Cat not burying her doodoo

marc_5947

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She has basically done this all her life. I would like to know if there is a way to teach her how to bury it after she enlightens us. The other two cats (including the stray that periodically visits) buries their mess. KittyGirl, the indoor female, refuses to cover up anything she creats in the litterbox. I try to keep them as clean as possible.

...And NO. I'm not crawling in there to show her


Thank you for any advice given!
 

Anne

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lol, I'm afraid crawling in won't help much either
it reminds me of a cat behavior "tip" I heard about once. A male cat was spraying urine all over the house and someone had told the husband there that the cat was challenging his domination or whatever, and advised him to pee in the cat's litter box. (No, it didn't solve the problem and should NOT be done).

Details about the history of the cat could help shed light on the problem. I have seen this happen in cats who were raised without a litter box. These were cats bred and sold by unethical breeders who simply kept the cats either in cages or in a room with no litterbox (where they would wash the feces and urine off the floor once in a while
). I have also seen this happen in cats who have been declawed. The pain in their paws when trying to use the box for the first time after surgery, made them stop covering (and sometimes just stop using the litter box altogether). I have heard it said that some orphan kittens simply never learn to cover up, because they have no one to learn proper litterbox routine from.

One thing you could try is set up a second litterbox with a different type of litter. Try something with a different texture, perhaps one of the natural litters made from wood, recycled paper, citrus peels, corn cobs or some other substance. You may have to try several types before you find one that your cat is willing to use to cover up with, if at all.

One thing to remember is that some cats just never cover up. For whatever reason, your cat may just be one of those cats.

More about litterboxes and litterbox issues here.
 

stephanietx

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Your cat must be related to one of mine! She tries to cover, but just scratches the litter a couple of times!! Fortunately, our other kitty will go behind her and cover up!


Is your cat declawed? Sometimes it hurts them to scratch the litter.

Is your box covered? If so, try uncovering it and see if that helps.

What kind of litter do you use? If it's a larger piece type of litter, you kitty may do better with a finer grain type of litter.

We keep the litterboxes in out of the way places so the uncovering doesn't really bother me too much. Plus, I scoop like a madwoman (2-3 times a day), so it's not likely to be in the box too long!

Stephanie
 

lunasmom

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Sometimes they need a "burying" cat to introduce them to the concept. Patches and Beauty never buried theirs before B & I moved in with each other. Luna was the poop patrol where anytime they took a poop, Luna would hop into the litter box after them and bury it for them.
Within 6-9 months Patches and Beauty were burying their own.

Maybe it's also the brand of cat litter? Perhaps they don't like the smell of it and so therefore doesn't like to get it between their toes?
 

tigeramy

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My one cat Toby has never ever covered his poop. Ever since we got him (at 3 months old) and that was before he was declawed also. His brother covers it for him, I assume that's why he doesn't do it, he's the laziest cat I ever met and I don't blame him...why bother if someone else will do it for you?


 

goldenkitty45

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Nope you can't teach them to bury. I've had some cats that do, some dig holes to China and others that are too busy with other things to bother covering up. If another cat that does like to bury walks by, they might stop and cover it up.

As long as your cat is using the pan, don't worry about her not being a burying type of cat. She's got other things on her mind
 
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marc_5947

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Thanks for all of the replies!
None of my cats are declawed. I never wanted to do that "god forbid" they ever get away from me, they can at least have some protection from other animals outside.
The older cat burries his junk, as does the stray. But my KittyGirl just likes to show the world her creation.
I have two cat boxes with lids. I owned two without lids when I first got them and they made a H-U-G-E mess! They would almost throw the litter out of the boxe(s). I've also used the same type of littler since they were kittens, so nothing has changed there.
 

imsandiluv

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I have 2 Bengals and one of mine is temperamental. It's like the weather with him...sometimes he covers his mess and sometimes he leaves it sitting for all to see/smell. My father told me that he read somewhere that they do this because in the wild it throws other animals off of their trail/scent. I guess it makes sense. Some cats have more "wild" traits than others.
 

girlsetsfiyah

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My one boy has the same issue. He is declawed in all four paws (By NO choice of mine, he was adopted in this state) which I think is part of the issue. Normally his friend, our other kitty, will bury it for him. I've tried sitting by the box with him while he's doing his business and when he's done gently moving his front paws in a burying motion, or taking the litter scoop and showing him that i'm covering it with litter, but neither has helped. I think it's just habit to him now, and I can tolerate it (even though it's stinky). I always say, at least he's using the box and not our carpets, so i'm thankful for that, lol.
 

silverbook

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My cat stopped burying his poo years ago. Although he does occasionally wave his paws over it as though blessing it.
 
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