Expert: Jessica - 1/9/2010

Question
Hello!
I have a 2 year old neutered male tiger/mix. He is always digging in the litter box. kicking it all over the place, and repeatedly kicking and digging in the box after he has used it. He has no problems going, but will kick litter in there for up to 15 minutes at a time. He will also revisit the box after has used it to kick and dig again. This is highly annoying, and wonder if my cat has OCD, and/or I should be worried about this behavior.

Answer
Hi Kimberly.  It is certainly very possible that he has some obsessive complusive tendencies.  Some cats are very meticulous about the litter box, and although inconvenient, it might be best if you scoop waste out of the box as soon as you notice him digging around in there.  Hopefully this will put an end to the behavior.

Some cats can become obsessed with burying their waste if they feel threatened that they may be detected by another animal.  This can occur if another animal in the home is picking on them or if they are seeing stray cats, a neighbor's dog or wild animals outside.  If this is the case, you might be able to reduce anxiety by using a Feliway diffuser.  I use this product in my own home to relieve tension.  This should also help with any obsessive compulsive behavioral issues.  You can learn more at www.feliway.com.  You could also consider putting blinds on the windows to prevent him from accidentally seeing out, if there are no blinds present, but he will still be able to get behind the blinds if he chooses to.

Finally, to keep him from making a mess, consider getting a good hooded litter box.  I use the Booda Dome Clean Step.  It has a ramp the kitty walks up to enter the litter box.  Then, the cat must take a turn once inside the cover in order to get into the litter.  Your cat can fling around the litter all he wants, and virtually none of it will get on the floor.  Anything he can fling out will mostly end up on the ramp into the box.  If you do decide to give the Clean Step a shot, you should start out by leaving the top off so that he understands it's a litter box.  Once you're sure he'll use it, you can place the top on it.

Good luck!

Jessica