The cat is very clean, so much so that it seems to have an obsession with cleanliness. You spend a good part of your day grooming yourself, and you can also groom your partner if you have a lot of confidence and appreciation for him. But also he is very demanding with his litter box: If you are not as he would like, he is going to stop doing things he used to do.
That is why if your cat has stopped covering his droppings, it is important to ask yourself why my cat does not cover its stool, since it is not normal that it does not cover them.
Why not cover them?
You always have to start from the fact that cats love (you could even say that they are obsessed, although there is a good reason and it is not other than instinctive, of survival) hygiene and hiding odors, whether they are pleasant or not as it is. the case of excrement. Therefore, when we see that it does not cover its stool, all the alarms must be turned on immediately.
So let's see what are the possible reasons and their solutions:
Does not like sand
If you have recently changed the sand, it may be that it does not like the touch or the smell. The cat is an animal of habit, which means that it has a hard time adapting to new changes; so much so that they often stop doing things that they should be able to do without problems, such as covering their stools.
When this happens, It is better to buy the sand you had before, or mix it with the new one so that each week we put a little less.
The tray is dirty
If your private bathroom is dirty, it is not going to cover your stool because after relieving yourself you just want to get away from the tray. To avoid making you feel uncomfortable, you have to remove both feces and urine every day, and perform a thorough cleaning once a week.
To make the task more comfortable, I recommend using clumping sand O well silica if the animal likes it, as it is easier to remove.
The sandbox has outgrown
You don't usually pay much attention to the size of the tray, but it is one of the most important things to consider. When it is a kitten, a 40x30cm with a low edge will suffice, but once it grows it will need another one in which it could fit well if it were to lie down.
To save on this, it will always be better to buy a large one, since even if it is huge as a puppy, in just a few months it will not go well 😉.
Feel insecure
The tray has to be in a quiet room, where the family does not make a lot of life. If it is placed outside, or in another part of the house, it will feel very exposed so it will not clog up your stool.
The cat is a very sensitive animal to noise, so it is very important that its litter box is placed inside the house. For example, I have them in a room where we have stalls to hang clothes. As we only use it for that and the washing machine is in a small room that has a door, the cats can relieve themselves in complete calm and peace.
He's near something he shouldn't
It is too common to put the litter box near the garbage can or the feeders. And if no one is comfortable eating near the bucket where they put leftovers and so on, much less does they like to have their plate of food next to them or in the bathroom. In any of these situations, the cat not only cannot stop covering its feces, but it is likely that it will stop using that litter box.
So do not hesitate to place your tray as far as possible from your food, water and also the garbage can.
Why are you relieving yourself outside the sandbox?
If he does his business outside the sandbox, such as in bed or in any other place not intended for it, it is usually because he does not like sand (either because it is dirty or because you do not like its touch), But it could also be that I was trying to get your attention for something.
To try to find out what is happening, we recommend that you first take into account the tips mentioned above, such as removing the stools daily, cleaning the tray once a week and placing it in a room as quiet as possible , among others.
If after a day or two he continues to do so, then it is best to take him to the vet for examination, as he may need a change in diet, or he may be sick.
We hope these tips are useful to you 🙂.
Hello, good afternoon.
Hello Miguel Javier.
Yes, it does very well. With the prizes it will be easier for you to get used to it.
A greeting.
Hello, I have two cats and two litter boxes in the dining room, one of the cats always pooped out of them, the pee does it in both of us. Before we had litter boxes on top of a duplex that didn't come alive there and he continued to poop outside. We changed floors and he continues to do the same, I have changed the sand leaving a reasonable time to test and it remains the same. I leave the sandboxes in the dining room separated from each other since they sleep there at night I don't know what to do anymore .. greetings thanks!
Hi carmen.
Have you tried using another type of sand? Sand is often one of the reasons cats don't use the litter box.
I recommend you try the binder, as it is quite clean, and take them to the vet in case they have any disease.
Greetings.
Hello, my cat for some time now has stopped covering her feces, but when I observed her I realized that what happens is that she does it on the contrary, first she removes the sand, makes a small mound and then makes the deposition. In other words, it does everything to the contrary. How can I correct this behavior?
Thank you.
Hi carlos.
There are cats that relieve themselves in a very curious way. I don't know how you can correct it, sorry.
What you can do, to make cleaning more hygienic and simple, is to cover the tray with plastic so that the stools fall to the plastic and not to the tray.
A greeting.
Good morning, I recently had a cat at home, and after a couple of weeks it started to urinate and poop everywhere, beds, shoes, pillows, clothes, furniture, I don't know what's wrong with it, I'm desperate,
I keep his litter tray clean
Hello Ana Maria.
How old is your cat? If it is more than five months old, it is most likely that it is already marking its territory. For him to stop doing it, the best solution is to castrate him; This also prevents you from wanting to go with your partner.
It is important that the tray is in a room where the family does not have a lot of life, since otherwise they will not feel calm in it.
It is also highly advisable to take him to the vet, in case he has an infection.
A greeting.
Hello. I have a 2 and a half year old cat who does not cover his feces, he never has, although he leaves them in the litter box. For 11 months he has had two little brothers who are now just over a year old; all three are neutered from an early age. When he was alone, I successfully taught him to use the (human) toilet, and it was a great relief to me. But, I stopped using it in favor of the large covered sandbox that I bought for the little ones and went back to his old ways. Sometimes his little brothers cover his shit for him, but most of the time, I have to do it. Needless to say, I no longer have visitors. All the recommendations in this article I have followed unsuccessfully, but I have not obtained the expected result. When he comes out of the sandbox, I scold him and assume a guilty attitude for a few seconds, but then he continues as if nothing had happened. Any special recommendation?
Hello Augusto.
Well, for a cat the most natural thing (after the earth) is to relieve itself on a tray. When you have more than one, you have to put a tray for each one and an extra one.
Apart from that, you have to remove the stools every day, at least once, but if for example you pass by and see that they have done, take advantage of and remove them. The house should not smell bad if this is done, and animals will tend to hide their feces more.
A greeting.
Hello, I have recently welcomed with the intention of adopting a 7 month old cat (it is neutered). It has adapted perfectly to my other 3-year-old cat but I am still a little afraid of it because it is a cat rescued from the street.
A few weeks ago he started pissing on my bed. Even when I'm sleeping, he comes and pees. He has also started not to cover his feces, and when I find them covered, it is because the other cat has gone and had to cover them.
I close my room so that I don't pee but I don't know what to do with the feces.
Thank you
Hello Javi.
When being picked up from the street you have to have much more patience than you would with an adopted one from a shelter 🙂
Anyway, how many sandboxes do you have and where have you put them? I'm asking you because cats are very clean, and it is recommended to have at least one tray per cat, and always always in a quiet room, away from their food.
Another issue could also be that you don't like the type of sand. Those that have a smell and release a lot of dust do not usually like them. In the Hiper Centro they sell one that is cheap and is quite good, made of sepiolite. It is a binder; In other words, when the feline relieves itself, these agglomerate, forming "little balls" that are very easy to remove.
Try making these changes if you haven't already seen. If you don't notice any changes, write us again 🙂
Greetings.