My cat is too stupid to understand how litter is supposed to work

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Anajana

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I've been fighting this battle for a long time and this is a long post, so please read all of it before commenting. I'm going to post pictures of her yet because she doesn't deserve praise. I've had a brown tabby for about 5 years now. I had her spayed when she was 4 months old, and 7 months ago she needed a $5,000 surgery to remove her vertical ear canals. I QTip them daily and she has completely recovered and is used to the routine. She doesn't like when I clean her ears, but she let me do it.

This digging issue started when she was a kitten, and it doesn't seem to be exasperated by surgery. So my problem is that my cat is so stupid she can't figure out how litter works. Yes, really. She is litter trained and uses it...after she digs for hours sometimes. No, I'm not kidding.

In her kittenhood I would notice little piles of litter she kicked out of the box either in the morning or when I came home from work. It wasn't much and I could just sweep it up, so I assumed it was just her overcompensating for her then tiny limbs As she got older it only got worse. I thought she was digging to make noise and get attention, so I cuddled and played with her more. There wasn't a difference though it didn't get worse.

She developed a complicated potty ritual where she digs one way until it's all puled on one side, then she switches paws and digs the other way until it's all piled on the other side. She will go back and forth as it spills out the whole time. I have to physically remove her from the litter and lock her out of the bathroom sometimes to make her stop. I'll let her dig a spot, potty, and cover it. When she covers it she goes back and forth again, and I've tried squirting her with watter, throwing water from the shower, smacking her with a towel, and throwing things at the box to startle her. This works for a while, but every time I find a new way to stop her she just ignores it. Usually by the second or third time since knows I'm not going to hurt her so she just keeps right on digging. This became habit for both of us.

Eventually, when she was about 2, I wondered if it was the litter. At the time she was using Feline Pine. So I switched to non-clumping Johnny Cat. She would still spend forever in there, so I thought clumping litter would be better. So I tried Fresh Step for a while. No difference. The last one I tried was extremely expensive -- Lucy Pet. I actually kind of like this one, so I'm not trying any new litters. The litter isn't the problem -- this stupid cat doesn't know how litter works. So it wasn't attention or boredom, and it wasn't the litter.

At around 3 years old I tried a bigger litter box. Nothing much changed, except that there was more space to move around and she took longer to dump her litter out. But she still did. At this point I realized she was doing it deliberately so I switched back to the old box. Not like it mattered anyway. So I spent the last year or so used to sweeping after my cat uses the litter box. She started tracking poop around the house, so I got to thinking maybe if I didn't clean it daily she'd be grossed out and not dig so much. Of course she didn't care.

But the part I'm pissed off about happened the night and morning of Black Friday. I had to get up early and work overtime, and she made such a huge mess I had to mop! ON MY WAY TO WORK ON BLACK FRIDAY MORNING. I was so pissed I shoved her face in it and hit her hard on her behind. She shrieked and ran off, and I ended up over an hour late to work. I almost lost my job because of how stupid and selfish this cat is! Look at the picture and tell me any of this makes sense. She took out all the litter except the pee clumps I was purposely leaving there! I've done everything I can to make her understand litter is supposed to stay in the box but she's too retarded to care.

She's super cuddly and purs when I pick her up, so she doesn't have a problem with human affection. She is spayed and vaccinated and gets annual checkups, and I paid a lot of money to fix her ears. If something was wrong with her tummy I would have found it, especially as she was going to her check ups and surgical followups. She is completely healthy. I really like her personality overall but but she's ****ing retarded! I have asked her vet but he doesn't believe she's intentionally dumping her litter out. But there's just no possible way this was unintentional. COME ON.

So is there any way I can force my retarded stupid asshole of a cat to leave her litter alone after she covers her poop? She will complain when I remove her from the litter, and sometimes she'll even camp out by the bathroom door and run in and dig more when I go pee. Other times she will make an announcement to tell me she used the litter. If I don't go look she'll go back to digging. Sometimes I have to chase her off after she tells me she's finished. She's so obsessed nothing I do has worked.

Here's a recap: I tried toys, cuddles, and aying more. Didn't work. I tried 4 different types of litter, a bigger box, and purposely not cleaning it daily, and none of it made a difference. She's been to the vet more times than most cats and he doesn't think she's doing it intentionally, but she very clearly is. And for no obvious reason. Look at the pic and tell me this was an accident. Someone please give me an idea I haven't already tried. I should mention the vet also said to ignore her when she meows and digs...this is the result of ignoring her for one night. Ignoring her only makes it worse. So please don't say that. It doesn't work and no one who has a cat will believe you.
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nwc

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I was so pissed I shoved her face in it and hit her hard on her behind. She shrieked and ran off, and I ended up over an hour late to work.
Dude, this is a cat forum.


She is completely healthy. I really like her personality overall but but she's ****ing retarded!
Nah, it's probably OCD. Maybe get a video of your cat doing it, and then show it to the vet so she doesn't think your cat is doing it on accident?
 

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Hitting the cat or pushing her face in her has absolutely no effect on her behavior other that making her afraid of you. You need to stop those kinds of behaviors. The best solution for her litterbox issues is to put her box inside a larger box so that her sprayed litter can be contained. The other thing I noticed is that her box is really dirty, probably two or three days worth. If you clean it several times a day she may not have to work so hard to cover it all.
 
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CatLover49

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Hitting the cat or pushing her has absolutely no effect on her behavior other that making her afraid of you. You need to stop those kinds of behaviors. The best solution for her litterbox issues is to put her box inside a larger box so that her sprayed litter can be contained. The other thing I noticed is that her box is really dirty, probably two or three days worth. If you clean it several times a day she may not have to work so hard to cover it all.
Exactly...Cats dont like dirty litter boxes
 

Tik cat's mum

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My cat loves to dig and does the dig one way then the other. I have found if you take poop and pee out straight away the problem is solved because there is nothing to bury. You could still put the litter box in a bigger box to catch the litter when your at work and can't clean out straight away. Hitting or rubbing the face in it won't work with cat's.
 

She's a witch

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She might be stressed because you seem like a very stressed person yourself.. cats pick up stress from people that care of them. This may be a habit to help her feel better.
Have you tried one of these huge containers converted into litter box? It may solve the mess.
I have diggers at home, but not to such level, and I noticed that they actually dig more if they don’t have enough litter in the box. I usually just keep half of the high box filled and they spend less time digging. Maybe try putting more litter in the huge box so that it doesn’t create a mess.
 
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Anajana

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She might be stressed because you seem like a very stressed person yourself.. cats pick up stress from people that care of them. This may be a habit to help her feel better.
Have you tried one of these huge containers converted into litter box? It may solve the mess.
I have diggers at home, but not to such level, and I noticed that they actually dig more if they don’t have enough litter in the box. I usually just keep half of the high box filled and they spend less time digging. Maybe try putting more litter in the huge box so that it doesn’t create a mess.
The bigger box needed more litter, but neither it nor the bigger amount of litter made a difference. She chooses to dig for long periods. I need to make her stop. This process has taken most of 5 years, and I've gone slowly with every transition. So I tend to think it isn't stress alone. Lately probably, but not generally. In the last month I have been, yes. Retail sucks like that. But that isn't the norm. I work morning to evening every work day outside holidays. She's pretty used to the routine of me coming and going. So I was shocked that she decided to destroy my bathroom on the busiest work day of the year. I was extremely upset and terrified of being fired, so yeah, I smacked her. But it isn't habit no matter what the crazy cat people tell you. Her vet doesn't see a problem with her (which includes the fact that she isn't abused). So it has to be psychological. I just don't know what her problem is or how to fix it.
 

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I need help here,
Get a very tall sided really big storage bin, cut a hole out of one side for access, put the litter box in it, and let her dig. Bigger than this example if you can find it and have space for it.



So it has to be psychological.
Put some music on or get some calming products for her;

Only Natural Pet has a calming product called Just Relax Calming spray with essential oil (catnip oil).

There's this one, be sure and scroll all the way down the page;
Bach Flower Remedies - Rescue Remedy Pets Dogs Cats Horses Birds

Richard's Organics Pet Calm-this one is drops that you put on the tip of the tongue. Also, HomeoPet Anxiety Relief, Head to Tail Calming, Relaxivet Quiet Moments Cat treats, GNC Calming formula, and there is Calm-o-mile, Sentry calming collar, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy - UK (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-eze, Pet Organics No Stress, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has other calming products, Pet Naturals also has one I believe, and there are others.

Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course chewy, also there's Petwishpros, animaleo, 1-800-petmeds, Petco and PetSmart, and other pet stores.

There is also a product called a lickimat which could be helpful, as cats can be calmed by the process of licking. The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats

This post talks about some other products;
Calming Treats For A Very Picky Cat

And, try some chamomile tea for yourself :) or exercise, do deep breathing, meditate, whatever works for you. We have seen plenty of members posts, and can tell when someone is very stressed themselves.
 
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Twylasmom

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If that is one night worth of urine clumps in the box I would be concerned that my cat might have diabetes or thyroid issues and take it in for a vet check and blood work. If that is not from one night you need to clean the box more often.

Squirting or throwing water, swatting with a towel and yelling at the behavior may increase the cat's anxiety and make the behavior worse. Cats do not understand that type of discipline or others that you have mentioned. The litter box issues may be anxiety based.

Finding a way to control the litter spray, such as using a clear storage container with an entrance hole and multiple litter mats around the box might help to control the litter.
 

She's a witch

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The bigger box needed more litter, but neither it nor the bigger amount of litter made a difference. She chooses to dig for long periods. I need to make her stop. This process has taken most of 5 years, and I've gone slowly with every transition. So I tend to think it isn't stress alone. Lately probably, but not generally. In the last month I have been, yes. Retail sucks like that. But that isn't the norm. I work morning to evening every work day outside holidays. She's pretty used to the routine of me coming and going. So I was shocked that she decided to destroy my bathroom on the busiest work day of the year. I was extremely upset and terrified of being fired, so yeah, I smacked her. But it isn't habit no matter what the crazy cat people tell you. Her vet doesn't see a problem with her (which includes the fact that she isn't abused). So it has to be psychological. I just don't know what her problem is or how to fix it.
But you could try one of the big containers with cover, and cut hole on top to create entry top litter box - do you think she would accept it? I don’t know if that would solve the digging but the mess should be smaller.

She may do this for number of reasons, and it’s best to find it to address the problem. She may simply treat litter box as her playground- one of my cat was going crazy in the litter box when I introduced another cat and super fine litter that he was using in his foster home, and she seriously had time of her life on this beach, to the point that I had to change it. Is your cat playful? Do you play with her? Does she play on her own? Do you think it is likely reason?
She may have started doing it because she was bored, and now it became a habit. If she stays home alone a lot, it’s likely.
She may have some objections towards the litter, I know you tried a lot but I’d encourage to try something completely diffeeent as well, who knows.
If this is stress, I was hoping someone would list some natural remedies and luckily you have a list above.
The bigger box needs more litter, yes, but for my cats it’s super important how high the litter goes, they really feel the best when it’s more than recommended 3-4 inches of it in the litter box. They simply hate when they can reach the floor of the litter box. Maybe that’s worth trying as well? But not in the small box, as the mess might be even worse, get the big container first. Good luck!!!
 
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Furballsmom

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How often do you clean the litterbox? You may not realize that things could be a whole lot worse, in that she could stop using the box entirely. Do keep that in mind as you work to adjust things. If she becomes frightened of the box and/or your reactions, she'll go elsewhere.

If you can't get to cleaning the box twice daily, get a second litterbox, or try an automatic litterbox.
 
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Anajana

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But you could try one of the big containers with cover, and cut hole on top to create entry top litter box - do you think she would accept it? I don’t know if that would solve the digging but the mess should be smaller.
I was looking into getting a big Rubbermaid container and cutting a hole in the lid. I saw a youtube video on it but I haven't had time to gather the magerials for it. But since ypu mentioned it I'll do that first thing next month (with my next check).

[Quoye]
She may simply treat litter box as her playground- Is your cat playful? Do you play with her? Does she play on her own? Do you think it is likely reason?
[/quote]

I've wondered if she was just playing. I have tried playing more and giving her more attention, but I haven't seen a difference with jer litter behaviors. Even exhausting her to where she walked slower to the litter didn't help. It's like once she's in her litter she's on autopilot.

Good luck!!!
Thanks. I need a lot of luck. I'll pay more attention to the amount of litter I use, but I will say I did try using more for a while and she just had an easier time kicking it out. I don't know how much, so I'll be looking next time I change it.
 
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Anajana

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How often do you clean the litterbox? You may not realize that things could be a whole lot worse, in that she could stop using the box entirely. Do keep that in mind as you work to adjust things. If she becomes frightened of the box and/or your reactions, she'll go elsewhere.

If you can't get to cleaning the box twice daily, get a second litterbox, or try an automatic litterbox.
Origionally daily, usually at night when I came home before I showered. I slowed down a bit to wvery other day because I thought she wouldn't want to spend so much time in there if there were a few pee clumps still there. But it obviously didn't work. This was after keeping it reasonably clean for at least 4 1/2 years. I don't change it to fresh litter every time I sift it, but I will top it off every few days.
 

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A Anajana Welcome to the cat site! You obviously came because you like your cat and want help fixing the issue. You obvious care about her or else you would have gotten rid of her by now and certainly wouldn't have spent all that cash at the vet.

I did read your whole post and I can feel the frustration. I would be too. I have two that dig to China and make a mess but NEVER for hours and not that bad.

I can offer a couple of suggestions, one I know you've tried but maybe try it again - slightly different.

I can tell you I don't like that box, unless it's just a poor angle pic, it looks rounded and awkward.

These are the things I would try:

- I know you tried a bigger box and less litter. Did you try them together? I would do less litter and a bigger box.
- Where is the location is the box? Is it somewhere that might disturb her? Irritate her in some way? High traffic? Noises?
- I know you tried cleaning it less hoping it would prevent the spills, but, do clean it daily - it'll probably makes it worse not cleaning it..


She's a witch She's a witch is correct. Cats pick up stress - you're stressed - she's stressed
Furballsmom Furballsmom 's list of anti stress for the kitty is absolutely worth a try. I know it helped at least two of my stressed furballs when they get in moods.

N nwc gave a good thought about videoing it and sending to the vet and if that Vet can't help - guess what - yup - get another vets opinion until you find one that can help you both.

I'll try to think of more ideas for you.

I know you hit and rubbed kitties face in the litter due to being so beside yourself. Please don't do it again. Cats have REALLY long memories and you don't want her to stop trusting you. That's all I'll say on that as I get it was a reaction - and no doubt if it hadn't been for those crazy circumstances you wouldn't have.

XOXOOX
 
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CatLover49

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Origionally daily, usually at night when I came home before I showered. I slowed down a bit to wvery other day because I thought she wouldn't want to spend so much time in there if there were a few pee clumps still there. But it obviously didn't work. This was after keeping it reasonably clean for at least 4 1/2 years. I don't change it to fresh litter every time I sift it, but I will top it off every few days.
But yea try using a larger...( longer) LITTER BOX...And put the correct amount of litter in there to where she cant touch the bottom..cats dont like bottom of litter boxes...And I think it will be fine..
 
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Anajana

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Please keep in mind that we're trying, and want to, help.


Get a very tall sided really big storage bin, cut a hole out of one side for access, put the litter box in it, and let her dig. Bigger than this example if you can find it and have space for it.

[/URL]



Put some music on or get some calming products for her;

Only Natural Pet has a calming product called Just Relax Calming spray with essential oil (catnip oil).

There's this one, be sure and scroll all the way down the page;
Bach Flower Remedies - Rescue Remedy Pets Dogs Cats Horses Birds

Richard's Organics Pet Calm-this one is drops that you put on the tip of the tongue. Also, HomeoPet Anxiety Relief, Head to Tail Calming, Relaxivet Quiet Moments Cat treats, GNC Calming formula, and there is Calm-o-mile, Sentry calming collar, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy - UK (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-eze, Pet Organics No Stress, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has other calming products, Pet Naturals also has one I believe, and there are others.

Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course chewy, also there's Petwishpros, animaleo, 1-800-petmeds, Petco and PetSmart, and other pet stores.

There is also a product called a lickimat which could be helpful, as cats can be calmed by the process of licking. The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats

This post talks about some other products;
Calming Treats For A Very Picky Cat

And, try some chamomile tea for yourself :) or exercise, do deep breathing, meditate, whatever works for you. We have seen plenty of members posts, and can tell when someone is very stressed themselves.
Cat calming pheromones didn't work with her. Initially after surgery she freaked out over how irritated her ears were and how her cone prevented her from scratching them. I refused to sedate her with opiates for a whole month, so I tried 2 vials total (a little less than 2 months) and it just didn't work. By then she had her stitches taken out, so the vet and I both just gave up on that one.

It's interesting you mention the rubbermaid container idea. I just PMed that exact idea to someone else. So we agree there. Chamomile tea is actually my favorite, so you might be on to something there. :)
 

Furballsmom

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Cat calming pheromones didn't work with her.
Yeah, I've never been a fan of these either, but maybe something else on that list I posted for you, or even music might help. There's Relax My Cat, or MusicForCats . com, or even low volume classical harp music now and then (not 24/7 :) )
 
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