Kitten Doesn't Bury Feces

[ldy71]

Does anyone have any ideas of how to remedy this? She hasn't covered her excrement ever since I adopted her a few weeks ago. She'll dig before she goes to the bathroom, but afterward she'll just lean down to look and sniff at it, then proceed to scratch the walls of the litter box before hopping out. It's not the biggest deal when I'm home, because I can quickly cover it up, but if I'm not, then it just sits there and stinks up the apartment until I get back or her brother goes to the bathroom and covers it for her.

 

[maggie101]

My guess is the litter box is too small. 2 1/2x the length of the cat. Mine are from storage containers.

 

[ldy71]

My guess is the litter box is too small. 2 1/2x the length of the cat. Mine are from storage containers.

Are there any commercial litter boxes that are big enough? I got three extra large ones from Petsmart, which were already an upgrade from the ones I was using.

 

[Sammiches]

It might not actually be a problem. Like humans, cats have their own preference. Some cats prefer hiding their waste, some cats just don't seem to mind it at all. That may be your cats case just as much as my cat does not care whatsoever about catnip which is a little unfortunate(catnip+cats=hilarious) but that's okay she's still my adorable cat.

 

[Maria Bayote]

My Barley does the same thing, too. I changed the sizes and types of boxes but still his poop is for all the world to smell. So I personally agree with S Sammiches . Or maybe your cat and mine were separated from their mama cats much too early, and was not given the chance to learn the basics.

You can try changing the size and type of litter first and see how it goes. Also, is the litter box closed or the open type? Some cats also don’t like the closed ones. But anyway, in my household I have both open and closed litter boxes, but nothing worked with my Barley.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Is this a kitten you are talking about, and if so, how old? The younger she is the better chance you might have of teaching her to cover her own poo. When you are home and can keep track of her, follow her to the litter box and take her paw and cover it. If you would prefer, you can try covering it with a scoop in front of her to see if she gets the idea, but if that doesn't work, you will have to resort to using her paw.

As the others have said, it may be that she will never cover her own poo. Feeby (15+ yo) rarely, if ever, covers hers. She also doesn't cover her pee.

 

[quietdumpling]

Maybe she was never taught by mama (or didn't have mama around) to teach her. 2 of my cats (sisters from the same litter) don't cover their poop - they scratch like mad at the litter box walls but don't seem to know that they have to actually cover the poop. It smells but I've just learned to live with it! I love them too much to care. If I'm around when it happens I just run over to cover it or scoop it immediately. My 3rd cat has some extremely stinky poops but luckily he knows how to cover!

If she's young enough maybe you'll be able to teach her. My cats were already 6 months old when I got them and they freaked out whenever I tried to teach them.

 

[maggie101]

Are there any commercial litter boxes that are big enough? I got three extra large ones from Petsmart, which were already an upgrade from the ones I was using.

There is but very expensive and has a cover which I do not like because one of my cats pees standing up. Dont remember the name. I had to get a friend to help me cut the storage containers. Hopefully the extra large will work.

 

[susanm9006]

Some kittens and cats just don’t cover their poop. But if you have another cat willing to do it for them your kitten may eventually learn to do it for themselves.

 

[maggie101]

I remember when my cats were using store bought litter boxes, my cat Maggie would get out, look around, and cover urine/poo. Her body shape is long so she needs the room. Now my cats mostly go in the center, not the corners since the storage bin is so much longer. I got mine at the container store. It is smooth on the bottom and sides.

 

[ldy71]

My Barley does the same thing, too. I changed the sizes and types of boxes but still his poop is for all the world to smell. So I personally agree with S Sammiches . Or maybe your cat and mine were separated from their mama cats much too early, and was not given the chance to learn the basics.

You can try changing the size and type of litter first and see how it goes. Also, is the litter box closed or the open type? Some cats also don’t like the closed ones. But anyway, in my household I have both open and closed litter boxes, but nothing worked with my Barley.

Sorry for the late reply. Now I have all covered litter boxes, but she didn't cover when she used the uncovered litter boxes I had previously.

 

[ldy71]

Is this a kitten you are talking about, and if so, how old? The younger she is the better chance you might have of teaching her to cover her own poo. When you are home and can keep track of her, follow her to the litter box and take her paw and cover it. If you would prefer, you can try covering it with a scoop in front of her to see if she gets the idea, but if that doesn't work, you will have to resort to using her paw.

As the others have said, it may be that she will never cover her own poo. Feeby (15+ yo) rarely, if ever, covers hers. She also doesn't cover her pee.

Sorry for the late reply. Yes, she's 18 weeks. Her and her siblings were supposedly dropped off in front of the shelter when they were 7-8 weeks. I don't know if she would have been taught by then, but her brother covers his, so I assume that they were.

I've tried both grabbing her paw to cover it (which she is not a fan of) and using the scoop to cover it while she watches. Hasn't had an effect.