try poopin' behind the sofa to test your theories out.

Burying poop in sand makes it teleport to an alternate dimension they teach you this in cat school.

Do they have object permanence? They may understand that when we clean and throw it away, it leaves with trash. Whether they understand the concept of trash and things entering and leaving the home, and whether there is a universe where we go besides the vet, are all separate questions. I'd wager they understand we get rid of it, however much they understand when we make food appear

I'm pretty sure my dog thinks he pays his rent in poop.

If one of mine wants a specific litterbox cleaned (2 cats, 5 boxes) he shits and doesn’t bury it. But he doesn’t shit in it when I’m at work, and only if I’m about to walk past that specific litterbox.

He also is afraid of plants.

Poop fairy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This assumes that a cat would actually care. The car just care that it is gone from their diva life

My cats know where their poop goes. They watch as the litter box rotates and the poop falls in the hole.

The box that encloses your waste is the one that poop in, not you. Having said that, there is essentially a box of some sort everywhere you poop. run 3