My cat always scratches outside the litter box

cookinfreak · ‎03-31-2010

after she uses it. Any ideas why? She covers up what is in the box and then stands in the box and scratches outside. I clean her litter box at least once a day and she scratches on the floor while I do that also. I use a plastic bag to put the clumps in, and she scratches on the side of the bag like she wants to bury that also.

cookin

LillyBee2 · ‎06-07-2019

LOL my kitties do that too! Especially my Mama cat, she will cover up her duty, then continue to scratch on the floor whilst sitting in the box. They will also have to get right in the litter box right after I clean it.. to *christen* it again. I love them, they are so funny!

ILTH · ‎05-18-2015

Possible reasons why:

Not enough litter
Small box compared to being outside
Marking territory
Litter stuck to paws

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

Once in a great while one of my cats will scratch outside the box.

Usually if they scratch anywhere outside their boxes its when I’m in the process of cleaning the box and it’s empty. One might pop in and scratch the empty box. Also, they often scratch the floor if they’ve brought up a hairball, so I’m assuming they want to cover that up too.

Mine also like to get into a new clean bunch of litter as soon as it’s in the box.

The weirdest thing one cat does is to get on the counter and scratch the inside of the sink. Haven’t figured that one out yet! 😄

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

@LillyBee2 wrote:
LOL my kitties do that too! Especially my Mama cat, she will cover up her duty, then continue to scratch on the floor whilst sitting in the box. They will also have to get right in the litter box right after I clean it.. to *christen* it again. I love them, they are so funny!

@LillyBee2- Mine do that, too, but my youngest, a beautiful brown tabby boy, jumps in while I'm cleaning the litter boxes and leaves me a "present"!

I've never had a cat do that in all the decades of being a cat owner. It cracks me up every time. He sees me heading for the litter boxes to clean them, races in and jumps in the one I'm cleaning. My DH says our boy obviously thinks it's his "duty to help".

@cookinfreak - Cats scratching outside the litter box is fairly common. They're just trying to make sure they've covered every little bit. I just tell them to stop and they do.

It's similar to the scatching they do to cover up their food bowls after they eat.

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

@Venezia wrote:
@LillyBee2 wrote:
LOL my kitties do that too! Especially my Mama cat, she will cover up her duty, then continue to scratch on the floor whilst sitting in the box. They will also have to get right in the litter box right after I clean it.. to *christen* it again. I love them, they are so funny!
@LillyBee2- Mine do that, too, but my youngest, a beautiful brown tabby boy, jumps in while I'm cleaning the litter boxes and leaves me a "present"!

I've never had a cat do that in all the decades of being a cat owner. It cracks me up every time. He sees me heading for the litter boxes to clean them, races in and jumps in the one I'm cleaning. My DH says our boy obviously thinks it's his "duty to help".

@cookinfreak - Cats scratching outside the litter box is fairly common. They're just trying to make sure they've covered every little bit. I just tell them to stop and they do.

It's similar to the scatching they do to cover up their food bowls after they eat.

@Venezia

Well that’s a new one on me! I’ve never had a cat that scratched near its food bowls.

Estates · ‎08-27-2010

I've had cats over the years do all kinds of crazy moves with their litter boxes. One currently keeps his front paws outside.He then cleans up the box and the area around it.Another digs and digs in circles then stops to go. I ask her afterwards if she is digging to China! As long as they hit the boxes,I have no problems with any of it!

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

@geezerette- Cats do this to "save" any food they may have left; it's just an instinct left over from their wild days. I'd say almost every cat I've ever had over the decades has done it at one time or another, some more than others.

You can google it to see that it's pretty common feline behavior.

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

@Venezia wrote:
@geezerette- Cats do this to "save" any food they may have left; it's just an instinct left over from their wild days. I'd say almost every cat I've ever had over the decades has done it at one time or another, some more than others.

You can google it to see that it's pretty common feline behavior.

@Venezia

That makes sense. Much like dogs burying bones, I suppose.

I guess my cats get more than enough food and don’t feel the need to save any. They know that “Mommy” is a pushover and will give them fresh anytime they want. 🤣

Lori Kaye · ‎03-14-2010

I’ve had many cats over the years but my youngest is a 4 year old female and she is the first one I ever saw try to cover her food by scratching at it. It always gives me a good laugh.