When one of the kitties is happy, she rolls around in the litter box.

[Cat-nificent]

What is going on? Is there a way to discourage this behavior without teaching her not to go in the littler box. It is kind of funny though and I wouldn't mind except she always makes a bee-line to the bed for petting after her roll in the filth.

 

[susanm9006]

Just keep the box as clean as you can. If she is a youngster she may outgrow it.

 

[Kris107]

Mine loves to roll in dirt outside! She has several dirt patches and she gets FILTHY. And like you said, it's like they immediately want to go to your bed or white sofa or whatever. I think maybe that's what yours is doing? Trying to roll in the "dirt"? I'm not sure how to discourage it exactly... This same cat of mine is an excessive litter box scratcher and comes out covered in litter. I keep a wet cloth (used only for water and wiping cat) nearby to wipe her.

 

[tabbytom]

What is going on? Is there a way to discourage this behavior without teaching her not to go in the littler box. It is kind of funny though and I wouldn't mind except she always makes a bee-line to the bed for petting after her roll in the filth.

Pretty normal for cats to do this especially if they are rescues or indoor/outdoor cats as they have been living outdoors and one way to relax and rid of some itch is to roll on the dirt floor as the texture feels good on their body when rolling on it.

My boy use to roll a few times a day in the litterbox when he was using Bentonite Clay Litter and since I've changed his litter to Tofu Cat Litter, he hardly roll in the litterbox, just occasionally.

Have a brush nearby and whenever your cat rolls in the litterbox, give her a good brush or use a non toxic, non perfumed and non alcohol wet wipes and wipe her down.

 

[Kwik]

What is going on? Is there a way to discourage this behavior without teaching her not to go in the littler box. It is kind of funny though and I wouldn't mind except she always makes a bee-line to the bed for petting after her roll in the filth.

So is this one of the little 8 wk old kittens you recently took in or am I thinking of someone else? If I'm correct then your kitten is only around 3 months old,is that right?

This is not uncommon,especially with kittens- usually they just outgrow it,it's comforting to roll around in their own scent- you don't want to do anything to deter them from hanging out in a litter box- also ,in a multi cat household if there are not enough resources they do rub their own scent all over a coveted possession( lol) .... A box for every cat plus one more for good measure is the golden rule,whether they all go in one box or not they should have the added resource option (& will typically make use of it)

 

[Cat-nificent]

Hi all,

Kwik , tabbytom yes they were 8 weeks when I got them at the end of October. It just seemed weird to me but yeah, I guess it does make sense. K Kris107 Hmm, maybe bringing them outside of a bit would be good for them. I will look at getting some type of harness leash thing, because they are way to curious and would probably take off and come back a month later pregnant susanm9006 , definitely keeping it as clean as possible.

 

[Kris107]

I never take foster kittens or even unspayed/neutered cats outside. Too much risk. Even my cats are close to a year old before they go in our fenced back yard. I was just saying that its instinctual and you just have to keep a wipe nearby!

 

[Kwik]

Hi all,

Kwik , tabbytom yes they were 8 weeks when I got them at the end of October. It just seemed weird to me but yeah, I guess it does make sense. K Kris107 Hmm, maybe bringing them outside of a bit would be good for them. I will look at getting some type of harness leash thing, because they are way to curious and would probably take off and come back a month later pregnant susanm9006 , definitely keeping it as clean as possible.

My advice ( in case you want it,lol) is that they don't miss or long for what they don't know....my own cats are all lead trained( except one).... Thsts 4 cats that all want to go for walks everyday,I get harnessed dropped on my lap,or leads dragged over to me,meowing for my attention to come go for a walk..... really?

Do you really want to start something? If so then begin slowly & properly,in the house only until you can trust their basic Obedience training( especially " come" & " stay")

Cats are master escape artists,especially if spooked- I've not found any real escape proof harness a determined cat cannot get out of so be sure of their reliability while safe in the home and keep in mind they don't ever NEED to go outAnd btw,I do encourage lead training- it's beneficial for so many reasons at home besides pleasure walks- just be safe

 

[Cat-nificent]

Definitely not going to bring the cats outside now after seeing the follow up comments. Sounds like a Pandora's box situation. Thanks all.

 

[Caspers Human]

What if you took some "gently used" cat litter and spread it out in a shallow, cardboard box?
She would have her own, special place to roll around to her heart's content without actually getting dirty.

Does she like catnip, yet? You could put a sheet of newsprint on the floor and sprinkle, generously, with catnip. That would really give her something to roll around on!

Our cats have access to catnip any time they want, 24/7. We keep it in a bowl, next to their toy basket, on the bottom shelf of the bookcase in the living room. They can have a nibble of catnip whenever they want.

When the catnip starts to get stale, we just dump the whole bowl on the carpet so that the cats can roll and play in it. When they are done, we vacuum up the catnip and refill their bowl with fresh stuff.

Heck! You're supposed to vacuum the carpet, anyhow. Right? Now, the carpet and the vacuum cleaner is infused with the scent of catnip... a natural insect repellent! No fleas in this house!

The idea is to see whether giving your cat some place else to roll and mingle her scent beside the litter box.

 

[Cat-nificent]

Caspers Human
I considered putting some cat litter on a tarp but worried she might start using the tarp as a litter box. When they first arrived at 8 weeks old, neither of the cats seemed interested in catnip, (I got the popular catnip banana toy). I'll order some fresh catnip and see if they’re more interested now.

Both cats have free access to the entire apartment, including a queen-sized futon, the couch, my bed, a cat condo, living room carpet, everything. Would those count as good places for her to roll around and spread her scent?

Are there some items on Amazon as far as catnip and a cat bed (scent spreader) you'd recommend?

 

[Caspers Human]

Young kittens usually don't care for catnip very much. They might give it a sniff and be like, "M-kay..." but that's about it.
Most don't learn to like catnip until they are between six months and a year old. That's why I asked whether they liked catnip, yet.

Beds and sofas are good places for cats to mingle scents with their humans. Why not? We spend eight hours a day in our beds!

Our cats' play area is the center of the living room, right between the TV and the sofa. That's where we spread our catnip, just like carpet freshener before vacuuming... only our carpet freshener smells like catnip!

Catnip smells kind of okay if it's not too potent.

We also buy packages of plain newsprint paper from Staples or the usual suspects. We put a sheet of paper on the floor. It won't be long before the cats come, lay on it and start clawing it up. They seem to like the sound of paper crinkling and tearing. Sometimes, we'll hide a toy or two under the paper.

Cats have scent glands in their paw pads. When they scratch, claw and roll on paper, it spreads their scent, too.

 

[Kwik]

Caspers Human
I considered putting some cat litter on a tarp but worried she might start using the tarp as a litter box. When they first arrived at 8 weeks old, neither of the cats seemed interested in catnip, (I got the popular catnip banana toy). I'll order some fresh catnip and see if they’re more interested now.

Both cats have free access to the entire apartment, including a queen-sized futon, the couch, my bed, a cat condo, living room carpet, everything. Would those count as good places for her to roll around and spread her scent?

Are there some items on Amazon as far as catnip and a cat bed (scent spreader) you'd recommend?

They are quite young and little kittens don't usually get any effect from catnip until later on ,even still sometimes it does depend on the catnip

My favorite is Meoow Brand and keeping the tub of catnip in the refrigerator keeps it fresh..... On Walmart .com I came across these little catnip balls that have a plastic holder that has a sticky tape backing- I have them stuck( kitty face height) on a dresser,the entertainment center and a closet door- oh they just love licking and biting that little ball,it spins.....I also buy compressed catnip toy mice- they nibble them down to nothing over time......I'd not waste my money ( yet) on catnip priducts,get a small $2 bottle of catnip spray to spray on their little things & when they go nuts for it them buy them things

Personally,I'd not spread litter around in anything to roll around in as it's highly likely they'll see it as another toilet..but that's the right idea,provide an alternative to roll around in- you can try Comfort Zone pump spray( stay away from aerosol sprays) and they might be attracted to pheromones ( again,young kittens might not respond- YET)

I spray Comfort Zone pheromone spray or catnip spray on anything new I get for them and they rub n roll all over it- beds n cubbies,perches


The middle of my living room on the carpet is where I sprinkle Meooow- I give 5 separate spots a sprinkle - giving each cat their own space so they are spread out