Apparent low IQ kitten cannot figure out litter box!

chriszal

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We have 2 new kitten brothers, about 2 months old. One of them will dig a hole in the litter box to poop, but then will keep his front legs in the hole so that he poops outside the hole. Then he backs up, right into the poop! We are having to give him daily mini-baths to get the stuck poop and litter out of his fur. The poor little guy!

We used to keep a lot of litter in the box and figured that was the problem, so now we keep it shallow. But he still does the same thing: digs a hole and then poops at the edge of the hold and backs into it.

Is there any way to train them to get this right? Thanks!
 

louann jude

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He is still a baby and at 8 weeks he may have only been using a litter box a week or two so he is still figuring it out. Give him a little time and he will get it. 
 

lesliel76

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Yes a higher side box is good. I use tupperwear bins that I cut an entrance to.

It helped my cat who was going in the box but lifting her booty when she peed and it got outside the box.
 

talkingpeanut

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Do you actually think he has low iq for other reasons or is that a joke?
 

mani

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Welcome to TCS @chriszal  


I have to admit I laughed when I read this, which is most unhelpful for you, but just the thought of this little 8 week old guy learning to poop...


I think, those who have answered about higher sides, the issue is not pooing outside of the box, but digging a hole in the litter, standing in the hole and pooing outside of it, in the litter, and then backing into it.  Is that right chriszal?  Does he do any covering movements at all?
Do you actually think he has low iq for other reasons or is that a joke?
He's 8 weeks old.. I think that's probably the issue..
 
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chriszal

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Thank you, Mani!

I realize that I had his age wrong in my original post. When we got him in early Dec he was approx 8 weeks, so now he's more like 12 weeks old.

Sometimes he covers it but usually not. His routine is to poop outside the hole he's dug, and then back away from the hole -- into the poop -- and sometimes cover it. Sometimes he just hops out of the box, leaving it uncovered.

His brother is neat/tidy and covers his own poop -- I wish he would clean up after his brother, too. 
 

cat nap

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Thank you, Mani!

I realize that I had his age wrong in my original post. When we got him in early Dec he was approx 8 weeks, so now he's more like 12 weeks old.

Sometimes he covers it but usually not. His routine is to poop outside the hole he's dug, and then back away from the hole -- into the poop -- and sometimes cover it. Sometimes he just hops out of the box, leaving it uncovered.

His brother is neat/tidy and covers his own poop -- I wish he would clean up after his brother, too. 
@chriszal   You might be able to teach him by holding him, and getting him to watch his brother use the litter box. (I found that my kittens would often watch the other one, while they were digging/covering up...then they would go into the box and inspect the litterbox, afterwards.)

If not, then try to show him that you want it covered up, by actually covering it up yourself.  It may take a few times, but he might catch on. (It sounds like his depth/spatial perception is a bit off. Does he also drink water from the bowl, a little differently, like with one paw in the water.)

(His brother may very well want to go in and cover his siblings' poop, but then that would make your other guy, get away with having his poop covered by others, and his behind cleaned as well. He's actually sounding 'smarter' than usual, by getting all this extra work done for him. (joking) )


You may have to try changing types of litters, and experimenting with different boxes...but I think he's still young, and he is trying...so he might just get a little mixed up, step in his poop, and then not know what to do. Make sure that his tidy/neat brother is not staring at him while he is going, making him nervous, or feeling rushed.
 
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chriszal

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@cat nap This is a great idea, to literally show him that it needs to be covered. Thank you for the suggestion!

Other than this issue, he's quite typical and doesn't have any feeding or behavioral issues. He's part Siamese, if that matters.

Happy new year!
 

cat nap

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@cat nap This is a great idea, to literally show him that it needs to be covered. Thank you for the suggestion!

Other than this issue, he's quite typical and doesn't have any feeding or behavioral issues. He's part Siamese, if that matters.

Happy new year!
@chriszal   Happy New Year, to you, too!


Ah, you're welcome, about the suggestion...I do hope that it helps.  (I'm not too sure about the 'part Siamese', because I don't really know the temperaments of different cats, but all I know is that part Siamese, and full Siamese are awesomely beautiful, and pretty. I hope you gave your 2 boys quite fitting names to go along with their personalities...or 'purrsonalities'.)
 


When training your kitten, by showing him how to cover up, then it may also be a good idea to give him a 'food treat' that he likes,...to establish only positive experiences for using the litter box.

And if trying different litter types, then just make sure to place them in different boxes, in different, but convenient locations for your kittens, and then you may see that he prefers one litter-type over another.  Unscented litter is advised, because cats are very sensitive to smell, and some may find the scented types too strong. Texture is also important, and your kitten may like the feel of one, better than another. (Also, try to make sure the one kitten is not ambushing the other, because that seemed to happen a lot around here, at 12 weeks of age. They were constantly playing. And I had to scoop the boxes more at this age, because they would take forever trying to decide on a space to go, if covered poop/urine was already in the box.)

You may have already seen these Cat Care Articles, from the 'Articles' Section, at the top of the page. They may give you some more ideas, if you scroll down to the litterbox section. Good Luck with your kitten adventures. 
 
 

crankydave

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We have 2 new kitten brothers, about 2 months old. One of them will dig a hole in the litter box to poop, but then will keep his front legs in the hole so that he poops outside the hole. Then he backs up, right into the poop! We are having to give him daily mini-baths to get the stuck poop and litter out of his fur. The poor little guy!

We used to keep a lot of litter in the box and figured that was the problem, so now we keep it shallow. But he still does the same thing: digs a hole and then poops at the edge of the hold and backs into it.

Is there any way to train them to get this right? Thanks!
Hah, my second kitten also does stuff like this. Though in his case, he always "deposits" near the wall of the litterbox (all three boxes I have are jumbo-sized and high-sided with the litter kept 3" or 4" deep), and when he tries to bury it, he never twists to the left or right for fresh litter to bury it with; he always paws straight ahead, scratching at the wall for a good 30 seconds before giving up and leaving. My first kitten usually tidies up for him. He has a slightly lazy eye, so maybe his depth perception is a little off.
 

RoJo

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We have 2 new kitten brothers, about 2 months old. One of them will dig a hole in the litter box to poop, but then will keep his front legs in the hole so that he poops outside the hole. Then he backs up, right into the poop! We are having to give him daily mini-baths to get the stuck poop and litter out of his fur. The poor little guy!

We used to keep a lot of litter in the box and figured that was the problem, so now we keep it shallow. But he still does the same thing: digs a hole and then poops at the edge of the hold and backs into it.

Is there any way to train them to get this right? Thanks!
I know this post was back a few years but I couldn't help responding! I've got a 1 1/2 year old male and a 6 month female who are related. The male is a neat and tidy as it comes, so I had a shock when we got our little one! She was awful in the litter box when we first got her and would always get her paw in her own poo, didn't really cover it up.. To the point our boy would go on sniff arou d and cover it up for her!! Haha. Now she's 6 months she better, although rarely covers up her urine. The interesting thing is that she does exactly the same as your kitten did.. Dig a hole, stick her font paws in the hole, and poo on the high pile from the hols she dug!! It still annoys me grately because it causes the smell to emulate all over the house! Now if I catch her I'll gently approach her ehn she's ready to poo, and gently move her.. I don't think she likes it, but tough, shes gotta learn some how! So I thought I'd share that you were not the only one!
Your cats will be 5 now, I wonder how they're doing? And if your cat still poos on the 'hill' 🤣🤔
Take care, big ❤ to all!
 
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