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.
I took my kittens away from their feral mother when they were three or four weeks old. I had 5 total so you can imagine the chaos of caring for 5 kittens that are still incredibly dependant. I always kept the litter box nearby and as soon as they were done feeding, I put them in the litterbox and moved their feet around to show them what to do. (At first they were eating the litter but I always kept an eye on them and removed it from their mouths.) 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!
Jennma521 had a great method there! ONe thing I would do tho. If you have a big house, try putting a litter box in several different areas of the house. Then as they get older gradually move the boxes closer together till they are all close to the area that you want to keep it. Then gradually take up one box at a time till you just have the one.
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, amd 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.
First things first. Were they inside or outside raised before you got them? If they were outside that might be why they won't use the box. If this is the case, try planting some catnip in their litter. That should attract them to the box. And the more familiar with being IN the box they become the more apt they are to start using it.
If that's not the case and since they seem to like t.p. so much. Try cleaning all the liltter out of the box and lining it wiht nothing but toilet paper. Do this untill 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 abe 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.
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Request: Litter Box Training (08/17/2009)
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.
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Request: Litter Box Training
Archived on 08/17/2009
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
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RE: Litter Box Training
Just take the kitten and put it in to the litter box and take its paw and move it around in the litter. (07/22/2005)
Some kittens are just pickier about where they go than others. Make sure the box is kept very clean and that the placement of the box affords enough privacy for the kitty. Hope this helps. (07/23/2005)
Keep taking the kitten to the box, putting kitty in the litter, sitting and waiting till he/she does the right thing. I make sure the bathroom door is closed so kitty feels secure. Tell kitty, good boy/girl in a soothing voice. After a while you shouldn't have to close the door anymore, stay there, or even take kitty, he/she will just go. If this doesn't work, try switching brands or types of litter, kitties can be fussy. If kitty makes an accident elsewhere, put that accident into the box to aid litter training. (07/24/2005)
RE: Litter Box Training
Also, make sure that the litter box is not near the kitten's food. They don't like to potty near where they eat. (07/25/2005)
I just trained to 2 kittens and this is how I did it. It took about 3 days to get them to go in on their own. Everytime they woke up I picked them up and put them in there and wiggled my finger in the litter to get them to scratch it. Then I would let them leave the box on their own. Then during play I would stick them in the box and wiggle my finger again. Shortly after they ate or drank anything I would do the in the box routine. After everytime they went I would say good kitty then let them get out on their own. I would clean it as soon as they got out so that next time they went in it they wouldn't come out with something stuck to there feet.
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)
