How can I get my kitten to use the litter box?
Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at
9:24 am
I got a litter box for my kitten and she still poops on the floor, under the furniture. How can I teach her to use the litter box?
Filed under: Cat Litter
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First, make sure that she’s not sick in any way by taking her to a vet.
Second, make sure that the litter box meets requirements.
-She should be able to get in and out easily, and not be trapped by a hood.
-It should be of a clumping material that dries quickly (again, no hood.)
-It should be sandy and soft without harsh fumes (avoid those stupid ones that are made with the scent of lemon… yeah, cats HATE citrus scent. Whoever came up with that needs to be smacked.)
-It should be deep enough but not TOO deep. Some kittens like it just slightly deep. Some kittens like it very deep.
-It should be at least 2x her length and 1x her length for width. Think adult cat. Most cat-boxes don’t meet these requirements. Oddly enough, the cheap plastic sterlite boxes (see through too so they don’t get surprised in the box, a big bonus) does.
-If you have other cats, you need #ofcats+1 boxes. Say you have 2 cats. You need 3 boxes in DIFFERENT areas of the house. This is so one doesn’t stake out one of the boxes or the route to the box to get the other one.
-It must be clean.
-It shouldn’t be in a closet or some other area where the cat only has one way out once it’s there. On a table is a good place I’ve found, since they can see all around and jump out in 3 different directions if someone surprises them.
-It shouldn’t be near her food or water. Cats don’t like to eat in the bathroom.
Third, confine her area. If she goes under the furniture, then don’t let her in that room for the time being while you are training. I know she’ll yowl, but you need to set her up to succeed at this, and part of that is limiting her choices.
Fourth, when cleaning the mess, use an enzyme based cleanser so that you fully get rid of the scent of the mess that you can’t smell. You may also want to invest in a blacklight and look for urine stains under there, since if she’s pooping there, she’s probably peeing too. After you’ve cleaned it, put lemon peelings (careful, they can stain some carpets) or like a car-freshener lemon scented under there, and aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Cats tend to hate the feel of either of those, and no one is going to see the wrap (and if you hear the foil, you can get after her to get her out from under there.)
Fifth, make sure she has a place instead of under the couch to hide out and watch people. And an easy route to get to her litter box. For instance, a cat tree with a hiding hole up top for her to hide, and strategically placed boxes etc for her to run from the room unseen to her litter box. At least while she’s learning.
Sixth, while she’s learning, put the box where she’ll use it. Put it just outside of the couch (since I don’t think you can put it under the couch. If you can, do that instead.) When she uses it consistently, then move it little by little to where you want it.
Now, once you’ve done all that, keep an eye on her and feed her on a schedule (you can’t water her on a schedule, it’s not good for them.) Encourage her to scratch at the litter and even play with her or give her special treats to make her like the box. There’s also this litter that you can find at some petstores that is made to attract cats to it. It’s called "Cat Attract" and is very helpful in training cats.
If she has recently been declawed… just covering bases here… she may have had pain following the surgery when she used her box. So she may need a completely new litterbox in a completely new area so she can learn that she won’t be hurt again.
Hope this helps.
Idk Ive had a stray cat and all i did was place it on the litter box it sniffed it for a while and it used it and ever since it always uses it unless its dirty
Make sure that the sides are low enough to go in and out. If they are then keep placing her in it until she gets the point.
Should just put it in there and thats it. I always put them in after feeding them for a few days and they caught on.
Well start putting it in the litter box it will eventually get the point.
The last 2 cats I had were brought home as kittens. I had them in their own room with access to a half bathroom that had 2 litterboxes in it. One of the first things I did was show them where the litter box was and actual placed them in it. They sniffed at it, looked at me and got out of it. Something must have clicked as they have not missed since although they were only 3 weeks old at the time. I was quite patient with them and they had access to food and water at all times. Also, I spent a lot of time with them before I introduced them to the other 2 cats. They are brother and sister and are at the present time 7 years old.
Pick her up and bring her to her litterbox. With her back paws still on the floor, gently push her paws back and forth through the litter. Cats naturally bury things, so eventually, the kitten will (hopefully) catch on. Otherwise, she may not like the box, litter, location, etc.