LITTEBOX DIVING

[catdaddy]

Our two year old Maine Coon is a great cat. Very playful. One habit he has that we would like to break is that he dives and rolls in his kitty box. He has long hair so he get very gross and dirty and leaves kttiy litter all over the house. Any ideas? We are glad he uses his kitty box for its original purpose and has had no accidents.

[Traci]

Have you tried a litterbox with a cover on it? (i.e., looks like a dome top)

[catdaddy]

I would like to try it but my wife thinks that may prompt him to go outside the box. He has been really good do you think that my prompt him?

[Traci]

If he's a pure-bred maine coon, then he's a pretty big kitty, and should be at his full grown potential by now (their full growth can sometimes take longer than a year, since he's 2 years old now, he's probably at his full growth). So, if you consider a covered box, you'll have to get a big one.

You could get one, try it, but keep the old one in another area. Rule of thumb is two boxes per cat anyway, but it's worth a try for the covered litterbox.

What type litter are you using? And is it kept scooped daily and box thoroughly cleaned and rinsed at least once a week? Is there something strange or different about the litter that makes him so attracted to it? Is he bored at all during the day, or not having enough stimulation in his environment?

[catdaddy]

It's scoopable litter that is cleaned daily. In fact he seems to like to roll in it more when it has been cleaned or replaced. We leave him alone during the day so I suppose he does get bored but loves to play when we get home and early in the morning, 3:30am? He is a very nice, playfull cat and we have given him lots of toys, a house, scratching stuff, etc. I think he picked up this habit from the early days in the shelter or pet store. When you go into these pet stores half the cats are just sitting in their litterboxes cause their cages are so small.