OFF TOPIC** Need kitten advice from a kitty expert

qtgonewild

stop punishing her in her carrier she is just a baby for gods sake. give her time to adjust to your house. i got my new baby at 6 weeks old. she 10 weeks old now. day 1 she didnt go at all. i was so worried. i was wishing she would even go on the bed, just go potty lil one. she soon got comfortable and day 2 was using the litter box. if all else fails they have special litter at PETCO for this exact problem.

SoDamnHungry

Vet first to make sure she isn't sick and to ask the vet for advice if she's fine. DON'T PUNISH HER. Something's probably wrong and that's her way of telling you.

Mcgrawhaha

there are some things you now HAVE to do! first, put her in a small area with her litter box, like a bathroom with her toys and bed, for the day... while you do this, not only scrub the crap out of the spots on the furniture and carpet, but then spray with a cat urine neutralizer, otherwise, she will pee right back over the spots. after it dries, i like to sprinkle some pepper in those areas, just in case they return to the scene of the crime, they will usually sniff first, and boom... a nose full of pepper... they usually dont return after that. after a day of keeping her in a small area with her litter box, allow her out, put the litter box where you will be keeping it, and set her in the box. dont keep her food or water near the box. you also may want to sprinkle some cat nip in the little box to attract her at first...

i have 4 female cats... been there, done that... also have 3 female dogs, 4 daughters, 1 son, and 1 high maintenance husband...

DamianaKitten

To the poster who said you should get your kitty fixed, that is ridiculous! 10 weeks is far too small. The vet I work with will allow me to spay as early as 4 months since I work as a rescue, but I encourage at least 6 months to allow for one full heat. That is personal preference, but if you have a vet willing to spay at 10 weeks, flee!!

It will take some work, but your best bet when you find poop, is to put it in the litter box, and then put her in the litter box. If you catch her squatting, or in process, pick her up and put her in the box. Spraying with water/crating doesn't really work for kittens (or cats in general), since it just puts them into panic mode to be trapped. I'm lucky in that I'm generally working with babies, so they get raised in a confined space for the first few weeks of their lives, so just putting the box in there with them and putting their poop in it is generally enough.

If you've got toys, you can try putting her in the bathroom with the box, but she may panic if she isn't used to being confined. I had a 3 month old cat that had to be in quarantine for a few months, and while she wasn't pleased about being in the bathroom, she didn't panic. I just went in with her multiple times a day to show her some love and care for her, got her some toys and a stuffed animal, and left her be. It might be worth a shot to try this with your kitten, but if she goes into full on panic mode from being confined, best to leave her out. She will get it, eventually. She may not like the litter you have, or she could be lashing out from stress of being moved.

wonderwoman325

Something also to consider (which seems you may have already discovered) - put her in the litterbox after each meal she eats. Also do this once she wakes up from any sleeping.

It will take a lot of patience, but she'll get the hang of it

Good luck!

SLLRunner

I am a kitty expert. I had two cats both started as kittens before I ended up being a mother. Anyhow, I would recommend that you have your kitten neutered or spayed. Whichever is the one you use for cats, not dogs. That will stop her peeing all over the furniture. Do not put her in the carrier when she doesn't go in the litter box. Cats are much different from dogs. She will not associate it positively or negatively. That is my recommendation.

I agree with spaying, but that's not why she's peeing all over the place. She is reacting to her new home.

Neuter is for males, spay is for females. It doesn't matter the species.

Well, she said in her OP that it's a female, which is why I said spaying.

CLDDOC85

After feeding her, set her in the kitty box and leave her alone for a few minutes. Please don't yell at your kitty. She won't care that she let you down, but she will be scared of you. Cats are not like dogs in that respect. Try changing the type of litter, putting the box in a more private area and setting her in the box when she might need to go. She should be using the box in a day. However I would not let her have the run of the house unsupervised until she is a little older. Your kitty baby needs to start in just a small area and gradually earn access to more and more of the house. Spend lots of time playing with your baby with feathers and chase toys. Socialize her by exposing her to different people and animals too. When handling her, always set her down before she has had enough. She will come to you for affection. Finally, remember that cats are more solitary creatures, not pack animals like dogs who need companionship. They are all individuals have their own wonderful, quirky cat personalities.

amaysngrace

Well, one thing I forgot to mention was that when I got my second cat, who was a kitten, the older cat kind of "showed" her the rules. In his own cat way, he took her in and showed her where the litter box was and how to use this, so I did not have the problem of the kitty peeing all over the furniture. My older cat even showed my younger cat how to clean herself properly and they would lay up under each other when they went to sleep. So, maybe if you adopted an older cat who was already potty trained, it might help curb this behavior in the younger cat because they can communicate with each other and that sort of thing.

amaysngrace

I am a kitty expert. I had two cats both started as kittens before I ended up being a mother. Anyhow, I would recommend that you have your kitten neutered or spayed. Whichever is the one you use for cats, not dogs. That will stop her peeing all over the furniture. Do not put her in the carrier when she doesn't go in the litter box. Cats are much different from dogs. She will not associate it positively or negatively. That is my recommendation.




If you are such a kitty expert, you should know what spaying and neutering is. First of all, it is probably way too young to be fixed. Secondly, that is not going to help with litter training.

I think anyone who has successfully raised kittens into healthy cats can be considered "experienced" and therefore some sort of expert; although everyone's experience is different. I adopted my first cat from someone who had kittens. Then, when I worked as a correction officer, a kitten followed an inmate back to the halfway house, and they knew I loved kittens, so my co-workers placed her in a box and put her in my car. I got both of my cats fixed because the oldest was a boy and the youngest was a girl. I don't remember details of "when" I got them spayed and neutered, I just recall my experience raising kittens before I decided I wanted to be a mother to a human child instead

NO need to get hostile, she asked for advice and I told her what I thought. If a parent ask for advice for caring for their young child and I have an older child, I would consider myself some sort of expert to be able to tell her at least what I did, when my child was that age. And the same applies here. But, I will not stress myself out, over your reaction to my comment.

hortensehildegarde

To the poster who said you should get your kitty fixed, that is ridiculous! 10 weeks is far too small. The vet I work with will allow me to spay as early as 4 months since I work as a rescue, but I encourage at least 6 months to allow for one full heat. That is personal preference, but if you have a vet willing to spay at 10 weeks, flee!!

whereabouts do you live? been involved with rescue for almost a couple years now, of the 5-6 different vets I've been involved with ALL will do alterations as soon as the kitten is 2 lbs, ergo you often see them getting done as early as 6 weeks (I don't do that but one of the other local cat rescues does).

the TNR programs will do them at 2 lbs as well. I wonder if it is a local preference type thing but I've been around plenty of healthy, happy altered 8 week old kittens.

also to OP congrats on your new kitty and THANK YOU for deciding against declaw, it really can lead to lots of litter box issues later in life.

If a kitty has a UTI and associates the litter box with being in pain they very well may poop outside the box so I wouldn't rule out UTI just because they are doing all business outside the box. Just ask your vet about it when you go in for the next shot in a week or 2 if you are still having issues, but it sounds like you and kitty are on the right track! (of course if she keeps going outside of the box and/or you notice any other UTI symptoms she should go to vet right away)

I've had about 50 cats through the house in the last couple of years, many of them kittens and you are in for some FUN times! I wouldn't ever expect the cat to make a connection with regards to punishment though, your treats/positive reinforcement are much better ideas. The babies do get a little confused some times at first so hopefully that's all this was and she's gotten the hang of it!

Also I have un-fully-treated cat wee spots all over the house/carpet I am sure. You simply can't clean ALL the spots as thoroughly as you like when you have so many going in and out, but I have no issues with anyone re-soiling the previously soiled spots (knock on wood). The spots are cleaned just not with the enzymatic cleaner as I can't afford enough of that to douse my house with it! It's definitely good advice, just wanted to chime in that you hopefully don't have to worry too too much about getting ALL the smell out.

Mcgrawhaha

To the poster who said you should get your kitty fixed, that is ridiculous! 10 weeks is far too small. The vet I work with will allow me to spay as early as 4 months since I work as a rescue, but I encourage at least 6 months to allow for one full heat. That is personal preference, but if you have a vet willing to spay at 10 weeks, flee!!

whereabouts do you live? been involved with rescue for almost a couple years now, of the 5-6 different vets I've been involved with ALL will do alterations as soon as the kitten is 2 lbs, ergo you often see them getting done as early as 6 weeks (I don't do that but one of the other local cat rescues does).

the TNR programs will do them at 2 lbs as well. I wonder if it is a local preference type thing but I've been around plenty of healthy, happy altered 8 week old kittens.

also to OP congrats on your new kitty and THANK YOU for deciding against declaw, it really can lead to lots of litter box issues later in life.

If a kitty has a UTI and associates the litter box with being in pain they very well may poop outside the box so I wouldn't rule out UTI just because they are doing all business outside the box. Just ask your vet about it when you go in for the next shot in a week or 2 if you are still having issues, but it sounds like you and kitty are on the right track! (of course if she keeps going outside of the box and/or you notice any other UTI symptoms she should go to vet right away)

I've had about 50 cats through the house in the last couple of years, many of them kittens and you are in for some FUN times! I wouldn't ever expect the cat to make a connection with regards to punishment though, your treats/positive reinforcement are much better ideas. The babies do get a little confused some times at first so hopefully that's all this was and she's gotten the hang of it!

Also I have un-fully-treated cat wee spots all over the house/carpet I am sure. You simply can't clean ALL the spots as thoroughly as you like when you have so many going in and out, but I have no issues with anyone re-soiling the previously soiled spots (knock on wood). The spots are cleaned just not with the enzymatic cleaner as I can't afford enough of that to douse my house with it! It's definitely good advice, just wanted to chime in that you hopefully don't have to worry too too much about getting ALL the smell out.

yeah, all 4 of my females were spayed between 8-12 weeks, so, im not sure what all of the hostility is about regarding spaying at 10 weeks. no, i do not think spaying this kitten will have any effect on the litter issue, as that is a behavioral / age issue that only proper training / reinforcment will correct, however, spaying is definately ok at this age. when a kitten is spayed BEFORE its first heat, they are generally healthier as adults and have lower rates of uterine and breast cancers.

DamianaKitten

The reason I don't advocate altering at such a young age is because it doesn't give the babies (and that's exactly what they are) time to actually grow. The hormones they get before 4-6 months are important for their growth and development. If you -have- to spay at that age, it's better than letting them get knocked up, but I don't see the sense in putting that kind of stress on a baby. Spays are easier to perform on larger, more developed kittens instead of babies, but if you have a good reason to spay at such a young age, then fine. Single female that lives indoors = not a good reason to alter a baby.

Ultimately, people will do whatever they want, but I prefer to let my babies reach kittenhood without major surgery.

rml_16

The reason I don't advocate altering at such a young age is because it doesn't give the babies (and that's exactly what they are) time to actually grow. The hormones they get before 4-6 months are important for their growth and development. If you -have- to spay at that age, it's better than letting them get knocked up, but I don't see the sense in putting that kind of stress on a baby. Spays are easier to perform on larger, more developed kittens instead of babies, but if you have a good reason to spay at such a young age, then fine. Single female that lives indoors = not a good reason to alter a baby.

Ultimately, people will do whatever they want, but I prefer to let my babies reach kittenhood without major surgery.

I advocate listening to the vet and not people on the Internet regarding this issue. And I mean the vet who cares for the kitten in question. In my experience they consider weight over age. And a 6-month-old kitten can go into heat.

rml_16

I don't think it's a UTI. I took her out of her crate and let her play around for awhile. She's very active and healthy looking. She just plays and plays and plays. anyway when it looked she was "looking around" I put her in her litter box and she peed in it!! Good girl. Then I gave her some chicken as a reward. immediately after she ate the chicken she jumped on my sofa and started digging around like she had to potty so I just picked her up and put her in her box again and she dug around in the litter and then pottied. Then she over zealously covered it up! lol. Hey I can live with that. So I'm thinking she's just a baby and she's just learning and I'm going to have to be consistent and patient with her.

Animals handle pain and illness differently than humans. Take your cat to a vet, FPS.

And if the number of cats one has had is what makes an expert around here, I have had in my lifetime more than 30 and raised two on bottles from 2 weeks old. I know cats.

mamadon

We got a new kitten a little over a year ago who would do that. She did it for the first several months. She peed on the beds, couches etc. I finally realized it was the door flap on the litter box. She had maybe caught her tail in it or something. Anyway, once I took the door flap out, she never did it again.

SLLRunner

I just realized this thread has many many kitty cat lovers. :bigsmile: