poop foot

My problem may sound strange but I've searched the internet and cannot seem to find an answer anywhere. My cat (Lenny) uses the litter box very well, seems to like his litter etc. However, when he does poop, he frequently steps in the fresh poop as he's digging. This means that I am frequently cleaning his paws, cleaning poop stains off the sheets, couch etc, and generally having to watch him poop so as to catch him before he goes running all over the apartment with poop on his paw.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop him from stepping in his poop or what would cause him to not notice or care? Thanks in advance...

How old is he?

Lenny is about 6 months old...

If it's a normal size litter box, how about trying an extra large box? Maybe that would give him more room to turn around and dig without stepping in his own stuff. And is the litter itself clean and dry, so he shouldn't mind digging in it and covering?

Originally Posted by ForTheFurballs

If it's a normal size litter box, how about trying an extra large box? Maybe that would give him more room to turn around and dig without stepping in his own stuff. And is the litter itself clean and dry, so he shouldn't mind digging in it and covering?

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I'd try the bigger box as well. It's also possible, since he's just a little bugger, that he'll outgrow it. Oliver used to like to hang out in his litter box, regardless of the cleanliness of it, and was always covered in litter and other unpleasantness. But, when he was about 8 or 9 months old, he got over it.

Little cats, like human toddlers, can be a little weird about their bathroom habits!

When my boy was about 3 months he did that - He would dig a big hole and then poop on the mound, and then try to cover the hole and of course stepped right in the poop!! He eventually learnt!!

You could also try a covered box so he can stratch and kick around as much as he likes!

My cat used to do the same thing. I used to have to catch him and give him a once over everytime he got out of his litterbox. I think he got over it through a mixture of bigger litterbox and just growing up (he's 7-8 months old now).

Sleeves went through a phase of this it was awful, I felt so sorry for him coz he would sulk like nothing on earth after we had cleaned him up. I used to worry about leaving him alone incase he did it and there was nobody there to help him.
We went out and bought an enormous litter box and put more litter than normal in (which does prove to be more expensive but worth it when you're not puttin clean clothes in the wash every 5 minutes) and he's not had this problem since.
I think he just spent that long digging, we have a little OCD thing goin on I think, that he forgot where the actual poo was and ended up with it all over him.
Hope your kitty grows out of it soon! x

Wow, I feel so much better....
Our youngest cat Percival (just over a year) went through a stage this summer where he was so messy. We have the largest litter box they make and he barely fits in it. It is covered and on a couple of occasions, I went in the room and there were cat prints all over the floor - Thank god for hardwood floors. I looked in the box and it was as if he exploded. He had gotten the poop on his paws then as he was digging, it got on the sides and the roof of the box. We had to hose it off and clean the whole room!

-Amanda

The only time this ever happened at my house was when we first got Zakk, he stuck his nose in my milk glass, drank less than 1 tablespoon and had diarhea. Yuck all over the rug and sheets. That was enough for me never to let ANY cat have milk. I would agree with other's suggestions, and would just be concerned if the cat's poops very overly runny or liquidy as that would be a sign of a health problem.

Tedy used to do that too when he was still a kitten, but he did outgrow it. We also got a bigger litter box, so maybe that helped too. (?)
Linda

Thanks for the suggestions, I got him a jumbo sized litter box last night so we'll see how that works. He of course proceeded to lay down in it but fortunately, he had not used it yet! Hopefully he will mature enough to realize what he's doing. Also, he really hates getting cleaned up afterwards to maybe that will deter him as well!

I had no idea that "poopy foot" was such a common condition among cats!! Henry used to do that when he was younger, but now that so many people mention that it happened to their cats when they were young, I realize that except when he's got bowel problems, we don't have to deal with the "condition" anymore.

LOL! The things I learn. And the ways we have to take care of our four-legged, whiskered, feline children.

I can relate too. Except Gator's got a case of poop-tail. His tail his half length and he has little control over it. So he frequently goes potty and gets poop all over his tail. It was a real treat when I switched his food and he got a case of the runs for a week. I had to bathe his rear end daily.