Question:
My husband and I have a 10-month-old female "tuxedo" cat named Bonka. She has a silly problem that drives us crazy.Bonka can't seem to bury her waste in her litter box. Instead, she scratches the walls of her box for five to 10 minutes -- and never touches the sand! She did fine the first week or two we had her, but something happened to give her this kooky habit.I'm guessing she was traumatized by an incident that occurred early in our relationship: While burying her "doodle," she accidentally stepped in it and trailed it around the bathroom. I had to wash off her foot, and she definitely did not like that. Nothing has been buried since.Is there anything we can do to get her to bury her waste? My husband can't sleep at night due to the scratching. Please advise.
C. and W., Suffolk, Va Nov 06, 2005
Answer:
You certainly do have a problem. Clearly, your cat has developed a litter-box phobia after the dirty-paw incident. Now, she is displacing and redirecting her normal stool-covering behavior by obsessively scratching the walls of her box.Here are some suggestions:* Try a different type of litter.* Relocate the box in a place where the cats have easy access but won't be heard scratching.* If the present box has a cover, remove it; alternatively, get a box with a cover.* Since your cat's behavior is anxiety-based, your veterinarian could try a five- to seven-day dose of Valium. It could break the neurotic-compulsive behavior.
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