How do I get my kitten to stop doing this...?
Asked by
InkyAnn (
2441
)
January 16th, 2012
I have a 5 month old kitten. He is completely litter box trained, but seems to be having this one little issue. When he uses his litter box he will stand in it, in the litter and everything like he should, but he will actually poo outside of the litter box. Like he hangs his butt over the edge of it and goes. He will pee in it just fine, no issues there. It is just when he goes #2. He will even kick litter out of the box when hes done just so that he can bury it on the floor. I keep the litter box clean. I clean it out everyday and pour new litter in it once a week.
Is there anything I can do to break him of this habit? He is fixed and is an only animal if that helps.
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13 Answers
Deeper litter box, maybe? Or even one that’s enclosed?
3 words. High-sided litterbox. You could try a small baby bathtub if you can’t find any commercially that you like (it’s what we do), but if you are in the US there look to be several reasonable ones available.
Is he becoming constipated?
I don’t recommend the enclosed litter boxes. Many cats—especially ones that have pooping in the box issues—won’t use an enclosed box because they don’t like the smell.
But a high sided litter box is excellent. Make it tall enough that he can’t hang his butt over the side easily. I had a cat with this problem when he was a kitten. He also did better when I put a TON of litter in the box so he had plenty to dig.
Im not sure about the enclosed boxes. I have a feeling he would just hang his butt out of the opening.
@keobooks I already put ALOT of litter in it for that reason.
@selfe No they are normal movements.
Get a covered litter box, that will solve the issue, except for needing to wipe down the sides if he still poos near the edge of the box.
Some cats just do this.
I have had two neutered males over the years that had the “hit & miss” issue of pooping over the edge of the box.
One was remedied with a covered box, but, my new guy is so big that the covered box is not a good choice for him.
I keep my litter boxes in the garage and use a sheet of newspaper underneath so on those occasions he goes over the edge it is an easy clean up.
I keep a container of lysol wipes nearby and wipe the sides of the box down with every littler scooping.
If after trying a high-sided litter box, this still happens, then you may want to try having two litter boxes. It may indeed be that your cat prefers to pee in one area and poop in another. This is quite common, as cats prefer extreme cleanliness.
As @Coloma, after every poop, I wipe down the inside of the box and the scoop.
I have four cats. Three of whom use 2 litter boxes, one uses the toilet. If any surface becomes slightly unclean, the cats will avoid it until it’s been properly wiped down.
Maybe a larger box length-wise would be better for him. It might be a space restriction and comfort issue for him. Cute kitty, by the way.
if he do it again then put his nose in it and then back in the litter
@roells Like a dog? Does that work with cats?
No sticking his nose in it does not work on cats! My cat does the same thing, we tried larger boxes and she still did it. I was researching the same answer when I came across your question. My current trial is going to be extreme high edges. She’s young so getting in will not be the issue. Understand your frustration!
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