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October 14, 2010 2:34 PM   Subscribe

What is kitty trying to tell me with this litter flinging?

First, let me preface this question by acknowledging that the true answer to all cat behavior questions is "Because it's a cat."

Onward...
Our kitty has taken to trying to empty his litter box out onto the laundry room floor (where his litter box has been located for 7 years) He will climb in his box and start aggressively digging and flinging his litter out of his box and across the floor.

It's a large covered litter box that he has been using since he was a kitten. Similarly, the litter is the same litter we've used for many years. He still poops and pees in the box without reservation. And, I should note, he isn't flinging poop or clumps of pee. Just litter.

I assume this is all part of his routine for burying his business. We keep the box pretty well filled, but, when he's done flinging, there will be a corner of the box where the litter has been cleared all the way to the bottom.

He isn't doing this every time he uses the box, though. So, maybe it has to do with either the poop or pee? His habit is to deposit his poop toward the back of the box, and his pee toward the front opening of the box. Perhaps he's just working hard to bury the pee and is throwing it out the box at the same time?

Would getting kitty an even larger box help? It's a pretty large box as it is. But, then, kitty hisself is a big guy. About 15lbs big.
posted by Thorzdad to Pets & Animals (22 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
How often is litter cleaned? How often replaced?
posted by artdrectr at 2:44 PM on October 14, 2010


Yeah, my first thought was how often it is cleaned. I know some people put it off to once a week and that just isn't enough. To keep the mess down to a minumun you can buy a top entry litter box with a mat around the jump down point for easy cleaning.
posted by P.o.B. at 2:49 PM on October 14, 2010


You don't need a bigger box, you need a second box. As you've noticed, cats like to keep their poop and their pee segregated -- a second box will make this much easier for your cat, and will hopefully cut down on the frantic digging.
posted by vorfeed at 2:49 PM on October 14, 2010 [2 favorites]


Yeah, cats are weird. When he does a little extra digging, he may be trying to cover up a particularly foul-smelling poo. It is most likely nothing to worry about . If you're concerned about tidiness, one of these might help -- since it's got the little extra ramp going up and into the box.
posted by stennieville at 2:49 PM on October 14, 2010


Response by poster: I clean the box daily. We replace it completely about once a week, or every other week, depending.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:49 PM on October 14, 2010


Maybe change the air filter on the box? Or get a fresh new box?

I'm thinking maybe the accumulated odor of years of defecation have permanently permeated the plastic of the box, and no matter how well you clean it, kitty is trying desperately to make up the difference.
posted by jbenben at 2:50 PM on October 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: And there's no room for a second box, I'm afraid.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:51 PM on October 14, 2010


My cats did this too and I realized that they'd been using the same box for years. Got a new box, problem solved.
posted by dzaz at 2:51 PM on October 14, 2010 [4 favorites]


My cat also started doing this not too long ago, and in addition to flinging litter, she would also obsessively wipe her paws on the edge of the box. We noticed her stop this behaviour once the box was low enough on litter that she could clear away spots on the bottom of the box, and we think this is because she prefers to step where there isn't any litter. We have stopped filling the box up so much, and let her organize her space the way she likes it, the little freak.
posted by to recite so charmingly at 2:51 PM on October 14, 2010 [4 favorites]


Best answer: How deep is the litter in the box? Some cats don't like it too deep, maybe that's why he's flinging some out.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:00 PM on October 14, 2010


Your cat is doing this because it is fun. The urge to dig is pretty strongly inbuilt and cat litter is satisfying to dig and throw around. I've seen one of mine spread his toes and smoosh his feet back and forth to enjoy the crunch. I've also seen them dig vigorously through the cat litter just as you describe then immediately go outside to pee. Apparently dirt is more appealing for actual peeing, litter is more appealing for the digging part. They also sometimes dig the wall or the floor (or at least try to), other times they pile the litter up and leave a big poo right on top, then spread it back out again (reverse burying).

So your litter is fine. Your box is fine. Your cleaning schedule is also fine. Your cat is having fun. Playing with him more might help if he's bored, otherwise just hope he's not throwing it under the furniture where you don't see it.
posted by shelleycat at 3:01 PM on October 14, 2010


There's something about the box that kitteh is finding offensive. Are you using detergents to clean it? I sluice mine down with boiling water every other day, changing the litter completely.

If I didn't do this, a previous cat used to use operant conditioning to train me to do it more often. Flinging is an excellent way for them to get their point across.
posted by tel3path at 3:02 PM on October 14, 2010


Response by poster: I never thought about the depth of the litter. I do sometimes top it off with some fresh litter when I do the daily scooping. I'll try skipping that over the next week and see what happens.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:03 PM on October 14, 2010


Oh, one thing to take note of. If he's digging a lot more without actually peeing more then that can be a sign of a urinary infection or crystals. He wants to go but can't, and that leads to frustrated digging etc as he goes through the peeing ritual without a result. You can generally see if he's straining without peeing though, so keep an eye out to see if it's just joyful digging or something more.
posted by shelleycat at 3:06 PM on October 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


I'll just chime in to say that my cat also is very picky about the depth of her litter. If I get it too deep, I come home from work to find it all over the floor. She will also get annoyed if I pour any kind of scented deodorizer into her litter. Baking soda only for the princess!
posted by backwards compatible at 3:32 PM on October 14, 2010


It is very difficult to answer this question without photos of said kitty.

My cat was picky about the depth of his litter as well. He was very fling-y when it was not to his liking. I'd try that, but if that doesn't work, perhaps a new box will. Sometimes that plastic just absorbs smells over the years and gets a little gross. Some cats are more sensitive to that than others.
posted by bedhead at 4:05 PM on October 14, 2010 [4 favorites]


Some cats just love to dig and fling. My old girl has always, always dug and flung (and here's the important part) newly scooped/changed litter. Whenever the box is scooped or changed, she just goes crazy with the digging. It's just what she does.
posted by cooker girl at 7:43 PM on October 14, 2010


Could be just a way to burn off energy when he's bored. My cat used to do this. We got a cover and a mat to minimize the damage, but he didn't stop. Then after awhile he didn't do it anymore. Currently, when he has too much energy and not enough stimulus, he climbs the entertainment center, which he normally never does because we just shoo him off immediately. The dog chews up this big wicker chest when he gets in the same mood. I can't tell what the other cat does because she's kinda neurotic to begin with.
posted by ErWenn at 8:01 PM on October 14, 2010




Response by poster: It is very difficult to answer this question without photos of said kitty.

Here's Luke!

Thanks all! Great response. I think I'll try reducing the amount of litter in the box right away. He's definitely eating and drinking normally, so I'll not worry about health issues at this time. And, I'll look at getting a new, less-stinky box.

And, there's a 91% chance that my kitty is planning to kill me.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:46 AM on October 15, 2010


Response by poster: Followup...
I gave the litterbox a hot, soapy, thorough cleaning and then took MaryDellamorte's suggestion of not filling the box as full as before. This seems to be keeping litter off the floor, for the most part. Though, the big guy still gets some outside the box, from time-to-time. At least he's not covering the whole floor anymore.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:12 AM on November 15, 2010


Response by poster: Update to the Followup...
After awhile, the big guy went back to getting piles of litter outside his box. So, we went shopping for a bigger box.

We went to the storage department of our local big-box and got a Rubbermaid Clever-Store container. It's the 71qt size, measuring an ample 23.7" x 18.7" x 12.3". And it's a fashionable translucent olive green. The container has minimal sloping, so it's a very usable cube. A lot of containers have ample top edges, but slope radically to where the actual bottoms didn't measure appreciably larger in area than kitty's old box. The high sides of the Rubbermaid will almost certainly keep the litter in the box, unless kitty decides to start purposely aiming over the edge. Which I wouldn't put past him.

FWIW, the big guy jumped right in and did his business almost as soon as we had it set-up. So, I think he's cool with the new box.

Another upside is that the Rubbermaid is both much larger and half the cost of any actual purpose-built litter box we could find.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:14 AM on July 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


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