My kittens dont cover their poop

Question
I'm currently fostering six, six weeks old kittens from a local animal shelter, but after using the litter box none of them cover up their poop.  This leads to the problem of them stepping in it and trailing it around the room.

Answer
Sierra (pretty name!),

My guess is that the kittens were weaned too young and didn't get a chance for mama cat to teach them correctly. That is usually done by the mama from 8-12 weeks.

They are still young yet. Give them time to learn and to get coordinated. The kittens don't like it on their feet and pretty soon they will associate the reason why it is happening. Cats don't have any reasoning ability so they have to learn good and bad from habit and experiences.

Also Try deeper litter so they get the natural urge to dig when they get in the litterbox. Also try a bigger litterbox.

Note: only use clay litter for little kittens. DO NOT use scoopable. Some kittens will try to 'taste' the litter or eat it. Just like it does in the litterbox, it will swell in their intestines and can cause a fatal blockage.

I hope this is helpful.

Tabbi