Is it a Male Thing???

While they do prefer a clean litterbox it's also a form of marking their territory. When you clean it out ithas to be remarked.

Hi LadyM...our furry friends can be so funny at times, I don't won cats but do know that everytime you clean something that is theres they have to make it smell of them and let others know it is THEIR territory probably that is why your cat does this..yet you probably know that. I have two dogs both of them are like chalk and cheese, they are brother and sister too, they do have funny characters especially the brother, the one thing that makes me laugh about them is that theye are large dogs but they are so ottp with affection they think they are LAP dogs and many a time I have felt for my sofa as bot the of them at one time have been sitting on me!! Also the sister hates her brother getting affection so will 'kick' him out of the way so she can have you all to herself...hugs littleowl

my cats love to use the box right after its been cleaned, sometimes they try and use it while i'm cleaning it (ewwwww). i think they love the freshness and plus i'm mixing in new litter, so they can tell its time to mark their territory. i only have the two boy cats, so i'm not sure how others work. the littermaid thing works well? i'm SOOOOOOOOOO tired of cleaning the litter box, i'm going to get one!

YES! It is most definitely a male thing! I had a male cat who did the exact same thing. At the same time, I also had a female cat and she couldn't care less that I had just cleaned the litter box, but that male... he'd jump in as soon as he got the opportunity! He'd squeeze with all his might if he didn't actually HAVE to go, just to get a drop or two out. I think that some male cats do that to "mark" the litter box as theirs. The smell of the clean litter hides their smell, so they have to refresh it as soon as possible! Or, it's simply a greedy thing... "Me first! Me first!" I noticed my cat watching and waiting, too. If he heard me anywhere near that litter box, he'd come running... and hoping. It was almost spooky! LOL

I had a litter maid for a long time but it was not my job to clean it out, it was my kids'. Needless to say, they did not do it often enough and it broke. So, now we are back to one regular litter box for the one remaining cat, who is not even mine, but my daughter's.

he's just trying to get things back to normal, if it's clean it doesn't smell right to him. Some cats, mostly males are more sensitive about that then others. As with all animals human interference often upsets them. I know why you want it clean but he doesn't.

I think it is, my male cat does the same thing. He can just get out, but if you put new litter in the box, he cannot wait to get back in there.

It's a kitty thing, lol. But I have noticed that the males will be there first to "go" in a fresh box.

Its a cat thing, more so with males because they are more territorial. He is trying to make sure that everyone knows its HIS litter box! He's making it smell like him. Honestly, there is nothing you can do about it, he probably won't out grow it, he might calm down as he ages. I'm going to say that if you spent the money on a Littermaid, you also have him fixed, but he's still got the instinct for territoriality, and he's claiming that box as his own. Annoying, but its better than his marking your bed isn't it?

i think it's the cat version of "i got firsts". i have a female cat who on clean box day,must systematically piddle in every single box,just so her brother and cousin have to smell it when they get there. it's kind of a dominance game..

Lady the thing I see with my cats is that one of them likes to go outside and that is great by me. The other one likes to perch on the edge of the box and go in one spot all the time. I do not clean the box everyday like I should so I end up with a large ball of litter.

Sorry for laughing at your discussion. If it makes you feel any better, it isn't just a male thing. My little girl, Murphy, does the same thing. And I haven't even finished cleaning the box before she is in peeing her brains out. I swear she smiles at me when she is using the box. Thanks for reminding me that I do really need to re-install my LitterMaid. I put it outside while my daughter and family were staying with me and haven't brought it back in the house. I'll do it today! Thanks. I think that the cats sit in wait for the box to be clean so they hop in and use it and laugh at us the whole time. It's kind of like they lay in wait, save up the gas and when they jump in our laps they let it rip! It's a cat society thing!

We males can be annoyingly predictable LadyM. I always use my litter tray at the same time of the day. Whether it's clean or not!!

my cat, bumblebee manslaughter, does this all the time... also... (he's so weird) he scratches the outside of the litter box after he's done... like there's some invisible litter on the ground that he's trying to scoop up.. and... because he prefers running water... whenever you fill his bowl up with water.. he tips it over.... also.... if you leave a glass out with anything in it... he'll tip it over.. thats why all my cups have lids... (like i'm three or something)

My little Carlye, who is female, also does this. I think they may do it to mark the litterbox as their territory.

My cats hate using a dirt litter box, sometimes they will walk to the box look inside and come to me meowing until I get the kids to clean it. We have two males tight now, and they belong to two of my children, so therefore it is their responsibility to keep the box clean. Now their mother was the same way, so no I can't say it is a male thing. I just think cats are clean animals. One of them Mischief, wipes his front paws on the wall when he comes out of the box, every time. Blessings, Marilyn

Males have to mark their territories, whether they're human or animal. I think you should just let your "bad" boy make his mark and let it alone. He may even be doing it to enjoy your reaction to it! Don't laugh, animals do that. I'll watch my dogs playing like that, Gus will do something and Cookie will react. He'll repeat it just to see that same reaction until she either stops or he gets tired of it! Cats are particularly wily and manipulative. C'mon, what other entertainment do they have?

Hi LadyMarissa, Typical male lol! I never had any of my cats doing that as they both go out to do their business, I have male and female cat, my female cat sits by me all day and sleep and when she wants her food she just sits at her bowl, if I ignore her, she comes right by my feet and sit and stares at me, but my male cat is so funny too, when I am getting the dinner ready he comes into the kitchen watching hoping for some potatoes, he loves raw potatoes strange cat. Tamara

I have 2 siamese kittens (one male, one female) and 1 male bangle. Haha, Im glad to hear that someone else has the same problem. I thought my cats we're just brats. But, mine do the exact same thing. It's not only the males either, my little female will do it also. They wait until I start cleaning out the litterbox and then all the sudden have to use it. And then when Im done cleaning it out, they have to automatically go and do their business. This is like all three of them. I have two litter box's but they like fight over the one if that's the one im cleaning just to use it. haha It's quite funny but can be a little aggraivating also. Another strange habit that my cats do is that they help each other out. I don't think it's really uncommon, but my bangle will get up on the fridge and knock down the treats while the other two wait at the bottom so they can get it. They run with it and they somehow manage to open the package. It's funny but then they have no treats for the rest of the month because they eat them all in one night. I love my cats and would not give them up for the world but they definatly do some strange things sometimes. So you're not alone! haha

I think your cat is a very clean one. He prefers using the litterbox when it's recently done. Maybe he needs to use it before you clean it but he prefers waiting so it's fresh and tidy. :)