My cat is one and half year old and will sometimes (about half the time) get very agigated when he uses the litter box and excessively try to cover something already covered. He has a XL litter box, but will pee on one side, cover that up and then spend a full five minutes kicking around the rest of the litter box as if he thinks he hasn't covered it. He will then put his two front legs out of the litter box and start to scratch the floor essesitally trying to kick non-existent litter from the carpet into the box. He seems very stressed when he is doing this. Sometimes I will pick me up and move him away, but he heads back and continues to try and cover. His litter box is kept very clean, so I'm unsure why he does this or what I can do to help him not get so agitated?
Hi Hannah,
Cats will dig and fling litter out of frustration, wether they actually use the litter box or not. Sometimes they can be obsessed with the fact that they are not satisfied with their attempts of burying their waste - since they can still smell it. And sometimes it can be from sheer boredom. However, determining his reason here can be very challenging. You mentioned that you have an X-L sized litter box but he simply may feel it is two small. Ideally, a litter box should be one and a half times the length of an adult cat from the tip of the nose to base of the tail. Although, instinctively some cats may feel they require even more room. If this is the case, you could try (instead of buying an even bigger litterbox) I suggest investing in a storage box from a hardware store and cutting an enterance at one end.
Since he likes to scratch the floor around the outside of the litter box consider placing a horizontal cardboard scratching board beside the box for quick alternative.
You could try a synthetic pheromone such as Feliway. This is a synthetic copy of a feline facial pheromone that can induce a state of familiarity and security within the environment allowing him to remain calm and comfortable during his time spent in the litterbox.
If he is always agitated while using his litter box consider a trip to the veterinarian to rule out any possibility of a medical condition. This stress may be due to pain.
