Why do cats bury their poop

Whether in the garden or out in the wild, we’ve all witnessed our cats carefully burying their poop, a behavior that does seem strange. But it’s not uncommon for animals to bury their own waste in the wild, and many other animals are known to do the same thing.
Still, this behavior is definitely weird, and you may have found yourself wondering why your cat does this, so let’s look at three reasons for this strange yet completely normal behavior:

Territorial claim

In the wild, big cats are often at the top of the food chain, so there is a constant struggle for territory and dominance. Cats such as lions and leopards don’t need to worry about any natural predators, so they don’t need to worry about hiding their feces, so there’s nothing you can do about them peeing anywhere. After all, you can’t beat them. On the other hand, smaller cats, such as pet-sized cats or sand dune cats, are extremely vulnerable to attacks by these apex predators, so they bury their feces to let larger predators know they are not Potential threats will not pose a challenge to its territory. This behavioral habit is passed down from generation to generation in feline genes and is still part of their natural instincts.

Avoid predators

While territorial disputes between small cats and big cats are certainly a problem, there are many more small cats to worry about in the wild. Predators are a constant and deadly threat, especially when a kitten is surrounded by a litter of kittens. Predators have a keen awareness of the world around them, and smells such as feces or urine are telltale signs that one or more kittens are active in the area. For this reason, small cats bury their poop in time to avoid and not attract larger predators.

Inherited genes

Domestic pet cats still have fragments of survival mechanisms in their DNA, and certain habits are purely instinctive. Maybe you know there are no big predators or big cats in or around your home, so why does your cat continue to bury their poop? (Although they will bury you if they don’t, who makes you the poop scooper?) In fact, your cat is not as sure of this as you are, and it has regarded you as the main member of its family, and they still The inability to bury their own poop to avoid danger (to protect themselves and the poop collector) is part of their instinct and is unlikely to disappear. Additionally, pet cats are picky about their living environment, so they bury their poop to keep pungent odors away from their sensitive noses.

Here’s the question: What if your cat won’t bury their poop?

Since burying poop is a normal behavior for cats, careful poop scoopers have discovered that there are also female cats who teach their children, so if your cat does not want to participate in this behavior, many problems may arise. Even in a safe and calm home without predators, most cats will show the behavior of not burying their poop. This is partly because the size of the litter box is inappropriate or the location of the litter box is not too secretive. This all requires shoveling. The poop officer carefully observed and made adjustments, and then the poop officer did not scoop the poop in time, leaving your cat with no way to start… Soul torture: Did you scoop the poop today?

The answer to this question goes back to a long time ago, when cats were not tamed and still lived in the wild. Because cats were smaller, they had no advantage in competing with other animals.
Big cats, such as tigers and lions, generally do not bury their feces and urine. Instead, they use the smell of their feces to mark their territories and signal threats to intruders.
If a weak cat wants to live in peace, it must cover up its scent to prevent other animals from finding it based on its scent.
Cat excrement is one of the main sources of odor. In order to prevent other animals from knowing where they are hiding through the smell, cats will bury their poop in sand.
In addition to burying poop, cats lick their bodies and butts tirelessly every day, not only to keep them clean, but also to cover up their scent and prevent other animals from tracking them.
Others say that cats are solitary and their biggest enemies are their own kind rather than other large carnivores.
Cats’ poop can show whether they are sick, so covering up their poop can also prevent enemies from knowing their health status, preventing them from being attacked by other cats and having their food taken away when they are sick.
Therefore, if the cat buries its feces, it means that it thinks you are the master of this territory, and it needs to keep a low profile and bury its feces to cover up the smell.
Congratulations, the cat treats you as the boss and gives you a little bit of love.
However, animal behaviorists have found that:
Only about 60% of domestic cats can bury poop! About 30% will cover it up a little and do it half-heartedly! Nearly 10% of them don’t bury their shit at all!

What is the reason for this?

Cats will also use their excrement to mark their territory. If a cat feels that he is better than other cats, or even thinks he is invincible in this field (humans are also scum), he will not mind being smelled by his excrement, or will deliberately let it go. Other animals (including humans) smell themselves!
Because they are very confident, “I am the boss here!” They are not afraid of fights!
People who have two or more cats, as long as they observe carefully, they will find that the one who doesn’t bury their poop is the boss cat!
Other cats will bury their poop to eliminate their own smell! If you don’t bury it and the boss cat smells it, it will feel that other cats are provoking it!
Some cats will even follow the boss cat and bury their poop for him! It means taming the status of the cat boss!

There is a saying:

The reason why a cat doesn’t bury its poop is because it trusts you and knows that you won’t hurt it. It doesn’t matter whether you bury it or not. Anyway, there is a stupid two-legged beast scooping up the poop for it!
“The great cause of shoveling shit is left to you!”
Of course, the poop scooper strongly hopes that the cat can bury the poop. If not, the smell will be really wonderful!
But if you don’t bury it, don’t blame the cat too much! Because it trusts you, it won’t bury it!