cat not covering his pooh and pee

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a about 9 mo old kitten/cat named Moe. He is not covering his pooh and pee when he is done with the liter box! And his pooh stinks! he paws at the side of the liter box like he thinks hes covering up, but hes not using the liter to cover it up, i always go in there and cover it for him. Is this something that he will learn as he gets older or will he never learn how?

ANSWER: Rebecca,

In the wild the dominant cat will not cover his feces. Is is a show of dominance. Only the secondary cats will cover their feces. In a domestic cat you are the dominant one and your cat is secondary so he covers his feces. But your cat may think HE is the dominant one and is sending you that message. It is a possibility, but not probable.

Periodically the reason for that behavior is because the cat has been de-clawed. De-clawing can have life-long repercussions, especially when it comes to using the litterbox.

But most common reason for not burying his feces is because it is a message to you that something is not right with his litterbox. You might try changing brands (or types) of litter, getting a bigger litterbox, and making the litter deeper. As a cat grows he can feel too confined in his present box and feels he doesn't have enough room to properly cover his feces without getting his paws 'dirty'. Also with deep litter the cat's instinct to dig kicks in. You can also try some children's playsand one time instead of litter and see how he behaves. You can get it at Home Depot or similar building supply store.

Tip: you said you cover it for him. Instead of covering it you should scoop it right then because a clean litterbox is more attractive because cats do not like get in a dirty litterbox.

I hope this helps.

Tabbi





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: That is so crazy that you brought up the "dominant" factor. I do believe Moe does try to show his dominance to me and to our other female cat phebe. I have written to you before about Moe and Phebe, and she still hates him! Still hissing swatting and growling at him! Its funny sometimes to watch but getting really annoying. Its been since Nov 07 since we brought Momo into our house! He is not aggressive with her at all. He just stalks her (and myself sometimes!) and he will back her into a corner. He is never aggressive. I honestly think he is looking at her thinking "what the heck is your problem?! i wanna role around with you!" But the way Moe is with me is different the way he is with my husband. He will bite me, not hard but in a i wanna play way, and he never does that to my husband. He makes this noise when he is stalking me and phebe, like a chattering with his mouth. Does not do that with my husband! Its funny, i think he may be a little mental or something, he is so darn cute.
Back to the liter box, i do have a big box for the cats. It was the biggest, deepest one i could find at Petco. The size is not the issue. I may need to put more liter in the box and clean it twice a day, instead of once.. Phebe covers her stuff all nice and neat, not Moe!! When i run out of Fresh step i will try something else to see if that helps as well.. let me know if its normal that Moe stalks me :) Thank you!

Answer
Rebecca,

If a bigger litterbox is not an issue, then maybe you should try two litterboxes in different locations. He may not want to be using one that she uses. Worth a try!

It may just be a quirk in his nature too. There may not be a logical reason for why he does it except for a reason only he knows.

I don't remember if you said that he was a feral kitten or not. But it sure sounds like it. They are serious hunters! The clicking noise he makes is the sound they make when they are stalking a bird...only he is stalking you and Phebe! A cat with a feral background usually bonds with one person. It sounds like that is you and he is playing with you like you are another cat.

An indoor cat can't satisfy their hunting urges so you have to help them. Get some furry stuffed mice that you can throw for him to "catch". Get some raw beef rib bones too. The butcher can cut them in half. Cats pretend the rib bone is a "fresh kill" and some carry them around and growl. The fibers in the meat also help clean their teeth. Pull a string around for him to chase, or get dangly toys for him. Maybe get an aquarium or a couple of mice (in a cat-proof cage) that he can watch and TRY to catch. I have lizards and fish my cats love. The mice, lizards, etc. don't pay attention to the cats after awhile (when they figure out they are safe) so they go about their business which keeps the cats interested. These are just some suggestions so you get the idea of what will keep the 'wild cat' in him happy and satisfied.

Of course you can always get another cat his age and temperment that WILL play with him.

I hope this additional info helps.

Tabbi