of the usual old cat's stiff joints, but she's only about seven now and it'll be a while.

I used to do it that way, one box inside the other, but it was so much more work, now I just put the litter right into the big bins. To store scoops I have a container filled with baking soda next to the boxes, the scoop is kept in that, and baking soda dumped and replaced at the same time boxes and scoops are washed.

To the OP, congratulations on the rescue! My Queen Eva stepped in her poop until she was about a year old. She still does it sometimes, but not nearly as often.

Scooping the poop and pee out right away is a very good habit to be in, and you should keep on with that no matter if your kitty covers or not. Cats hate dirty litter boxes, and dirty boxes can cause all sorts of problems, from health issues to litter box avoidance.

If your little guy isn't neutered yet, having that done will eliminate the strong pee odor. Intact male cat pee is the worst. Feeding him a good grain free canned diet will cut down on the poop smells.

Weird, I find it less work to use the box-in-a-box approach. The big storage container doesn't have a flat bottom, so it's not as easy to scoop if I do it that way. Also, litter boxes are cheaper to replace.

But, y'know, whatever works for you!

Callista said:

Weird, I find it less work to use the box-in-a-box approach. The big storage container doesn't have a flat bottom, so it's not as easy to scoop if I do it that way. Also, litter boxes are cheaper to replace.

But, y'know, whatever works for you!

Click to expand...

Well I went to the totes because Mazy likes to stand up and pee against the sides. So when I was doing box in box, I had to lift out the litter box, dripping, to clean underneath. You're right, the trough around the edge is a bit of a pain for scooping, I admit, but still, for me easier than having to clean up dripping pee every day. The totes are only $3 or $4 dollars each. Real litter boxes are at the very lowest $7 or $8 and that is for the smallest sizes.

I keep two sets (one set resting for a week, while the other is in use) and replace litter boxes once a year, so it's not too big of an expense.