Keep in mind that kittens are a lot like toddlers who are potty training: sometimes it's just easier to wet the bed than to go find that bathroom. The first thing to do when training your kitty to use a litterbox is to have many many boxes available. I'd suggest using those disposable aluminum baking pans during your training period, they're easy enough to get rid of when you no longer need them!
Place multiple litterboxes through the house. One in each room, if you have to. Make sure the boxes are easily accessible for your cat or kitten. Every day, move the litterboxes a few inches towards the spot you have picked to be the permanent litterbox spot. Slowly remove the excess boxes until only a few remain. And keep in mind that you may need more than one litterbox if you have more than one cat!
During the training period, you will need to be vigilant and consistent. Keep an eye on your cat, especially if he heads for a spot where he has had an "accident" before. It's much better to stop him before he wets again than to clean up a new mess. Adding strange objects to the area, like balloons, can help deter your not-quite-potty-trained cat.
Clean up any accident areas with an enzyme-based cleaner, like Nature's Miracle. This will help eliminate all traces of scent left behind, so your cat won't feel the need to try and cover it. Though if your cat keeps picking the same spot for his accidents, you may want to think about putting a litterbox there. If it's a room where you don't want a litterbox, block access to the room! A closed door can work wonders for keeping a room accident-free.
Above all, remember to be patient! Most kittens will outgrow that awkward "potty accident" stage and become litterbox professionals.
If your cat was using the litterbox and has suddenly stopped, look for what has changed.
I'm trying to get my new kitten to use the litter box, but she keeps eating the litter. What should I do?
By Mel from West Palm Beach, FL
By Beth01/09/2010You didn't say she wasn't using the box. Only that she is eating it. I agree that changing to a different litter could solve that. But is she using it otherwise?
My friend and I recently rescued a kitten that had been thrown over her fence. It turns out the kitten has radial paralysis and a break. The vet said he may need to amputate his front leg. How do I teach him to use a scratch tray when he will only have one front paw? Even though it had been mistreated and not looked after, he was so smoochy, that wouldn't have made a difference to me; I would have loved him anyway.
By Sharyl
By lah34a03/04/2012We have a kitty boy who isn't missing a leg, but his hind legs drag. I can't recall the long veterinarian's name for it but it's due to his being separated from his mother for a few days and missing out on nutrition.
Anyway, don't worry about your little guy! Frugalsunnie is so right about the fact that he will adapt and thrive. We decided early on that our little guy would probably figure out things for himself. He runs (like a bunny!) and jumps and plays just like his brother.
I would suggest starting your kitty out in a shallower litter box so he can access it more easily. I used an old cake pan when our guy was small and he took to it right away.
How do I make the cat poop in litter box not outside? She poops right in front of the litter box.
By jjniya
By FC101/17/2012Hang out with her in the bathroom for a while after she eats. When she starts to poop, pick her up and put her in the box. If she stays and finishes her business, reward her with kind words and petting. If she tries to get out, keep putting her back in. Do this for a few days or until she reliably starts going straight for the box.
You might also try a different kind of litter. If you're using clay or something else that doesn't do much about urine odor, you could try adding a thick layer of baking soda and mixing it in, adding a bit more each time you scoop the poop out (which should be every time you go to the bathroom). Pine pellet bedding for horses is another option; it absorbs the urine and smells like pine trees. They sell it as cat litter, too, just for about 3 times the price.
Fishercat
The kitten has started frequently urinating on anything that is a box, basket, or storage like object. This includes the sofa, washing, ironing, food boxes, handbags, and blankets if they are folded a curtain way.
We thought when get got her we just needed to toilet train her which we spent months trying with no improvement just an increase in the behaviour. We then took her to the vet to see if it was a physical problem only to be told her bladder was fine, it was behavioural and not an uncommon cat problem.
I am also 4 months pregnant and with a sickness condition that is aggravated by this behaviour (resulting in myself being hospitalised). I will not risk my own health, that of my unborn child, and the other cat's health due to a kitten's bad behaviour. Is it better that she be re-homed by an experienced cat owner who has encountered the behaviour and knows how best to manage it?
We re-homed Marley from a tiny kitten when she was flea ridden and in poor health so we are pleased, if nothing else, to have given her a life and a chance to live in our home. We are sad to have come to this, but as stated above, the risk and damage to my home and health is something we can no longer manage. Our other cat has stopped eating and won't come in the house until the smell has gone and I'm worried she is going to run off.
If any one has any last ideas or advise please please help!
By Kymberz
By Lizzyanny01/05/2012Cats can have a condition called cystitis. It is an inflamation if the bladder as opposed to a bladder infection. The both cause the same problem...inappropriate urination. It is easy to diagnose a bladder infection (bacteria), but very difficult to diagnose cystitis(no bacteria). Cystitis is very painful but can be cured.
Cystitis is possibly what is troubling your cat. It also may be that she is marking, and spaying her may change that. It often does, but there are no guarantees. Some cats do continue to spray inappropriately. Those kitties need to be outside cats or barn cats.
However you sound like you don't have much patience left for this kitty. And patience is what it is going to take. You might want to have her spayed before you re-home her, to give her a better chance somewhere else. Otherwise I agree with Deeli... Try to find a no-kill shelter for her.
Why does my five-week-old litter of kittens (mom and kittens are kept in my bathroom) sometimes pee on the floor and sometimes in their litterbox?
By Julie E.
By K9cats09/09/2011Hello,
Can they climb in the box? Sometime the box is to high for them to get over. I worked for a Veterinarian for over 27 years and we always used a smaller box to train them. Good luck.
Does anyone have any tips on litter box training a new kitten. My daughter just got a new kitten and is having problems getting him to go in the litter box.
Eleanor
By mrsloo
By MissyD
Then if I left the house or went to bed, I would close them in the bathroom with the litter box. Then when they were in there and I came home or got up and they had used the litter with no accidents I knew it was working. When they have the whole house to run they kind of lose where they are at and how far it is to find the potty. So if you just put them in there whenever you get up or move around they will get the gist of things. It took about 3 days to be sure they had it. This worked for me. Good luck. (01/10/2006)
jen
By jennma521
I am fostering two baby kittens about 8-9 weeks for our local humane society. I have had them for about two weeks. I plan to adopt them once they have had their shots and are spayed. They are both female and will not use the litter box. I have been keeping them in the bathroom to confine their mess. They are small and if I let them roam the house I may not find their little pee spots.
I noticed that they are unrolling the toilet paper and will potty on it, so I tried putting some toilet paper in their box and they still won't touch it. The box is small so they can easily get in it. I really don't know what to do. I thought it was instinctual for cats to use a litter box.
By tiffcamchloe from Fredericksburg, VA
If that's not the case and since they seem to like tp so much; try cleaning all the litter out of the box and lining it with nothing, but toilet paper. Do this until they get accustomed to using the box, then slowly add no more than a cup of litter at a time and mix it up with the toilet paper. Once you have gotten them used to having the litter in with the toilet paper and have been able to gradually add enough of the litter, start gradually not putting as much toilet paper in. In other words, gradually transition them over from toilet paper to litter.
In the meantime, take your toilet paper off the roll and keep it in an easily accessible (for you) box that they can't get into. With patience and persistence I'm sure you'll have 2 kittens that will be life long parts of your family. (08/17/2009)
By Cricketnc
I had to do this with one kitten I had because invariably when she had to go she'd be at the opposite end of the house and couldn't find her way. So I bought 2 smaller size litter boxes and put one in the living room, one in the bedroom, and the larger one in the laundry room which is where I wanted it to end up. Once I did this I had no more accident spots. Then once she was about 3 months old I started moving the ones in the bedroom and the living room closer and closer (at 2 week intervals) to the laundry room till they were all 3 in there. Then over a period of a week I picked up the smaller 2 boxes. These I kept for "travel litter boxes" for whenever we went on a trip. (08/17/2009)
By Cricketnc
I also rubbed their back right above their tail with a damp washcloth. That is how the mama kitty stimulates them to use the potty. This seemed to work as they do not have any problems with it anymore. So try sticking them in the box as soon as they are done eating and "show" them what to do. I also like the idea of multiple boxes that you move closer together. I kept all those kitties for 3 months, had them fixed and found them loving homes. I even got to keep 2. (08/18/2009)
By Toolgirl
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Litter Box Training a Cat