Q: Is it normal for my cat to roll in the litterbox after I’ve cleaned it? What should I do about this behaviour?
A: The simple answer is yes, this behaviour is quite common. Some cats enjoy a good dust bath and in the absence of a suitable outdoor area, they may resort to rolling in their litterbox.
Fortunately, this usually occurs when the litterbox has just been cleaned and not after use! You could consider providing your cat with a designated dust bath – a thin layer of river sand, or just an area of dry, clean earth would do the trick.
Putting a little catnip in the area would encourage her to use this new area. It’s important to avoid a negative response should you find your cat rolling in the litter – the last thing you want to do is make her nervous of using her litterbox at all.
What you can do is to brush your cat following a litterbox roll, just to remove any excess which she may ingest while grooming.
If you ever find your cat rolling in the litterbox after it has been used, take note, as this could suggest a problem, either medical or behavioural. In this case, the vet would be the first step, possibly followed by a consultation with a qualified cat behaviourist.
Katherine Brown, behaviourist