Sandbox Shenanigans

Ok, I'll be brave and start this topic. We usurped the cuteness of "kitten games" with this one...so we'll give it its own audience.


Ritz has to "initiate" a fresh litter change, not by eliminating in it, but by digging in it like it is some kind of kitty treasure chest. She digs and jumps and cavorts in it like some kind of tribal litter initiation dance.

This usually results in much of the pellets being flung about the room, as if the box had been assaulted by a little furry black and white tornado.

When it comes down to serious business, however, the term obsessive-compulsive would be an understatement. She digs a hole, circles around, attempts a "test squat", turns around, digs more, another test squat, and finally completes the transaction.

Then, she digs around and around and around, sniffing, digging, flinging....sniffing again....the digging continues up the side of the litter box and into the surrounding air. I'm not sure if she is waving the smell away or thinks there is a hidden stash of litter somewhere in mid-air waiting be released.

I thought perhaps it was her way of telling me she needed a bigger box, but it doesn't seem to matter how much square footage, she still commits to "air digging" after the act. Often, she will leave the box, then walk back to it to do some additional clean up work. Picky Picky kitty...perhaps I could train her to clean my house :)

We won't mention the hours of meticulous grooming that come after.


..and then there is the occasionally half-buried cat toy.

[ November 24, 2001: Message edited by: tuxluvr ]

[ November 24, 2001: Message edited by: tuxluvr ]

[ November 24, 2001: Message edited by: tuxluvr ]

Well, I wish my boys would be so careful! They are kinda 'in-and-out' of there so quick that their deposits are not buried very well (if at all). When they have to use the cat box, it's as if it is a real interuption to whatever else they are doing, no matter if it's playing, sleeping, eating, grooming, or harrassing the dog.
My 11 month old, Wylie, does have his routine about it though: first there are a series of announcements that he is going to use the cat box- he has a certain meow sound that he makes ONLY for that. It's kind of a " nrrr-oww-eee" sound, which he does numerous times while walking towards the cat box &/or circling it. He makes those sounds again when he is done.
His other habit is to run from wherever he is in the house, THE SECOND he hears me take the lid off to clean it. It's as if he suddenly remembers that he has to use it.

Now my little female, Liza (RB Bridge) was very careful and picky too. It usually took her several minutes to do her duties. She did all that stuff too: digging the hole, re-positioning herslf many times, scraping the sides of the box and the air, then finally scraping outside the box. It was quite an ordeal, and irratating if I was trying to sleep. One thing for sure though, she had that stuff burried beautifully!

My experience has been that females are better about it, and the males are not too particular. I love my boys, but PHEW sometimes!

Yorkster, you reminded me about the cleaning efforts. When I clean out the box, she runs from whatever she is doing to "supervise" - has this worried look on her face, like "Hey, I don't take your toilet out of the room"....or "Fine, I just had those arranged the way I wanted!"

this is too weird...my son just asked me the other day when he was more or less laughing at me for being too addicted to this site " mom, next time ask them why kittens HAVE to go in the box as soon as you clean it?!" Well?? It ain't nothin but a thang...son, :rolleyes:
laurie

Oh yes, I can totally relate...Noah supervises the litter box cleanings and promptly jumps in to "christen" it as soon as I clean up. Before or after this, he has to kick aboout 1/3 of the new litter OUTSIDE the box too!

Uh huh.... :rolleyes:

Casper and Kitty christen the clean litterbox by going to lay down in it... and even sleeping :rolleyes: Once before I had finsihed adding the liter there (was about half full) Casper had to do christen the box already, just infront of my eyes :eek:

Like most cats described Edwina has to "mark" the clean litter as soon as it arrives. However, she has one odd habit-- she buries her pee but NOT her poo. I read somewhere that this is a sign of dominance but I haven't a clue to whom she is expressing dominance -- she is the only four leeged creature in the house and none of the rest of us EVER use her box!

Quote:

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Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary:
<STRONG>none of the rest of us EVER use her box!</STRONG>

---

:D :D :D :D ;)

My kittens often teeter totter on the side of the box. Or put three legs up and one down. It is quite the site. They usually cover it up but if one forgets, the next guy in the box usually takes care of the problem. I think these two might be good candidates to teach to use the toilet but I just can't bring myself to sit on a seat that is used by dirty little cat feet too. I don't mind sharing most things in my house, with my kittens, but the toilet? I don't think so! :o

We used to change the litter our litter box on a table. One day we were out of litter and the box was full. I told my wife that I would go to the store and get some new litter.

When I got back I found that she had emptied the box and put it on the table. Lamoni was standing on the table sniffing the box. He looked up at me. "Meow?" "OK, Lamoni. Daddy has clean litter just for you."

I opened the bag and dug out a big scoop of litter. I needed to shift the bag and I put the scoop down on the table. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him move. He turned around and positioned himself and that tail went up. "No Lamoni! Not in the scoop!"

I picked up the bag and dumped a bunch in the box. He hopped in the box and went.

Not only had he waited near the empty litter box, he was prepared to use what ever litter box I would have set out. Good kitty!

This is s000000 funny - I posted on this very subject a few months ago - I had the
"who fung dung on the wall" problem. Now the plastic is on the wall and the dung on the plastic - however the "I must poop in the box as soon as it's clean" thing will go on and on. :D :D

BigCharles,

That is too cute!!!

Anyone's little furfaces do this....
Noah LOEVS to kick the litter out of the box. I would say we have half the litter outside the box about 5 minutes after we refill it. After cleaning the box, I put all the clean litter back in the box (only for Noah to resume his kick, of course... :rolleyes: ). Well, sometimes he is already in the box staring at me, and wont move for me to put the litter back in! His paws get covered in the sand...like we're at the beach! :)

Silly!!! ;)

Wylie will get in often times before I finish cleaning it. When I am doing the major cleaning where I am dumping the whole thing, Kedi will go in the lid sometimes- I guess he can't wait for me to finish scrubbing and adding new litter.........cats!

Noah's mommy....yeah, Kitty likes to kick half of the stones out from the litterbox too. There's always a huge pile infront of the litterbox. We always ask her did she try to dig her way to China or something :D

Of my 4 cats, the 2 kittens jump in the litter box as soon as I take the lid off, and do their "business" with me "scoop in hand" to clean the box. They also like to annoy whoever is in the box, by climbing on top and swatting at them. :rolleyes:

One adult cat scratches the plastic lid as much as she scratches the litter, and she gets in box looking out while she "goes".

The other adult cat, he is the best cat we have had. He never gets on the table, never scratches furniture or people, he does great in the box. :)

My mom had cat that did use the toilet.. :rolleyes: she would jump up (mom quickly learned to put a sign up saying "DON'T close the lid" :D :D She also would poop in the tub which was actually easy to clean :o The only problem was the toilet paper..after going in the toilet she would scratch at the roll and if it was put on "backwards" there was paper all over the bathroom :D :D Mom never even owned a litter box
laurie
:p Guess I should clarify that her CAT never owned a box...my mom was trained WAY earlier

[ November 27, 2001: Message edited by: lbaker ]
:o

[ November 27, 2001: Message edited by: lbaker ]

:D :D ibaker - your Mom's toilet usin cat was female - good thing - a male's aim wouldn't be too great :D :D :D

Yeah, my boys are guilty of the same thing. Danny will sometimes check to make sure that I have tied the bag o'poop nice and tight before he jumps in and makes more. :rolleyes:

Chuck, "janitor", lol! http://bbs2.fanforum.com/images/smilies/LOL.gif

When we first got Lamoni in 1990 we had just got or second microwave two weeks earlier. (Yes this IS a litter box story.)

THe microwave was one of the first generation of 1000 watt units with the glass turntable. This thing was huge. I had not disposed of the outside packing carton.

Lamoni started using the box his first night with us. He was three months old when he came. After a few days it bacame apparent that he was a "kicker". Litter was everywhere around the box.

In furstration, I brought in the giant cardboard box from the microwave and put the litter box down in that. I put a dining room chair beside the box. He hopped up on the charir and looked over the edge of the box. He jumped from the chair down into the box. Good kitty!

After doing the "right thing" he went into the kicking routine. Now the displaced litter hit the side of the cardboard box and came raining down on his head. :D We used this "shield" for over a year.

He also learned to bury everything. If he didn't, the next time that he jumped into the box he would step in his own. :p

When I added another cat, I added another litterbox to the house, in different rooms. My big cat, Murf, used one box for each function, and always seemed to remember which was which. :eek:

When I moved to a much smaller place, I didn't have separate rooms for the litter. So, I went to Home Depot (as if I needed a reason) and bought a plastic bin that is used to mix concrete. It has low sides, and is big enough to hold both litterboxes.

The extra inch or so around both boxes helps collect the scattered litter that Murf loves to fling. He's SO enthusiastic about his covering duties. The only drawback is that the bin is black plastic - not a very lovely addition to the decor. Oh well, the cats are happy!

Big Charles, what an excellent idea. Andy is a real digger in his box so having it inside another box is a great idea. He digs so vigorously that I sometimes think he will make a hole right in the bottom of the box! :D

AntiPam,I have two cats and two litter boxes. More often than not when I scoop, one box has been used for one function (as you put it :) ) and the other box for the other function. This doesn't happen every day but often enough that I find myself saying...."Hmmmmmm, how about that!"