3-5 month old cat "plays" in litter box how to stop it!

[morganalefae]

In only the last few days I have noticed my male siamese kitten just start using his litter box as a toy he will go in there when he does not have to go and just sit there and play in it. he is getting litter all over the now and the excessive scratching of the sand is driving me up the wall now. He has plenty of toys and he even has a scratching post he like hardly uses. I'm at my wits end. I already plan to buy a covered litter box but how on earth am I supposed to get him to stop playing in his dang litter?

 

[chromium blues]

He's young and a goof and he'll likely outgrow it. You could dry giving him a high-sided litter box to help manage the mess. What kind of litter are you using? Some of the natural ones, like Swheat Scoop can have a lot of static and can "travel" up the sides of the litter box in a most fascinating way... Anyhow, I wouldn't worry about it too much, he'll get over it!

 

[Winchester]

Every single kitten that grew up in our house went through a phase of playing in the litter box. I don't know why and I don't know where they got the idea that it was fun. It will take a while, but your kitten will grow out of that stage. Honest. 

 

[jcat]

It's a phase. There's a medium-haired black kitten (born in May) at our shelter who has decided it's a lot of fun to roll in her litter box. She looks like she's been "breaded". :lol3:

 

[morganalefae]

like I said going to get a covered cat box and I'm now living in the UK with my fiance so out litter is a bit different then what I'm use to. our clumping kitty litter over here is a lot finer then the stuff I remember back home it's like a fine sand very fine. you mean this is a stage for kittens? I have had quite a few cats and those cats have had quite a few litter and even my wildest cat and her kittens never did this kinda thing in fact they were sweet and loveable and never did anything naughty especially they never bit anyone or decided to use humans as their full time scratching post

 

[jcat]

Yes, it's a kitten/juvenile thing. Some cats are just more mischievous than others and get into everything. Siamese are high-energy cats, too. We're on our second "digger" in a row (he's 2 1/2), and this has helped keep the mess in check: Blackhole Cat Litter Mat Amazon.co.uk has them.

 

[morganalefae]

2 1/2 years? OMO ur joking I dont want my little pooka Sheamus doing that for that long lol.

 

[stewball]

A covered litter box is a good idea. That's all I've been using for the pae 20 years.
And a mat in front to stop some of the litter being tracked through the house.
Do You Live Near Camelot?

 

[morganalefae]

If I was still in the usa I would say yes as that is the name of a old ppl home LOL. I live near the nottingham forest u know robin hood LOL thats about 10-20 mins down the street roughly lol

 

[reikitty]

Every once in a while I get a foster kitty who thinks litter boxes make great toys. Typically I've learned they get over pretty after a week or two.

If he keeps doing it maybe let it get a little dirtier then normal and he'll be to grossed out to play in it? Just an idea in case he doesn't out grown it!

 

[morganalefae]

hopefully that will work as we are looking to get another siamese cat in the house to keep dopey aka sheamus company lol so if that works I'll know what to do now if I could just get him to stop biting me it would be all good!

 

[reikitty]

 
hopefully that will work as we are looking to get another siamese cat in the house to keep dopey aka sheamus company lol so if that works I'll know what to do now if I could just get him to stop biting me it would be all good!

It probably would help! It will also help with the biting. Right now he doesn't know biting hurts you, but if he plays with another kitty and tries to bite the new kitty, he'll get told off really quick. Biting while playing is a very common behavior in kittens raised by themselves because they don't learn how to play properly. (of course other kitties do it to). Once they get introduced to another kitty the behavior in my experience goes away or lessens after a few days.

When I have a biter my method of dealing with it is we just stop play and we get up and walk away. Doesn't matter what we were playing or doing, if I get bit I just walk away. The kitten kind of stares at me like "Why'd we stop playing?!" Then of course goes off to play more... but eventually they learn that biting = no play and they'll stop doing it. It really needs a to stop while he's young too, it's cute when they're little, but not so cute when they're big....

 

[Deborah Thornton]

My 4 month old kitten has also started to use the litter tray a's a play box and bite...never experienced this with the numerous cats and kittens I have had before...he gets into places and can't get out and cries until we find him...he is a terror ...vets says he will calm down once neutered next month ..let's hope so it's driving me made too he is adorable when tired though !!

 

[KyaraRose]

So a mat will help? My boyfriend just thinks it's an unnecessary expense, but tired of walking in litter. She doesn't just get it near the boxes. It seems to get everywhere. And she seems to do it after it's been cleaned.

 

[Evaleriec]

I have a 11 week old kitty and he started playing in his litter box since we got him 3 weeks ago. It's so annoying cause ther is litter everywhere. I bought a litter tracker yesterday and it seems to help BUT, he still get's little poop nuggets on my floor and im assuming he plays with them.. he has a couple toys in the bathroom... I forgot to mention, i keep him in the bathroom at night and he does this over night.

 

[RufusGizmo]

my kittens are almost one. they just stopped playing in litter box about two months ago. I would just grab whichever one was in there, tap him on the forehead a couple times and say no no no. they stop. it is gross though, one of them used to stick his nose in feces and we had to always clean his nose. kittens, I believe, are not very smart, lol.

 

[JesseW]

I just landed here doing a search after my 5 month old kitten started being a terror in her new clay litter that I don't think she's experienced before. She was doing well with pine litter and strictly business, I tried to switch to clay just now and it's an exciting toy. So maybe try different litter types? Something to think about.

 

[danteshuman]

Yes those rubber/foamish matts that catch litter work wonders! I bought one off chewy for 10$ (USA $) so that is not a crazy expense. However if he disagrees so much he can sweep/vacuum twice a day

 

[kittycatcare]

It's a phase that should pass quickly. In addition to the covered litter box you can get a mat to put underneath the box to catch the litter. If it's really driving you up a wall then take your kitten's favorite toy and lure him out of there. You'll get some quality play time and tire him out! You could also try switching litter if it remains an issue.

I actually had the same problem a few months back with my little fella. Ended up digging up an article about it and now I'm not having any problems. Good luck!


Here's a link to the article if you're curious

Kittens Playing in the Litter Box? Try These 3 Steps

Have your kittens decided to start playing, digging or scratching in the litter box? Find how why and the steps you can take to prevent...

mycatsupplystation.com