OFF TOPIC** Need kitten advice from a kitty expert

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Replies

  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    Lock the kitten in the kitchen with litter tray until it learns. Also make sure that you clean the places where she has peed or pooed so that she cannot smell it and is tempted to go there again.

    Erm.

    Your kitten should be in a smaller place until she is comfortable, but make sure it's a comfortable place. Don't just arbitrarily pick a room. The kitchen would be the last place I would put her because then that's going to be her comfort zone and you don't want that in the kitchen forever...to this day, my kittens go back to their first little room to hang out. It's their happy place (when they aren't sleeping on my head).

    You have to think a bit like a little kitten.

    Is her box near a loud noise, like the heater or a dishwasher?
    Do the pipes make sounds near it?
    Is it easy to get into for a little kitten?
    Is it too much litter for a little kitten?
  • mathiseasy
    mathiseasy Posts: 165 Member
    Keep doing what you are doing, but keep her (and the litter box) in a room where you can shut her up so she isn't going on the carpet or furniture (laundry room, bathroom, etc.). Otherwise, once the 'scent' is there, she may continue to use the carpets, etc. as she doesn't know that it isn't OK.
    Good luck.
    Kaye

    Kittens and new cats should be kept in a small room for the first 1-2 weeks, until they can get used to the new living space. Introduce her to the rest of the house for a few minutes a day, supervised, increasing the time out a few minutes a day.

    Good advice. This is what I had to do when we got our first cat. She picked it up pretty quickly
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Lock the kitten in the kitchen with litter tray until it learns. Also make sure that you clean the places where she has peed or pooed so that she cannot smell it and is tempted to go there again.
    How would you even do that? They can jump. Very few houses have kitchens with doors anymore.
  • leilaphoenix
    leilaphoenix Posts: 839 Member
    Or pick a room with no carpet or soft furnishings. Worked for me.

    Owner of very happy 5 year old cat with no litter tray who does all her business outside.
  • renstwin
    renstwin Posts: 66 Member
    I agree with a lot of the other suggestions.

    Segregate new kitten in one room with toys, food, and litterbox.

    Do NOT place in carrier after she doesn't use the litter. You don't want the litterbox to be associated in any way with bad experience.

    Try mixing Cat Attract clumping litter with whatever litter the kitten was using at the shelter. Same with the food.

    I agree with placing the kitten in the box, but I don't agree with scratching her paws for her in the litter. What may be better is to use the scooper to dig in the litter while you are in the room with the kitten.

    If you are in the room with the kitten and you see her use the box, reward her immediately with a tasty treat.

    Use an enzyme cleaner available at a pet store to clean where the kitten has already urinated so there are no more accidents in that spot.

    If this doesn't help, I would seek veterinary assistance, as avoidance of using the cat box could mean a bladder or urinary infection.

    Good luck.
  • magtart
    magtart Posts: 161 Member
    Have you shown her what she's supposed to do? By that I mean: put her in the box and gently help her scratch with her front feet.
    Also, you might check with where she came from, about what brand of litter they used. Buy it and then gradually (mixing a bit more each time) switch to the kind you want.

    ^^This

    Every time I have a new kitten I do this and have never had any problems. Show her how to dig in the litter.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    You may want to contact the place you adopted her and find out what brand of litter they were using. Cats are creatures of habit and hate changes to their litter. Also make sure there are no stray cats around spraying and making the kitten nervous.
  • sillyvalentine
    sillyvalentine Posts: 460 Member
    She may just not be used to your house, new surroundings and new people.

    Also, there is a large possibility that they lied to you and she is not litter trained. Try this website for some great tips. http://www.catpeeingeverywhere.com/?gclid=CL713MmdobwCFYeEfgodSTsAiQ

    Keeping her in a closet or small room like the bathroom will help you control where she pees and at least prevent her from ruining everything in your house.

    When I litter trained my kitten a long time ago, I would follow her around and spray her with a cold water bottle when she started to pee somewhere, that would halt her and I would quickly put her in her box. If you have the covered box with the flap hole, turn the flap against a wall so she cant get out and leave her for five minutes.

    There is another possibility that she has a urinary tract infection. When cats have UTI's they try to go in the litter and when it hurts, they assume that it's where they are trying to pee so they use other spots in hopes that it will not hurt there. Have you taken your new kitten to the vet yet? If not, you may want to get her a thorough checkup. She will need her shots anyway.

    On a side note, a great product I use for getting rid of animal smells is called Nature's Miracle. It's a spray. I used it when training my dogs because the cats would often like to cover up the smell of their messes in the house and then I would be cleaning forever.
  • scarrletti_girl
    scarrletti_girl Posts: 479 Member
    well is she declawed? because if she is she might need softer litter that is something straight from jackson galaxy. and when she does go in the liter box reward her with a treat and give her some pets. and she will eventually associate going in liter box with good things instead of bad things.and if that still doesn't work after awhile then try putting the liter box in a more cat traffic area. these are all tips i got from the show my cat from hell. so i hope they help you as well as others :smile: good luck!
  • BattleTaxi
    BattleTaxi Posts: 752 Member
    Put any of her pee/poo into the litterbox if she does not go in it.

    I think you are doing the right thing by training her with the carrier. (I did that with my cat to train her to go to bed when I did so she wasn't roaming the house all night.)

    Also, try different types/brands of litter. My cat is pretty particular about litter. Sometimes if it is too chunky she won't like it, or if the scent on it is too much and it makes a lot of dust when she steps in it, she doesn't like that either.

    Make sure you use a good cleaner for the places the cat went potty on too. This way she doesn't think it is ok, because of the scent, to go there again.

    Patience, patience, patience! All kitties are different! It may take a month+ before she understands what is right/wrong! Especially after MOVING to somewhere NEW!

    When I moved, my cat would not leave my bedroom. She would hide under my bed for MONTHS!!! It took her a year before she would venture outside of my room. And now, 3 years later, she is very comfortable roaming around. (I have a dog too, so that was part of the reason why it took her some time.)

    Oh, and if she isn't de-clawed, and you're thinking about it. Please don't!!!!!! You can train them to scratch only certain objects! De-clawing is horrible and often results in more complications than it's worth in my opinion!! I trained my cat to only pick on things like the bottom mattress or certain carpets (replaceable mats and what not.) It takes a lot of patience, but they are very intelligent!
  • Flab2Fab27
    Flab2Fab27 Posts: 461 Member
    Try keeping her in a smaller room with her food, toys, litter box (kept away from the food) for 24 hours. Make sure you visit her and spend time with her. Cats don't require the training to use the litter box (such as placing them in it or scolding them if they don't use it). It's instinct to seek out an area (usually soil or sand), dig, eliminate & bury. You may just end up making the issue worse by either creating a fear of the carrier or a fear of the litter box.

    Because you've only had the kitten one day, I doubt this will be a huge issue other than just simple training. If a kitten is eliminating both urine and feces outside the litter box, the chances are it's something to do with the litter box itself rather than a UTI as somebody else had suggested.

    Once the kitten is reliably using the litter box in the smaller room, then allow access to the rest of the house. Keep in mind cats tend to prefer open (uncovered), large litter boxes without all the bells & whistles (auto cleaner, liners, etc).

    To prevent the kitten from returning to previously soiled areas, make sure you use a product designed to remove cat urine completely. Follow the directions including soaking the area and allowing it time to dry before giving the kitten access to it again.

    Your local animal shelter should have resources available if you continue to experience issues.

    Good luck.
  • ton40orbust
    ton40orbust Posts: 155
    Call the place you got her from and find out the type of litter they were using, cats are picky.
    Also take her to the vet and make sure she doesn't have a infection.
    Make sure you clean everything she peed on. The smell is really hard to get out, I used a mix of apple cider vinegar, color safe bleach and warm water when my cat was acting up and the smell is gone.
    And if you see her using the litter box on her own, giver her a treat so she will associate using it with good things.
  • So_Much_Fab
    So_Much_Fab Posts: 1,146 Member
    Reiterating good advice:

    • Keep kitten in a small room until it acclimates to your house and make sure it's quiet/comforting
    • Spend as much time as you can with it - this will help you to 'catch' her before she has an accident (then you can pick her up and hurry her to the litter box)
    • Use a litter box with smaller sides to make it easier for it to get in/out
    • Make sure where you feed her is as far away from the litter box as you can get.
    • Start with a clay litter (not clumping) so it doesn't get stuck in her paws
    • If she seems to not like the clay litter, you can change it up
    • Don't yell at kitten if she goes outside of the box or crate her - but do lavish her with praise/treats when she uses the box
    • Use an enzyme based cleaner (i.e. Nature's Miracle) for accidents
    • Mixing Cat Attract to the litter FTW!

    Good luck!!
  • manny1991
    manny1991 Posts: 204 Member
    Have you shown her what she's supposed to do? By that I mean: put her in the box and gently help her scratch with her front feet.
    Also, you might check with where she came from, about what brand of litter they used. Buy it and then gradually (mixing a bit more each time) switch jto the kind you want.
    ^^This

    Every time I have a new kitten I do this and have never had any problems. Show her how to dig in the litter.

    Im going to second that. Also, i dont think anyone mentioned this, but keep the food and water dishes AWAY from the litter box! Seems like common sense, but it can be hard when u keep ur cat in a small space and let them eat free-range. Cats dont like to eat where they poop/pee.
  • CTCMom2009
    CTCMom2009 Posts: 263 Member
    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 this... if you have a female, get her spayed. If the kitty is a male, get him neutered. You will have to put paper in the litter box after the surgery for a while though as to not encourage infection. My one cat gets very irritable when her litter box is not SPOTLESS and will not sit probably and will end up peeing over the side.

    How many litter boxes do you have now? You should have one for each cat, plus one. So, if this is your only cat, you should have two litter boxes and you can place them in different rooms in the house.

    I would also get a heavy-duty cleaner for urine/feces and get the spots she has already used. If you don't get rid of all the scent, as someone else said, she will continue to go there.
  • kickassketo
    kickassketo Posts: 42 Member
    Keep shouting "No!" at it if you want it to continue to have issues with using the litter box.

    Cats prefer to have a clean,designated space to do their business, such as a litter box you've provided. If your kitten is not using it, there is a reason. It is not defiance or misbehavior on the part of the kitten. I do NOT recommend shouting at the kitten! It's not a dog and will not be trained to please you. What you must do it investigate what about the litter box is objectionable to the kitten.

    Some things to consider:
    * Are the sides too high for it to easily climb in? they make kitten sized liter boxes that you can get if necessary

    * What kind of litter are you using? What kind of litter was used in the place from which you adopted it? They develop a preference for types of litter. He/she may not recognize it as litter. Also, I don't know where you got the kitten, but it's possible that they weren't using a litter box at all. Was it caged and allowed to go on the floor?

    *You mentioned having a cat who previously had issues with going in the litter box. Do you have the same furniture and rugs as you had when you had that cat? If so, the kitten may be peeing in the spots that smell like the other cat's urine to mark its territory.

    Again, I HIGHLY recommend that you DO NOT yell, shout or even speak in a voice that might be startling or scary when the kitten is trying to relive itself. You do not want fear or anxiety to be associated with peeing and pooping unless you want another cat who does his/her thing all over your house.
  • Cadaverous_Bones
    Cadaverous_Bones Posts: 47
    All the advice I read was pretty good. Start by changing the litter, she may not like something about it, also keep her in a small room with a bed, cat toy, and the litter box and keep her in there except when you are playing with her and supervising her time outside of her space, after a few weeks she should learn to use the litter box. Make sure you clean up the pee where she has gone already because she may think its ok to keep going there because she will smell herself on it. I would stop putting her in the carrier as punishment, cats don't really respond the same way as dogs do during training. It would be a good idea to take her for a vet checkup to get shots and make sure she's not sick at all too if you haven't done that yet.

    - long time cat owner
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I would also get a heavy-duty cleaner for urine/feces and get the spots she has already used. If you don't get rid of all the scent, as someone else said, she will continue to go there.

    This. Look into Nature's Miracle.

    Also -- even if you only have one cat, have two litterboxes. They prefer to do their 1 and 2 in separate places.
  • ShrinkinMel
    ShrinkinMel Posts: 982 Member
    Calmly just put her in the box when you catch her. I've had kittens that did this and always just put them in box and they eventually get it. It could be just new surroundings. I keep the box in a central location(or consider two boxes in different areas) then moved it to the bathroom when she was adjusted.

    Kittens are still learning and often back track when moved to a new home away from the mother cat. I highly doubt at a young age the cat is spraying. Possible yes but most likely just not used to new space and box location.


    Oh yeah... and also be sure the kitten can easily get into the box on their own. They may jump up on furniture but not be able to go in a box(can't see the landing they often won't try). You might put a step up in until she grows some.
  • ShrinkinMel
    ShrinkinMel Posts: 982 Member
    Or pick a room with no carpet or soft furnishings. Worked for me.

    Owner of very happy 5 year old cat with no litter tray who does all her business outside.

    Always loved the one stray we had that was that way when I was growing up. Nice to have no litter box. I had my kitty going in a recycled bowl in the toilet. I had to put the box back over summer as my friends son was staying and my brothers cat who would not jump up on the toilet needed a box because she couldn't get to his bathroom as her son usually kicks her out and keeps the door shut.
  • zapinkleopard
    zapinkleopard Posts: 49
    Wow! thank you for all the awesome responses! I got a lot of info! I will be having her spayed soon. I want to get it done before she comes into heat. Right now she is only 10 weeks old so I don't think her issues are estres related. I have showed her how to scratch in her box. It is only her box and it's clean. I don't put her food next to it either. I was aware that cats don't like to eat where they do their business. She certainly isn't shy or frightened of her new home. She races around and plays with all her toys and has just made herself right at home as if she's always been here. She is NOT declawed and I am NOT going to have her declawed either. I have scratching posts all over the place and she goes right to them and leaves my furniture alone. I'm thankful for that.
  • polarsjewel
    polarsjewel Posts: 1,725 Member
    My friend just adopted 12 week old sibling kittens. Both of them were "litter trained", but ended up doing their business on the carpet, her bed, in her closet etc....She took some of their dropping and put it in the litter box, and then put them in the box too. They just needed to have their scent in the box...they are completely fine now.

    Good luck and post pics! I love kittens!!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Wow! thank you for all the awesome responses! I got a lot of info! I will be having her spayed soon. I want to get it done before she comes into heat. Right now she is only 10 weeks old so I don't think her issues are estres related. I have showed her how to scratch in her box. It is only her box and it's clean. I don't put her food next to it either. I was aware that cats don't like to eat where they do their business. She certainly isn't shy or frightened of her new home. She races around and plays with all her toys and has just made herself right at home as if she's always been here. She is NOT declawed and I am NOT going to have her declawed either. I have scratching posts all over the place and she goes right to them and leaves my furniture alone. I'm thankful for that.
    As I said, first step is the vet because it's possible she has a UTI.

    It is also possible she had one before and associates the litter box with pain, which could prove difficult to fix. But even if she doesn't have a UTI, your vet will have ideas for you.
  • stanvoodoo
    stanvoodoo Posts: 1,023 Member
    If it is not the car litter then to the vet you need to go.

    Sorry but I lost a cat that did the same because I waited too long thinking all the things that folks have posted here.

    But it was wrong......

    Don't wait too long, cats like to go in boxes and are usually unwell if they do not.

    Better safe than sorry!

    Hoping kitty is well!!!
  • seamonkey789
    seamonkey789 Posts: 233
    First off, the kitten is still a baby. Do not yell at it or squirt it with the water bottle. There is a reason it is not using the litter box.

    My suggestion would be to find out if the kitten is having issues getting into the litter box and when he DOES poop on something else, put the poop IN the litter box and put the kitten in there with it and show him how to cover it.

    Then you need to treat everything he did have an accident on with enzyme cleaner so he doesn't come back.

    My husband and I have been fostering kittens with biting issues for 3 years and some come to us half feral. This is how we show them the litter box. We also do not let them have full range of the house for a few weeks. They are set up in the bathroom with the litter box on one side and the food and water on the other and let them choose when they want to come out and meet everyone
  • EllaBelleAces
    EllaBelleAces Posts: 51
    We litter trained our kitten in the bathroom, where messes were easier to clean up, it's what our vet suggested we do. You take them out to play and give affection, as soon as they begin wandering off, or scratching at things you put them in the bathroom, just plop them onto the litter. Don't force them to stay there, because if you do that teaches them that it is an unpleasant experience. The kitten will learn quickly. Make sure she has ample water, and kitten brand food. Make sure the box isn't too high for her, and start with an open box instead of a closed one.

    My cat started off as an outdoor cat, and only was litter trained this year, he fared fine, and got the hang of it within two or three days, their instinct is to bury afterall.

    Our vet told us for misbehavior, if you show a reaction at all your animal is likely to perform the action again, in times that they want your attention. In the kitty world, if a kitten misbehaves, the mama gets up and walks away from it. It works for meowing in the middle of the night, though I'm not sure it would work for litter training. For litter training I would just say, since it is still a kitten and probably doesn't even understand why you are yelling.. Cats don't yell at each other, just pick it up and put it in it's litter. You don't want it to think that it will get in trouble for going to the bathroom.
  • sillyvalentine
    sillyvalentine Posts: 460 Member
    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.
  • Flab2Fab27
    Flab2Fab27 Posts: 461 Member
    Wow! thank you for all the awesome responses! I got a lot of info! I will be having her spayed soon. I want to get it done before she comes into heat. Right now she is only 10 weeks old so I don't think her issues are estres related. I have showed her how to scratch in her box. It is only her box and it's clean. I don't put her food next to it either. I was aware that cats don't like to eat where they do their business. She certainly isn't shy or frightened of her new home. She races around and plays with all her toys and has just made herself right at home as if she's always been here. She is NOT declawed and I am NOT going to have her declawed either. I have scratching posts all over the place and she goes right to them and leaves my furniture alone. I'm thankful for that.
    As I said, first step is the vet because it's possible she has a UTI.

    It is also possible she had one before and associates the litter box with pain, which could prove difficult to fix. But even if she doesn't have a UTI, your vet will have ideas for you.

    If she's a kitten and urinating AND defecating outside the box, chances that it's a UTI are very slim.
  • CynthiaT60
    CynthiaT60 Posts: 1,280 Member
    BTW, you may want to Google "clumping litter' and "kittens" and decide which side of the controversy you're on.
  • zapinkleopard
    zapinkleopard Posts: 49
    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.

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