This morning.............

[MWB]

one of my cats had been out all night as he wouldn't come when I called him the night before.
When he rushed in the door, he went straight to the dirt box & had a pee!
What on earth?

[Tallulah!]

I expect he was being terrorised by another cat and didn't dare 'go'. Why do you have a dirt box?
Also if he's black, beware of crows! They peck my black cats during the day.

[MWB]

Hi Tallulah.

I like to keep my cats (4 of them) inside at night to minimise them fighting & possibly contracting feline AIDS. I've had one cat die of this before. So the dirt box is for them overnight.

They all have collars on, with magnets, so only they can come inside. So they come & go at will all day & evening.

I also have a cardboard box, covered in an old blanket & lined with polar fleece, in my porch just for the times one of them blows a raspberry at me when they don't want to come inside.

Perhaps he was terrorised, but I don't think so. And I'm in NZ & don't have crows. Well, not feathered ones anyway.

[Tallulah!]

I guess he just forgot to go!!
Lucky you with no crows. They only attack our 2 black cats and leave the the two tortoiseshells alone.
Good Luck.