Have you ever been home and found that your cat exposed the poop without burying it? The smell that spreads throughout the house is probably not to smell it again...
In fact, cats will instinctively excrete and bury their urine and feces in a quiet and hidden place. Defecation is the expertise your cat uses to eliminate solid waste, although biologically some cats use defecation as a form of communication through pheromones and odors. But not burying poop does make it a headache for the shoveler.
Let's study why some cats refuse to cover their poop:
- may suffer from the disease
When a cat suddenly changes their daily excretion habits, we should be reminded to check their health. When a cat suffers from gastrointestinal diseases or feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), the discomfort caused by the disease or pain in bowel movement can increase the need to jump out of the litter box. Difficulty in bowel movements can be caused by motor and neuromuscular diseases, while adverse reactions to medications and parasites can cause convulsions, all of which require professional physical examinations.
- Early childhood experiences
Kittens who leave their cat's nest very early when they are young, orphans without cat mother training or outdoor stray kittens may never learn to hide their feces unless their parents teach them how to hide feces during the kitten's time.
- is not satisfied with cat litter box
The frequency of excrement burial may also be related to dislike cat litter box, cat litter material or size of cat litter box, etc. Cats need a considerable volume of cat litter box to be comfortable to bury before and after excretion.
- Guardian of territory
It is speculated that burying poop behavior in outdoor stray cats is actually a self-protection mechanism , which can reduce pathogen exposure and prevent natural predators or unfamiliar similar people from discovering signs of their existence and activity in order to ensure their safety. Human domestication changes several genetic factors in this behavior, so some pet cats do not bury feces in designated areas.
- Discomfortable bowel movement
If you have a dog or other cat at home, cats living in multiple breeds of families may think that the toilet facilities are not safe enough, which may cause quick escape during bowel movement or avoid contact with other animals. When a cat is defecating, the cat shoveler touches or tries to catch it may cause the cat to be disgusted and annoying. When the cat litter box is located in a large area with traffic flow (such as the living room corridor, etc.), the cat may not or run away after defecation, because this environment will cause the cat to feel scared and vulnerable.
- Ageing or aging
Aging is a natural process of biological, and older cats are accompanied by some dull behavior and physical changes, such as cognitive decline and specific osteoarthropathy, which may affect the use of litter box and the coverage of poop, especially when older cats have to climb stairs or jump to enter spacious and tall toilets.
Now that we know why your cats are not covering their poop, let’s talk about how to correct these problems:
Kittens do not intuitively understand how to use litter boxes or bury feces, which requires our encouragement teaching to cover up their poops through imitation behavior. Buying a cat litter box of the right size and a quality cat litter is the best way to go. At the same time, the cat litter box should be placed in a quiet place with few people, and the cat must be easily found in and out.
For physical health problems, you must seek medical treatment in a timely manner. As a shoveler, you must care for your master with all your heart, solve problems when you find them, and don’t just scold them when you are angry. If they can understand what you are saying, it will be strange, you are right.
