Why do cats bury their crap?

Because they can’t flush it.

It’s a behavior done so as to not challenge the dominant cat in the territory. Buried, the cat can mask the scent of its feces, done usually when passing through someone else’s territory.

The dominant cat in a territory will not cover his feces, and it’s a message of ownership to all other cats. So if you have a cat that won’t bury his poop, he thinks he’s top dog in the house.

Dogs kicking is not related to poop burying, it’s actually the opposite. It’s a way of visually marking territory to go along with the scent of urine/feces deposited in the area.

I don’t know, but I sure am glad they do.

buster’s back! yay!

La chica gomela mi amor!

:D

It’s for the day when they learn to use matches.

(You can guess the rest…)

Well, who’s crap would you rather them bury?

@AstroChuck It wouldn’t bother me if my cats also buried my dogs turds so I wouldn’t have to pick them up or step in them.

I wish our one dominant cat weren’t so dominant. He eats a lot and thus poops a lot, but refuses to bury anything.

@AstroChuck – It might be nice if they would bury the dog poop in the yard.

Ack! @buster beat me to it.

Some don’t: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ug7WEUxH68&feature=related

@MissAnthrope So is this why my cat started pooping on the rug instead of burying it in her litter when we got a dog a few months ago? We originally had the dog crate on a large area rug in the basement, but later moved it upstairs. The cat now uses that rug as her personal restroom. (No urine, only feces.) Based on what you said, I’m wondering if this is the cat’s way of letting the dog know this is her house without actual confrontation.

I think my cat is passive/aggressive and most likely narcissistic.

@Supacase why my cat started pooping on the rug instead of burying it

Cats often avoid a litter box if it is not clean enough for them. Also sometimes people mistakenly believe that a cat is defecating outside its litter box when what is happening is that the fecal matter is momentarily sticking to the cat’s fur then dropping off later.

@Zen Lurve

My cats use the toilet. I didn’t tech them to flush cuz the top trainers say don’t do that big No-No cats like to watch the flush & will do it over and over & whilst you try to sleep, too So mine don’t bury

Dogs don’t bury their doo-doo if they don’t feel a need to.

(domestic)Cats do it cuz they aren’t pack animals, therefore they don’t need to communicate with other cats what they ate & where they ate it

The origin of it is to avoid letting their food source know they are in the neighborhood. If the prey smells the cat droppings, it will not come around, so they bury it.

Because when you get a dog, you get a child. When you get a cat, you acquire an adult roommate.

@PandoraBoxx Because when you get a dog, you get a child. When you get a cat, you acquire an adult roommate.

Dogs have owners – cats have staff.

Why don’t humans??

@DarkScribe That they do! I lurve my cats like they were kids! I have one that doesn’t bury and my, my, you know when he’s done his business! It’s gross! I really wish I had taught them to use the toilet!

@tb1570, ever camped out in the woods? Humans bury it.

Small species are extremely vulnerable to predation and competition. They cover their feces and sometimes their urine in order to disguise the odor, especially if they are near the den – kittens are always at risk. They tend to be secretive and hard to find/see. The ancestors of domesticated cats were definitely small enough to be vulnerable to other predators and many of the same behaviors have carried over.

Adult animals will “spray” to mark their territory as a warning to interlopers and as an advertisement for mates. Spraying is a specific muscular effort that has to be learned and perfected – you will often see juvenile animals trying and unable to get anything to come out. These markings are typically not in the area of the den and are not directly associated with waste elimination.

Larger species do not hide their presence – they are the top of the food chain. They often spend a lot of time and effort announcing/delineating their territory to rivals and potential mates. In addition to chemical signals (spraying), they also verbalize, scratch their scent into tree bark, and use prominent geologic features to present themselves visually.

From here

@DarkScribe The box is clean – my husband is completely anal about that, plus the cat urinates in there without fail.

The cat is defecating in a completely different room, so I don’t think she’s just hanging over the edge. :)~

Also, this just started after the arrival of the dog.

@Supacase Also, this just started after the arrival of the dog.

Cat’s reactions to dogs are unpredictable. They can get quite determined in ways that only they can decipher. When I can’t figure something out I resort to the “cat accelerator” a powerful kid style water pistol. When our cat has been zapped a few times he decides to modify whatever the offending behaviour happens to be. Recently I saw an absolutely perfect cat trainer in a hobby store. It was a radio controlled tank with an “aim-able” turret that fired a powerful water blast or launched a small rocket. The beauty was that it had an in-built video camera for aiming. You would be able to sit in another room and train cats. It made me wish that our cat wasn’t so well trained. ;(

Based on what I know of cat behavior, I would say leaving a poop in a particular spot like that is a message. If it were a dirty litter box, the cat would find a spot to pee outside the litterbox, too.

I had an indoor/outdoor cat, who never totally got over her wildness (she was a shelter cat). I moved into a new house and wanted to keep her inside for two days, so she would know where to come back to. The second day, she was so stir crazy and wanting to go outside that she pooped on my bed. I knew immediately something was up when I walked in my room because she was acting all squirrely. She never, ever once peed or pooped like that (in an inappropriate place), save that one time. I absolutely got the message and let her out.