Can cats poop at will?

Does`nt matter what time of day it is that I change kitty litter....Toby (alpha cat) is in the box as i`m pouring the new in....and taking a dump. It`s like if the litter is brand new he wants to be the first to use it.
Is it possible to cats to poop at will????
Linda

I can guarantee the minute i scoup, Sophie will jump straight on no matter if she went on the box 30 minutes previous, she'll manage to squeeze something out wether it's a tiny poop or wee!

Just taking possession of the territory!

Its the same way at my house. They are waiting as I am pouring the new litter in. if I'm not quick they even try to use it with no litter!

There's always a waiting line when I change the litter and a race to see who gets in it first....sometimes Shoops (the ferret) wins!

I'd say "yes" in response to your question. Cats in the wild sometimes mark their territory by leaving a bit of scat in a prominent place for other cats to find.

I've had the same experience with litterboxes -- not with poop, but with urination. A little squirt in a fresh box of litter marks the litterbox as "mine"

Mine do the same thing.

Weird little beasts.

Mine doesn't bother me when I change the litter or clean it out. But, she does seem to do her business right before bed. It is like she is thinking, OK, now my owner has turned off the lights, I'm going to go to sleep too, but I'm going to take care of business first.

Originally Posted by stormy

There's always a waiting line when I change the litter and a race to see who gets in it first....sometimes Shoops (the ferret) wins!

Click to expand...

Diane....you mean the ferrets and the cats use the same litter box?
Somehow that really amazes me!
Linda

PJ and Teddy don't get in the box when I change the litter - but they must use the box when I get up in the morning! They know I scoop before I go to work... but they have to show me that they know how to use the box. It's quite funny, actually.

My kitty always has to be hanging out when I clean her box. She looks at me as if to say "Hey thats mine, what are you doing?!?!" She never does her business right then, but she seems to be either really curious about whether fairies come clean her box when she's sleeping or whether I do it. Also lets me know when it's too dirty by standing next to it meowing.

I think its funny how your cats are so proud of using their box shambelle. Mine always has to show me how strong she is on her scratching post when I come home!

LOL.

I don't think can poop at will persay, but cats have been known to be fussy with their litter boxes and don't like it being messy. He may have just been holding it until the box is more to his liking. My Kovu would do this all the time. Go in the box and pee a bit, then I clean it and after I'm done he will go back in and redo his business.

I also agree with what people said about it could also be a form of marking territory, especially if the poo isn't covered afterwards.

Mine will in as soon as I'm finished changing. Sometimes also as soon as I finish cleaning. The funniest thing I saw was my neighbor's cat Misty. Misty used to hang out and my house a lot and we had a litter box for her. One day I was changing it with her in the bed watching me. She flew off the bed and jumped into it as I was pouring the new litter .. and there were no other cats in this house at the time!

2 of mine rarely even wait for the litter to be poured in. 1 jumps in as soon as the fresh litter hits the box. the other 3 could care less.....they are too lazy to get up.