Most of my experience with cats have been with adult cats moving in, or strays we’ve adopted (presumably former house pets), so perhaps I’ve missed some of the experience, but …
It seems that there is no training we humans give cats to get them to use the litterbox. You just bring the kitten home, fill up the litterbox, and no problems in the future. I know that cats want to bury their feces, etc., but there are probably other areas in many houses that could serve this function. I mean, at certain times we had several large plant holders that could have worked.
I don’t know either. My cat knows what to do in there. I was worried about him not knowing what to do with the 'box (previously I had a dog) but he knows what to do. I know he scratches around after I change the litter-maybe to distribute his smell or something. It is truly a mystery. Perhaps a move to Great Debates?
Not all cats automatically take to the litter box, but they usually learn very quickly. A kitten won’t learn automatically. However, if you take a cat to the litter box and put their paw in it, the cat will usually realize that it is the place for it to use.
Sometimes a cat will just pee on the carpet (usually in a corner). If the cat is mad at you for some reason, just about any place is fair game.
I always thought that kittens and cats know to go to a litterbox because they have this need to have to dig and cover their droppings. Even when my cat goes outside she finds dirt or sand and digs a hole, etc…
Cats were originally dessert animals…(woops wrong thread).
Desert animals, surounded by miles and miles of…you guessed it SAND! ::checks watch. Sees nothing but be-fuddled looks on peoples faces::
They bury it the sand, because that’s all they had. It’s instinct ::puzzled looks and expressions::
They din’t want to smell it, so they burried it!! In the only place they had!! ::Pizzle Boy quickly glances behind him to make sure nothing funny going on::
We’re going to cut you open and tinker with yer 'ticker.
::People smile and nod to each other::
::Pizzle packs his things and looks for another group to enlighten::
duh!
cats are just extremely rational and logical beings. way smarter than us. at least my cats are. when they were kittens i placed them in the litterbox first, then took them out of it. they just figured it out from there i suppose, except for the time one of my cats peed on my ex room mates bed, hehe, he deserved it. and then there was the time she peed on the carpet by the door for some reason, couldn’t figure that one out. otherwise, they always use the litterbox, and i never hear any complaints. except when i don’t give them enough attention. but that’s cats.
SuaSponte: I mean, at certain times we had several large plant holders that could have worked
You’re lucky. One of my cats tore into the soil of one of my potted plants right after we got him, even though he did know how to use the litter box. We put some heavy stone on top of the soil to keep him from digging. He then started tearing into the leaves. I took the poor plant to work and have slowly nursed it back to health.
Cats bury what they do because of the way they hunt. Unlike dogs, which are pack animals and hunt by running down their prey, cats stalk and ambush. Therefore, cats need to disguise and hide any sign that they are about.
The litter box is probably a little more comfortable to use than a plant pot, which is one of the reasons they don’t use that. Also most cat litter is perfumed or deodourising and thus better for concealment.
Cats will use a potted plant if they have the desire, but generally since a litter box is at ground level and a potted plant requires a hop on up and then balancing in a pot while doing their thing, the litter box is just an easier option. Also, cats enjoy some privacy while using it and most people put the litter box in an out of the way corner and the potted plants in the living room next to the sofa. Given the cat and how dirty the box is and how well they’re trained, they might also use piles of clothing or newspaper on the floor that they “dig” in and then “cover” as best they can – basically, anything that gives them the comforting feeling of digging is fair game. The softer the material the better; many a gardener has found that cats just love to try out newly planted flower beds.
This also intrigues me, as well. I know my cat does her thing often when no one’s around, unless she really has to go. Our litter box is hidden under the air hockey table, but I figured we put the box out of the way so no people have to see a cat using the litter box. But cats really do seem to be modest about using the box…I wonder how in the hell they picked that up?
Speak for yourself, if they were so bright they wouldn’t be our domestic affection slaves. Imagine being a pet in a dysfunctional higher-level alien family, sounds like hell, it probably is.
Maybe you were saying cats are smarter than cat owners. Ask your cat to reply.
My cat almost uses the litter box when I’m around to see it. She loves to use it while I’m cooking dinner or eating breakfast. I suppose it’s her way of letting me know that she’s still around.
She will also immediately use the litter box after I’ve scooped out her previous “creations”. I suppose that’s her way of letting all the other living creatures in the house (namely me) that, dammit, it’s her litter box and no one else is going to use it.
–How many dogs become domestic affection slaves to gorillas? Like All-Ball became to a REAL one?
Anyway, I’ve found that right after a brand new kitten has had something to eat and starts moving in little circles
is a good time to gently move 'em to the box. That one little move seems to work for life.
You know, kittens learn a lot more from their mothers than people seem to realize. They can’t even hunt for mice without being taught, nor will they instinctively kill and eat a mouse that they catch out of amusement. Why, then, would they instinctively perform an act they needed while living in the desert thousands of years ago?
I don’t know why cats originally buried their “droppings” in the sand, but I’ll just bet that the reason they still do is because their mothers taught them to.
It’s not all instinct - and some cats are just smarter than others. I once had a cat who preferred going outside, so I didn’t have a litterbox. The one time he was inadvertantly trapped inside with nowhere to go, he used the bathtub. I thought he was brilliant - it was easy for me to clean up and he got the right room.
Sure, cats can be rational - they’re just never reasonable.
hehe, he deserved it. and then there was the time she peed on the carpet by the door for some reason, couldn’t figure that one out. otherwise, they always use the litterbox, and i never hear any complaints. except when i don’t give them enough attention. but that’s cats.