Why Does My Cat Drag My Clothes Into The Litter Box?

Have you ever wondered why your precious little pet snatched up your nightgown to use as his personal kitty litter? Cats are naturally curious creatures and, often, tend to do bizarre things such as this.

In this article, I will explore a few reasons why your cat is slinking away with your clothes that may be lying around the house.

Whether you have recently adopted a new cat or have been a parent to a cat for a while, you will have noticed that sometimes they tend to wander off with your (or one of your family member’s clothing) and take it all the way with them to their litter box.

You may find this behavior peculiar and think that it is a sign of your cat wanting to prove that they are the “alpha” but that may not be completely true.

Although it has not been proven, oftentimes, the cats are trying to cover up their stool and urine with clothes as a replacement for sand or litter as the litter box is not adequately cleaned to enable the cats to cover their stool.

Why My Cat Drags Clothes Into The Litter Box: Top 9 Reasons

1. Hiding Herself While Pooping Or Peeing

If you have not followed your cat and tried to notice her, then you should once try doing this.

You will notice that whenever your cat realizes that she has to either poop or pee, she will certainly go pick up your clothes, put them in front of the litter box, then will again go behind to push the cloth into the box and check if she is completely covered while excreting.

Once, she is satisfied that now I am completely covered, she will poop or pee and then come out of that cloth, and for your amusement, I must tell you that every time she has to poop or pee, she will need a new piece of cloth.

This seems more like a human tendency. We often fail to understand our pets but they are more like us and they also need privacy. This is also because pets feel they are most vulnerable while in the bathroom.

2. Not Comfortable With The Environment

Like humans, all cats are also not the same, so there can be one more reason for your problem. 

Sometimes, pets go through a bit of change in their environment which we as humans cannot see. There are changes in odors, colors, houses, and noises and pets take some time to adapt themselves to the same.

So, in such a situation bringing your clothes with a known scent and covering herself will be like a child with a security blanket.

This is more like a stress reaction and in this situation of weirdness, your cat will probably get into her litter box, just staying there sleeping for hours.

Don’t forget you are the parent of your cat and your cat feels most secure near you.

3. Trauma From Their Past Lives

And no, I do not mean from one of their past nine lives.

I simply mean that whoever was the caretaker of your furry feline friend before you, did not do a very good job of it.

If the cat was left in a kennel or a shelter and made to use a rag or towel instead of a litter box -or if said litter box was not cleaned a sufficient amount of times- then the poor thing will get accustomed to using a cloth and will substitute that rag or towel for any cloth it happens to find lying around the house.

An effective way to stop this from happening is by keeping all clothing inside the cupboards and locking them as well as frequently washing any clothes that may have your odor on them and making sure that the washing machine is not accessible to the little furry thief just waiting to pounce on any stray cloth he/she may find!

4. Allergies/Dislike To The Litter

Maybe it is irritating your cat because it is too dry or maybe your four-legged friend is allergic to that particular brand of kitty litter.

They may be dragging the clothes into the box to create a comfortable barrier between themselves and the allergen.

A good way to know if your cat is allergic to or does not like the texture or smell of the litter that you are currently using is by noticing if he is scratching at the box or simply placing the clothes on top of it.

If it is the latter, it is probably due to old habits but if it is the former then, most likely, something about that particular brand of litter is bothering him.

You can try to help him ease out by experimenting with various different brands supporting different textures and odors; you can also try an all-natural version of kitty litter made of recycled paper, which is now readily available to make him feel most comfortable.

If your cat keep knocking over their food bowls, you must check out this one.

5. Insufficient Litter In The Box

The litter box should be filled about two-thirds at all times to make sure that there is always enough litter for them to be able to cover up their business.

Otherwise, instead of the litter that is already in the box, they will try to cover it up with any cloth item that they find nearby; cats do not differentiate between what may be your gym pants or your evening gown.

6. Sense Of Security

Well, cats are one of the most sensitive creatures. When overwhelmed with an acute sense of stress or security issues, they tend to burrow into a hole of their own comfort zone, where they feel like they will be protected from the external world of dangerous affairs.

Thus, it can be seen that being encompassed in the comfort of your clothes can be a coping mechanism for the cats to overcome the threat that it feels it is surrounded by.

Because when you are not with your cats, the scent emitted by your clothes helps them to understand the fact that they are not alone when dealing with their anxiety issues.

7. Attention Seeker

Cats possess quite the attitude to being pampered and admired all the time. They can get quite mischievous at times ( a lot actually !!!).

When it feels that it is not getting the affection that it supposes to achieve from its parents who are ultra-busy with their super workaholic life, they deliberately try to work on mischievous tricks to grab its parents attention.

So as you can see, cats are quite wholesome of a being. They can literally be a mascot of the God of mischief, who would shatter and knock down anything to assert attention.

If your cat lick and knead you, you should check out these cute reasons.

8. Comfort Clothing

Just as humans find comfort in sitting in their home clothes and cuddling with other humans, your pet might find the scent of your clothes comforting and may want to cuddle with it when you are not around!

If that is not a comforting thought, I don’t know what is. But I can see how it may be a nuisance to see your lovely clothes be dragged day after day into your cat’s litter box.

If this is the reason for your cat’s inexplicable behavior then the solution is an easy one: just find an old clothing item of yours -preferentially one that still has your scent- and keep it lying around just in reach of your cat so that he can use that instead of anything that has functional or sentimental value to you.

Another important tip while doing this is to lock up all other items of clothing that you own or else you may find that your cat has been using more of your clothes than you are!

9. The Cleanliness Is Not Up to Their Expectation

Yes, you may believe that you are cleaning out the litter box often enough, but perhaps your cat doesn’t.

It is important to scoop the litter box at least once or twice a day and replace the litter at least twice a week, but this may vary according to your cat.

It may seem like a lot but it is important to do so because otherwise it may irritate your cat and lead to them trying to use your garments as a way to cover up the uncleaned litter box.

Interesting Read: Why Is My Cat Sleeping Next To A Litter Box?

How To Stop Cat From Dragging Your Clothes Into Litter Box

You can try putting up your old worn out clothes near your cat’s living place

If you are finding one or more clothes in your cat’s litter box, start putting some of your old clothes having your scent near your cat’s litter box so that she finds it comfortable to cover herself while feeling difficult to adapt to a particular environment.

You can try putting away your laundry baskets

If you are keeping your laundry baskets near your cat, stop doing that because your cat loves your clothes, and even if you keep them next door of the house she will get through it once you sleep and your clothes will be found in her litter box once again.

Try putting your clothes directly in the Washing Machine

You can also put the clothes directly in the washing machine instead of using a laundry basket because these are most easily reachable for your cats or if you have a top loading machine, you can put on the lid tightly or put on some weight like cinder block so it is heavy for your cat to lift up and take your clothes out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Words

There are a wide variety of reasons and until you take your time to check up on your cat and observe its mannerisms, there is no way to tell exactly why it is behaving this way.

All in all, a lesson to be learned to all of the pet lovers among us is to give the poor kittens the undivided attention that they demand.

Hopefully, this is helpful and one of these suggestions will stop your cat from destroying your perfectly planned outfit on the day that you have to wear it, by dragging it to the litter box.

“Every complication with cats can be put to an end easily, or in particular cases, forgotten with a laugh. But the only problem which we can never heal from is when we lose them.”