8 Month Old Cat Eats So Much And Still Skinny?

[Neo_23]

Maybe her poops aren't properly formed? Healthy poops should be firm and not too soft (but also not too hard). Healthy poops don't get flung around as much and won't stick to paws or bums as much as soft poops.

 

[Sammiches]

Maybe her poops aren't properly formed? Healthy poops should be firm and not too soft (but also not too hard). Healthy poops don't get flung around as much and won't stick to paws or bums as much as soft poops.

Her poops are in one/two big long pieces generally but on some rare occasions like said, she does step on it by mistake. None is trapped on her butt or anything, just one of her pads. I assume she accidentally steps on it while trying to cover it up or sniff around it.

There's only one time I can think of when her poop was forming badly and watery was when I gave her Greenies which took me three days to figure out the cause. After that her poop seemed solid and back to normal.

 

[Kefa]

Try taking the hood off the box so she can jump out away from her poop to get out. Then she can turn around, find it, and carefully bury it without having to do contortions in the hood.

 

[Sammiches]

Try taking the hood off the box so she can jump out away from her poop to get out. Then she can turn around, find it, and carefully bury it without having to do contortions in the hood.

It's not a common occurrence really. It's pretty rare, once a month and rarely twice. So it seems like an isolated issue that doesn't have to really do with the box. She doesn't mind the hood as far as I can tell as she's been using it for months.

The size of the box is relatively huge compared to her, I can probably fit two of her in there and they could probably do a full 360 turn while both inside the box. She could also sit straight up and her head still have roughly an inch before touching the top.

 

[Kefa]

It's not a matter of her minding it, it's just a matter of being able to move around it easily to bury it. Tell you what, take the hood off and watch how she does her business. They don't like squatting where their whiskers or tail touch things in the first place. Just try it. I never use a hooded box. Homer literally LEAPS out of the box after he does any business there, before he goes back to bury it. They don't need privacy. We cover the boxes for our own reasons. The cleaner you keep the box, the less they will dig too, and the less litter everywhere.

 

[Sammiches]

It's not a matter of her minding it, it's just a matter of being able to move around it easily to bury it. Tell you what, take the hood off and watch how she does her business. They don't like squatting where their whiskers or tail touch things in the first place. Just try it. I never use a hooded box. Homer literally LEAPS out of the box after he does any business there, before he goes back to bury it. They don't need privacy. We cover the boxes for our own reasons. The cleaner you keep the box, the less they will dig too, and the less litter everywhere.

Unfortunately I'll probably always keep the hood on simply because 1 in maybe 30 times she goes, she sprays the wall of the litter box. If I take the hood off, I'd assume she would spray the wall still but this time urine will actually splash out. She doesn't spray anywhere else thank god. I also clean the litter out twice a day so it's generally pretty clean. Once before I go to work and once before I go to sleep.

The only way I can see myself doing the no hood is to buy a brand new litter box entirely. Given that I spent $30 on the current one, I don't want to toss if it if my cat is already very used to it(I lured her back home when she got lost with the litter box). Again though, she can easily move around the box. I can fit two of her in there and both of them if they didn't mind each other being in the box at once, would be able to do their business next to each other without much contact with each other. Oh well, I'll figure out something.

 

[Kefa]

It's up to you. But she is not getting poo on her paws by her choice. I guarantee that.

 

[Sammiches]

It's up to you. But she is not getting poo on her paws by her choice. I guarantee that.

I'm sure she isn't but upon reading many other stories after creating my post, apparently it is common among kittens to occasionally step on their own feces by accident while trying to bury it and eventually they'll grow out of it.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I'd definitely axe the hood. If you need to find a taller box where she won't get anything outside the box, you can pick up some pretty nice large, tall boxes at Petco. As for bathing her paws, I would not scruff her -- contrary to what some people say/believe, humans do NOT do this properly and it might cause her pain and/or stress. When I needed to spot-bathe a couple of my elders when they had "accidents", I ran warm water in the sink, added cruelty-free shampoo to it, and gently picked up the cat and put him or her in the sink. I worked the soapy water into the fur and then emptied the sink. I then closed the sink and ran some more warm, plain water in it, rinsing the fur. Then I picked up the cat and put him or her into a towel to dry. Easy and as stress-free as possible.

 

[Kefa]

Homer only pees outside the box when the litter is too high in the box. We have developed a system. I use a regular litter box with a Wonder Box inside it. The left side has to be low on litter, because that is where he pees. That way, when he squats, he is safely down in the box and when he buries it there is no litter kicked out of the box. He is in the same position in the box to poop, but it ends up in the middle of the box. All the litter on the right side is clean and fresh for him to use to bury with. So I just clean the poop, clean the left side of the box, and add more litter to the right side.

PS. This is really the first time in my life I have had one animal I could give all my attention too, and no job or anything else I have to deal with. I am still amazed by what Homer can teach me.

 

[reba]

Oh she’s gooorgeous!!!! I so miss having kittens.

 

[Sammiches]

Oh she’s gooorgeous!!!! I so miss having kittens.

Yep, nothing like losing 2 hours of sleep a day ever since she's found me lol.