Why Does A Young Cat Like To Lie Down In The Clean Litter Box?

[sherit]

I have always wondered what fascinates a cat that chooses to lie down in the clean litter box and just
stares as you walk by..doing it for fun ?

I then take 10 papertowels and wet them and I clean their undersides, paws , back and throat and then face...after wards..and dry them as I do not want them in my lap or couch
after lying down in a litter box...

I have had a male and female under age 3 do this at times..

I also have Lily who will not use the large litter box if the other cat has just tinkled
l time in it...

We are constantly scooping..and use very good clumping litter..vacuming daily and we use a shark stream mop with distilled water on the floors...twice a week

We have actually 2 large litter boxes for 2 cats..one for both to use in day and one for each
at night ...in different rooms..

The funny but irritating thing is that these two spoiled cats Lily age 2 and Bro the neutered male 10 years old..they will not do their business until we come home...if we are gone for 5 hours
then they go get in the litter boxes...even though they were clean litter boxes when we leave
the house...

these cats are spoiled...Sheri T

 

[moorspede]

The rule of thumb is two litter boxes per cat plus one and that they should all be available at all times. Some cats prefer their own, others like to pee in one and do the other in another box. Some don't like to return to a box which has already been used.

Generally, when cats lie in their litterbox they do it to comfort themselves. They don't have the aversion to pee that we do, smelling it makes them feel better.

 

[lalagimp]

I've always heard it's 1 litter box per cat plus one extra. Right now I should have five litter boxes for four cats but we only have room for three unless we let them into the basement which ain't happening because of the smells may trigger our males to spray more of our stuff.

 

[abyeb]

I've always heard it's 1 litter box per cat plus one extra. Right now I should have five litter boxes for four cats but we only have room for three unless we let them into the basement which ain't happening because of the smells may trigger our males to spray more of our stuff.

Are your males neutered? If not, getting them castrated would very likely eliminate this issue.

 

[artiemom]

The rule of thumb is: one litter box per cat PLUS one....

 

[lalagimp]

Yes and we've been all over blacking out the outside windows, putting motion detectors on the water hoses outside for ferals in the yard, putting up Feliway diffusers, using scccat cans of compressed air, scat mats in front of doors, more litter boxes, lots of Nature's Miracle, calming collars, Bach's Rescue Remedy Pet, full blood and urine at the vets along with a physical, and after saying my cats are totally healthy- Prozac. We have no cats in our yard where we've moved and if we have the windows open in the house Stewart will still try to spray but the medication makes it almost physically impossible, Almost. but he can still spray the front entryway and tries to spray bookcases and doors. He missed a dose one morning and sprayed down the 12 year old's dresser and floor.
No, neutering is not a cure all and he did not have this habit in adolescence. He was neutered at 10 months and started the habit around 3-4 years old and then prompted my oldest male that he could do it too, and they both ended up building up this huge anxiety about dousing the house down. So then Prozac.

So Amalie liked to lay down in the litter box after dental work. She was a little high at the time. I think Tommy was also in the litter box after surgery. He was probably kind of high too.
As long as it's not getting them soiled it's usually not a problem. It's kind of a comforting thing when they are crappy.

 

[moorspede]

argh I meant one per cat plus one. Thanks to those who pointed it out. Sorry about that.

 

[DeannaF]

I have no idea but yesterday while my cat was playing (i.e. going nutso throughout the house) he hopped in his litter box and threw it around a little. Never seen him do that..he cracks me up.

 

[golondrina]

When I adopted my female cat Cucumella 5 and a half years ago she was 9 years old and had always lived in a garden. It took her 2 days and a half to undersand what the litterbox was for and has been using it ever since for both her needs without any problem. I never offered her a second litterbox. She uses it for what is meant, she doesn't play on it or lie on it but she likes to stand by and watch when her litterbox is scooped. She surveys.

 

[daisyd]

Gracie has to have a clean litter box before she has a number 2 ! Haha