AAAGGGHH Stop it! (Excessive litter box digging)

[35 year catdad]

Ive had lots of girl cats but my two boys are )were) LOUSY at cat box etiquette. Crazy Martin poops inside then leaves the box and tries to use a tile floor to scratch on to somehow cover it while outside the box! Female cats are better at litter cover up!! I use clay litter and when it gets urine down in the bottom they wont dig. I sprinkle fresh litter on top to keep top 1" fresh always.

 

[DreamiesFtw]

I think it's just down to the cat being very particular. Cats are actually very clean animals, they like their environment clean as can be. I have 4 cats, two of which are very much like your cat. They'll even go in the litter to make sure the other two cats have covered their business properly. They'll scrap at the inside of the actual litter box as well (it's a hooded litter box). The thing I've been trying is letting them scrap to cover their business but then once it's covered I'll remove them from the box then discard of their business. They go back in, sniff around and realise it's no longer there, then they leave the box. Naturally, cats scrap to cover their business to hide it and it's scent from other animals. Also why some cats will scrap at their food bowl in an attempt to hide their food from others. Take note of how much litter you're putting in their litter box and how often it's fully cleaned. If a cat thinks there's not enough litter as they'd like, they spend more time trying to cover it. Also applies to having too much cat litter in the tray. They're fussy animals really.

 

[ThatDarnKitty]

My two young ones, now 3 yrs old, dig for ever and on the walls not the litter, as well. The other two bury it but one of those two actually tries to bury anything she does not like the smell of including my husband’s tomato juice if we are out of the room for a second.

After I put the young ones on adult food, the poop consitancy was such that it does not stick to feet. I moved the litter boxes to a room where the noise does not drive me crazy. I am just very happy they go IN the box. My neighbor has a cat, believe me she spent hundreds of $$ trying to find out why and fix it, who ALWAYS poops outside the box—and not on peepads.

The Scoop on Poop

Cats hate getting their paws dirty, or anything dirty for that matter. So scraping it on the side of the litter box, walls, floors, is a good way to get rid if the stuff in between their toe beans. Also, if a cat is pooping outside the litter box, it may be trying to tell her something. Does your neighbor have an actual litter box rather than a peepad? A peepad is mainly used for dogs, not cats. Cats are more use to burying things. They will generally scratch in the litter box until they die. There are some cases where they don’t (like my two old cats who are both 20 years old), but I think it’s because of old age. And we have a young cat who will try to pounce on them, so I don’t blame them not scratching around.

 

[danteshuman]

My first instinct is to buy a large plastic tub, cut a round hole in the lid and make it his litter box. I would also put large throw away towels on the ground around the litter box to help wipe accidents.

What type of litter do you use? I swear by my boy's UN-scented lightweight clumping litter.

Also our kittens had that problem when there were not enough boxes/if the boxes were not cleaned enough. (You need at least 1 box per cat plus 1 box. So if you have 2 cats you need 3 boxes, preferably spread out amongst at least 2 rooms so one cat can't guard all the boxes.)

If his poop is runny or if he keeps doing it despite extra large boxes and new better clumping litter, then I would take him to the vet (with a stool sample.)

 

[ailish]

I think it's just down to the cat being very particular. Cats are actually very clean animals, they like their environment clean as can be. I have 4 cats, two of which are very much like your cat. They'll even go in the litter to make sure the other two cats have covered their business properly. They'll scrap at the inside of the actual litter box as well (it's a hooded litter box). The thing I've been trying is letting them scrap to cover their business but then once it's covered I'll remove them from the box then discard of their business. They go back in, sniff around and realise it's no longer there, then they leave the box. Naturally, cats scrap to cover their business to hide it and it's scent from other animals. Also why some cats will scrap at their food bowl in an attempt to hide their food from others. Take note of how much litter you're putting in their litter box and how often it's fully cleaned. If a cat thinks there's not enough litter as they'd like, they spend more time trying to cover it. Also applies to having too much cat litter in the tray. They're fussy animals really.

My cat has her opinions about litter depth, too. She likes a lot and I can tell when it's too low for her because she digs more. She will cover everything quite nicely. Her mama cat was the best cat ever at teaching manners!