Kitten Not Covering Her Poop

by Blair
(Michigan)

Hello,

I adopted my kitten recently from a local petstore. She was in a "condo" with several other kittens and they fed them hard kibble and they litter trained her.
When I first got her she refused to eat for about a day unless I threw the kibble on the ground and she would pounce after it. It took a few days for her to use the litter box too. The first time she did use it, I thought it was just because she hadn't eaten lately that it was just really really stinky.
It has now been a few weeks and her poop is really stinky still AND she will not cover it up. She doesn't cover her pee either, the spots just clump after a while with the litter I have.

I have asked my boyfriend who has a cat and he says there might just be too much litter in the pan, because she will dig, she just wont cover it up. Is there a way to train her or a specific type of litter I can use that will keep the poop from smelling too badly? She will literally clear out the basement after she uses the litter box and I am not quite sure I can deal with such stinky poop her entire life.

She also steps in it a lot as a result of her not covering it up and then will walk on my face in the middle of the night. She tends to pee and poop near the opening of the box (I have a covered pan) and will just step on it on her way out again.

(I started out feeding her Nutro Indoor Kitten, and switched to Science Diet Oral care because she also has a slight case of gingivitis).

Answer by Kate
Hi as you know there are lots of different types of litter and one of the reasons for this is that some cats find the feel of some litters under their paws uncomfortablke and so don't want to use or hang around in the litter tray for too long.

You could try a paper type which is softer or their is a brand called CAt attract which has a smell which apparently encourages cats to use it. I have a page about that here https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-litter.html (copy and paste into browser)

Regarding the nasty smell. It could be that she is not drinking enough which is making the poop smell stronger or she may have a unbalance in her digestive system. You could try giving her a cat probiotic which helps keep the system healthy and helps reduce smelly poop. Again i have some information about them here https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-supplements.html

best wishes Kate

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