Expert: Dear Tabbi - 7/21/2008

Question
Hi!!!

I've got two cats (one female, one male: both 8 yrs. old).  Sebastien, my little problem kitty, has never covered his poop.  It's never been a problem except that I'm in a small apartment now so it's obvious.  Never nice to catch the smell of cat poop!

I clean the box everyday so it's as clean as it's going to get and got the biggest litter box I could find (Buddha Dome) and have fine grain multiple cat clumping litter.  I've been trying to train my little fella to start covering his poop but haven't got it 100% and thought you might be able to help.
I've been trying to catch him in the act and will give him a treat if he covers up.  When he doesn't do it, I put him in the litter box and get him to cover it up by moving his paw in a scooping motion over it and basically help him cover it up.
This weekend I put the lids on the buddha box and the other one and he didn't cover up.  I'm going to take the lids off 'cause I think that might have been part of the problem.  
Can you suggest a better way to help train him into covering up?????  My other cat always does and they're both fixed.

I'm not sure if this w/end's not covering up his poop had anything to do with my boyfriend being over.  Sebastien kinda sort likes him and vice versa.

Any suggestions would be helpful and much appreciated.  I haven't a clue if I'm doing it right and no one else seems to know what to do.

Answer
Jenny,

There can be number of reasons for his behavior...or no reason.

Most cats do not like a covered litterbox. They can't see what is around them and it makes them nervous so they go quickly and jump out.

As a cat grows he can feel too confined in his present box and feels he doesn't have enough room to properly cover his feces without getting his paws 'dirty'. But it seems that you have tried that solution. You can also try some children's playsand one time instead of litter and see how he behaves. You can get it at Home Depot or similar building supply store.

A good possibility is that it is a show of domination, maybe towards your boyfriend. In the wild the dominant cat will not cover his feces. It is a show of dominance to the others. Only the secondary cats will cover their feces, like your female. He may be a throwback and is sending the message that HE is the dominant cat in the family and, if that is the case, he will NOT cover it up. Doing so would be saying that he is not the dominant one anymore, that you or your boyfriend are.

There is also the laziness reason for the behavior. He knows you will clean it up so he doesn't bother.

Cats are all different and they all have little quirks. Sometimes there is not a logical explanation for their behavior, only they know why they do (or don't do) something. I have a female calico that has NEVER covered her feces from day one (and she is 8 years old) and it's not a dominance issue or any other behavior problem. It's just her.

I hope this helped answer your question.

Tabbi