Kitten will only use the litter box when I'm around

Hello there,
First of all let me say that I have been lurking around this forum for a while, getting as much info as I can prior to kitty coming home.
I took in a 10 week old kitten 2 weeks ago and everything has been going on well.
The only issue I'm having is that he (Geo) seems to only use the litterbox when I'm around, he's currently staying in my bedroom and the litterbox is in my bathroom and the door is always open so he has easy access. He has been a good boy and always goes in his box.

I work from 1pm to 9-10pm so I have time to spend with him before I leave and time before bed. I always clean the box as soon as he's done. I've never come home to find a used box. Seems it's like he only uses it when I'm around. A few days ago I couldn't leave work till about midnight (he usually goes 10am and 10pm) and came home to an empty litterbox too, only for him to use it for both #1 and #2 as soon as I walked into the bathroom.
My job demands me to leave town for 2 days a month, so I'm worried that this might be a problem.
Anyone has been through something similar? Is it a kind of separation anxiety?

And here is a pic of Geo. Sorry couldn't figure out how to edit my original post on mobile.

My cat did the same thing. It's a "mommy" thing. It makes him feel safe if your around, is my guess.

 I had my cats box in my bedroom when he was a kitten and it made him feel better. Cat box and food close together is actually how my cat seems to like it. it just reminds him of mum, is my guess.

Geo is precious!!

Yes, it could be a bit of separation anxiety. Does he eat/drink will you are gone?

I have had a few litters of kittens that were "group pottyers." Meaning they all used the litter box in 2s or 3s at the same time. They grew out of this around 5-6 months of age. Could be that Geo was the same way? Was he housed with other kittens before you got him?

oh what kind of cat is that? love the white/black spotting.

Yazeez said:

Hello there,
First of all let me say that I have been lurking around this forum for a while, getting as much info as I can prior to kitty coming home.
I took in a 10 week old kitten 2 weeks ago and everything has been going on well.
The only issue I'm having is that he (Geo) seems to only use the litterbox when I'm around, he's currently staying in my bedroom and the litterbox is in my bathroom and the door is always open so he has easy access. He has been a good boy and always goes in his box.

I work from 1pm to 9-10pm so I have time to spend with him before I leave and time before bed. I always clean the box as soon as he's done. I've never come home to find a used box. Seems it's like he only uses it when I'm around. A few days ago I couldn't leave work till about midnight (he usually goes 10am and 10pm) and came home to an empty litterbox too, only for him to use it for both #1 and #2 as soon as I walked into the bathroom.
My job demands me to leave town for 2 days a month, so I'm worried that this might be a problem.
Anyone has been through something similar? Is it a kind of separation anxiety?

Click to expand...

do you intend on getting a cat sitter? have tried having someone else there when you are gone to see if he will go then?

CatPack said:

Geo is precious!!

Yes, it could be a bit of separation anxiety. Does he eat/drink will you are gone?

I have had a few litters of kittens that were "group pottyers." Meaning they all used the litter box in 2s or 3s at the same time. They grew out of this around 5-6 months of age. Could be that Geo was the same way? Was he housed with other kittens before you got him?

Click to expand...

He does eat and drink when I'm not there, and yes he was raised with his littermates and other cats at the breeder's.

fieldsweeper said:

oh what kind of cat is that? love the white/black spotting.

Click to expand...

He's a bengal, the breeder said that his color is classified as charcoal, all his littermates were more golden brown, but he was the one the captured my heart!

detmut said:

do you intend on getting a cat sitter? have tried having someone else there when you are gone to see if he will go then?

Click to expand...

I have roommates and they do check on him when I'm at work but they say he's always asleep. I'll let them try to take him into the bathroom and see if he'll use the litter box.

He's adorable!  

If he's mostly sleeping when you're not home, he probably doesn't feel the need to use the kitty box.  Then, with the excitement of you coming home, he realizes he has to go and uses his box.

I have an 8 month old that always uses his box within a few minutes of me coming home... the box is in the mudroom, so if I'm in the mudroom area for a few minutes, the next thing I know he's scratching away in the box.  This is what usually happens, since I'm taking off my shoes and putting away my coat, looking at the mail, etc... I think he always has to go when I arrive home because he's just wakened up.  

The "group potty" explanation in other posts makes sense; he's gone in the ensuite sink a couple of times, when I'm on the toilet myself... this has happened when I've rushed to the bathroom as soon as I got home instead of hanging around the mudroom area long enough for him to use his box first, or first thing in the morning when we haven't been to the mudroom area of the house yet. Not the best thing for him to be doing - and I can't do anything because I am indisposed!  At least with the sink I can wash it away easily.   Otherwise he's always used his box...

Geo is gorgeous and Ruby is the same way as far as her dried cat food.  She peeps at you until you walk with her to the food dish and then needs to be petted a couple of times before she'll start eating.  Yep, we're trained.

He is beautiful, actually stunning. Is there any chance you could adopt another kitty, perhaps a littermate so he'll have someone to play with and keep him company?

Hi Yazeez,

Have you tried to change the place of the litter box? i had something similar with one of my cats some time ago... 

I finally realised that once i was out, usually happens some noises that leave him worried, so he was waiting for me to get home to be "safe".

Try a different position, maybe some corner?! and definitely away from his food and water.

hope it helps