# Cat kicks litter EVERYWHERE!



## lausa (Sep 23, 2012)

I have a 5 and a half month old kitten, but he always kicks his litter out of the box every time he goes!
It's getting so bad I have to hoover up twice a day sometimes.

I've tried putting less litter in, so there's less to kick around but it doesn't help.
I've tried putting a plastic bag and newspaper underneath the litterbox to catch it... but he's a kitten so he always rips the bag and paper apart.

He literally digs it all out before he uses it and then throws even more out when trying to cover it!

Is this normal behaviour? Will he grow out of it? 
Or could it be the litter I use? I use a 'wood chip' litter which basically disintergrates when he uses it and turns into a pile of dust.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

You might try moving to a bigger (deeper) litter box. That's what I did once my cats were past the baby stage.


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## minikin44 (Aug 25, 2012)

Hooded litter box maybe? Or one that has an attachment to raise the sides?


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## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

I have a litter-kicker myself ;}

I use a multi-part "system":

A litter mat around the box to catch the inevitable tracked-out litter:

Petco Paw Print Litter Mat at PETCO
Purr-fect Pet Purr-fect Paws Litter Mat for Cats at PETCO

These are fairly tough mats, so a destructive kitten shouldn't be able to tear them to bits. I just roll the mats up when they get litter-y, take them outside, and shake the loose litter into the trash can.

I also use a hooded litter box:

Petco Jumbo Enclosed Litter Box - Covered Cat Litter Box and Enclosed Litter Box from petco.com

Many hooded boxes also come with "flaps" over the door - I removed the flap from mine. 

Odor CAN become trapped in a hooded box, so remove the hood occasionally to let it air out. Also, it shouldn't become too stinky if you scoop it twice a day or so, which is what I do. 

I know some people believe that hooded litterboxes are the spawn of the Feline Devil, but as long as you keep it clean, they're perfectly fine.

Also, I use Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra litter - 

http://www.preciouscat.com/product/ultra/

It's the most amazing litter I've ever used ;} It does a great job neutralizing odors, and the "grain size" is fairly large, so my cat moves large paw-fuls around, rather than kick out a smaller-grained litter.

Good luck!


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## aniela26 (Apr 2, 2012)

I use a hooded litter box and it sits in one of those under-bed storage Rubbermaid type of containers. The sides of the container are high enough that the litter stays in (mostly!) but low enough my cats don't mind stepping over to get into the box.


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## BrnTabbyLvr (Sep 22, 2012)

I have high-sided open top litter boxes for my 5 month old kitten and my 11 year old cat. It has a cut out portion in the front for them to get in the box, but the other 3 sides are much higher. I got them at Tractor Supply for about 7 bucks a piece! It helps contain the litter on those three sides pretty well as long as I don't put too much litter in. I fill it probably about 4 inches or so deep. I also use an old cheap 5x7 area rug that I no longer wanted (because of the color) and put the boxes on that at the edges. I vacuum every few days or so. The rug helps get the litter out of their paws before they come out of the spare room (where the boxes are). Good luck!


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## OSCARSMOM (Jul 6, 2012)

When Oscar and Felix were little, I would swear that they had litter kicking contests! Oscar could get the litter as far as three feet away! I found a litter box with a "rim" around the top which stopped the litter from getting kicked out of the box. Here's a picture of what it looks like. (By the way, Oscar is 14 and we were able to take the lid off LAST YEAR, so no, he didn't grow out of it!)


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## scottd (Jun 28, 2011)

The box like OscarsMom posted is probably going to help with this.


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## LestatTheCat (Sep 1, 2012)

Oscar and Felix! Love it!


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Jack is a kicker too. i got a plastic chairmat under the litterbox which is situated in a corner. There are pieces of cardboard protecting the walls and containing the litter. I don't believe in enclosed litter boxes so I'm using a high sided litterbox. Of course it's not foolproof so if litters gets out, I use a small broom/pan set to sweep up the crumbs and toss into a doggie poop bag for disposal.


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## lausa (Sep 23, 2012)

Thanks for the replies everyone  I will totally get a hooded litter box or one with a lid, it would make it so much easier to clean up!
He's always done it since he was a baby, I have tried to teach him not to by pushing him away once he's done his business and cleaning it up, but he always goes back and digs around!


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