Kitten Keeps Stepping In Its Own Feces

[ldy71]

Hey everyone, I'm having an issue with one of my 16-week old kittens. Every time after she poops, she proceeds to scratch the side of the litter box a few times, lean down to smell her poop, and repeat the process four or five times. Around a third to half of the time, she ends up accidentally stepping in her poop when she leans down to smell it or when she's exiting the litter box. She also doesn't bury any of her excrement.

It's just getting really frustrating having to watch her every single time she goes to the bathroom and run her over to the sink to wash her paw. She's perfect in every other way, but this is starting to aggravate me like crazy. Any tips for how to fix this behavior?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Did you just recently get her? If so, can you talk to the previous 'owner' about how she reacted/behaved in the litter box before? It might be the type/size of box or type/amount of litter that she is unsure of/unused to. If there is more than one kitten and there is already 'stuff' in it, that could also be swaying how she goes about covering her own poo.

The only other thing I can think of is to watch her when she goes to use the litter box, let her smell it and start to do her scratching routine but then step in and either let her watch you cover it, or gently help her cover it with her paw.

I will tell you that Feeby (15+ yo) has rarely covered her poo, scratches the sides of the box a lot, and still on occasion has stepped in it as well. So, be forewarned - it could just be your kitten's way of doing her business.

Hopefully other members will see your post soon and have some first hand tips to offer!!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Hekitty fanatically covers, but my previous cat did not. Some do, some just don't seem to see the point in it. Unfortunately, there isn't much, other than what FeebysOwner suggested, to do about it.

One thing to help your own aggravation is keeping a container of baby wipes next to the box for paw cleaning. Beats that trip to the sink by a long shot!

 

[zed xyzed]

I think she is thinking she is covering it but scratching on the side. I think that she will learn to bury it properly and not step in it. My Murray is not great at covering it completely but his brother Peter will often go in a cover it up for him. Some cats are more fastidious than others

 

[She's a witch]

Every time when I dig super deep to get to my cats poos, I wish they didn’t cover them Some cats simply don’t.

Super big litter box and a lot of litter in it may help, as she would have more space to move around. But I’m wondering if her poos are healthy enough, aren’t they too soft? Healthy poo is hardish and wouldn’t leave much residue on the paw.

 

[ldy71]

I think she is thinking she is covering it but scratching on the side. I think that she will learn to bury it properly and not step in it. My Murray is not great at covering it completely but his brother Peter will often go in a cover it up for him. Some cats are more fastidious than others

That is what I think as well. They were separated from their mother when they were at the most 7 or 8 weeks old, so I'm guessing she just never properly learned how to bury it. I'm lucky that her brother will usually bury anything that needs burying, just like your Peter.

 

[ldy71]

Every time when I dig super deep to get to my cats poos, I wish they didn’t cover them Some cats simply don’t.

Super big litter box and a lot of litter in it may help, as she would have more space to move around. But I’m wondering if her poos are healthy enough, aren’t they too soft? Healthy poo is hardish and wouldn’t leave much residue on the paw.

She has had an issue with soft stools since before I adopted her that are gradually getting better since introducing this probiotic. They're still far from perfect though.

 

[She's a witch]

She has had an issue with soft stools since before I adopted her that are gradually getting better since introducing this probiotic. They're still far from perfect though.

So I’d focus on fixing her poop, when it’s firmer, it’s totally possible that even if she steps on it, the effect won’t be that gross. Good luck!