Let’s be honest here; cats aren’t always the sweet and innocent beings you see all over the internet. With a face and features of a pure soul, they are also petty about the stuff they encounter. Cats are specific and sure about what they want, unlike us humans. And above all, they like to be exceptionally clean.
Sometimes though, things get hard with cats, it’s not always medical, but uneasiness feels pretty hard on them. One of the results of an uneasy environment is a cat not covering their waste after pooping.
A lot of things can contribute to this routine, including;
- They are not liking their litter boxes
- They might want to mark their territories (wildcats often do this to show that they are dominant)
- They never learned how to cover up after themselves
- The size of the litter boxes might be small for the cat
- Medical issues
- They don’t feel like laying low anymore
- They might be in a stressed environment
- They might feel lazy
These are just a few main reasons why they avoid burying their waste after themselves, but this can really affect your household cleanliness due to the stinking smell it leaves behind. Plus, who would want to live in a dirty place with cat droppings everywhere, right?
Well, here are a few tips on how you can encourage your cat to poop in the litter box and bury their droppings behind them.
1- Teach Them
Ideally, adopting a kitten at a reasonably young age indicates that they haven’t learned anything from their mothers. Burying waste is one of them. Therefore, you can’t expect them to know everything magically, right? YOU will have to teach them. Just like you train them to follow your signs, they will learn to bury their poop. You can motivate them by treating them every time they do the deemed.
2- Don’t Stress On It
If your cat is not covering their poop, they are most likely stressed. To help ease the tension, you can make use of a calming diffuser which is usually scentless, so you won’t have to worry about it bothering you; however, it might be a huge help to your kitty. Alternatively, spending more time with your cat playing with them will also help overcome the stress.
Cats in the wild often cover their waste to hide their scents from predators. The cats that don’t are the alphas that show dominance by not covering their droppings; therefore, normal cats mostly bury their waste, so there is no assumption of competition between wild cats.
3- Get More Litter Boxes and Place Them All Around the House
A critical reason your cat forgets to cover their waste is that the litter boxes you have, are placed in the wrong areas. Hence, avoid keeping them in corners where there are noises or unpleasant scents.
Cats avoid smelling places and don’t like a lot of loud noises like the washing machine or traffic horns, so place your litter boxes accordingly. In contrast, adding more litter boxes can also be of use to make them cover their poop.
4- Get Professional Advice
Do remember that if your cat stops burying their waste, they are not mad at you or trying to be rude; they probably have a little uneasiness within them that they want to figure out. On the other hand, it might also be a medical issue that you should look into. For this, the best way to be safe is to consult a vet as soon as possible. This way, your cat can get the medical help they need.
5- Get the Right Litter Box
We’re all on the hunt for getting the perfect litter boxes for our kitties, but while testing out other brands, we fail to recognize sometimes that cats hate change, and even a slight change of a litter box can make them highly uneasy. This is another crucial factor as to why your cat might not poop in the litter or not bury it after they are done.
Testing out brands is completely fine, but at the end of the day, it is your cat that uses the box most, and trust me when I say this; CATS ARE PICKY. Hence don’t change the litter box if your cat is entirely comfortable with one.
6- Clean Your Cat’s Litter Regularly
Cats hate the dirt, and they avoid going to places they feel would be dirty or unpleasant to stay at. Make a habit of cleaning your litter frequently so that your cat makes its way to the litter box; this will help them poop at the right place and encourage them to bury it before leaving. Your ultimate goal is to make the area a peaceful and clean place for them to be at.
Final Thoughts
A cat toilet in the house is not the best thing ever, but the uncovered waste might just make it ten times worse; all the cat moms and dads will definitely agree on this. However, if your cat suddenly changes behavior and stops covering its poop, then there might be a deeper reason that you should be concerned about.
In the end, you need to make sure that your home environment is safe, healthy, and stress-free for the cat’s well-being; therefore, take your time to notice any unsettling behaviors in your cat and report them to your vet immediately. You know how it goes, ‘better safe than sorry.’
