Why Do Cats Bury Their Poop?

Cats can be real weirdos. They bite our hair, they stare at us, and they follow us to the bathroom. They also have some interesting litter box habits. Why do cats bury their poop?

As it turns out, burying their poop is one of their more explainable behaviors.

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Why do cats cover their poop? Cats, of course, are tidy creatures, but that's not the only reason they cover up their leavings. In the wild, dominant cats do not bury their poop. Leaving their droppings out in the open is a way of signaling that they wish to claim the territory.

More submissive cats, on the other hand, do bury their poop. This is a way of ensuring that the dominant cats in the area don't feel threatened.

Wild cats also bury their droppings to avoid drawing the attention of predators to themselves and their kittens. The instinct to cover their tracks remains strong in domestic cats and even indoor cats may model this behavior. All cat poop smells pretty much the same to humans, but not to cats. They can distinguish between their droppings and those of other cats thanks to pheromones. Because their poop contains unique scents that identify one another, it's important to cats to bury their droppings so that potential predators cannot track them.

But wait a minute. What if your cat ​doesn't​ cover poop? There are several reasons domestic cats may choose not to bury their poop, and most of them aren't anything to worry about. However, if you have any concerns about your cat's litter box behavior, be sure to take her to the vet to rule out any medical conditions such as arthritis or a urinary tract infection.

Your cat may be claiming his territory, like his dominant wild ancestors mentioned above. (This behavior is generally more common among male cats, but not always.) It may not come naturally to them to bury their poop. Some cats didn't see their mother model this behavior, and thus never learned. It may not occur to them to bury their poop, and there's nothing wrong with this behavior, so you don't need to get your cat to cover poop.

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Some cats may find something displeasing about their litter box. Make sure your cat's litter box is big enough that she has enough room to turn around and bury her poop—a small litter box may deter her. Additionally, if she doesn't like the feel of the litter or determines it's too dirty, she may elect not to spend any extra time in there. If you suspect any of these to be true, consider changing to a different brand of litter or a larger litter box.

Another potential reason your cat isn't burying her poop is that she doesn't feel comfortable with the location of the litter box. Select a location with little traffic but not so confined your cat feels trapped. Conflict with other cats in the household can also be a concern. In general, make sure to have one litter box per cat plus an additional box.

Now that we've answered that question, we can move on to the bigger issue: Why is cat poop the absolute worst smell in the entire world? We can only hope that science has an answer soon.