As in how cute and active they are…among other things
My sister’s kitten seems to be a bit confused about the litter box thing. I’ve twice caught her about to go on the rug. Luckily I got to her before she actually peed and dumped her in the litter box, where she then went.
But what the heck? I thought cats just “knew” about the litter box.
With puppies you can “kennel train” them. Dogs, unless it’s an incredibly retarded one, won’t pee or poop in their kennels, so you keep them in there unless they’re playing or out to go potty outside. It works pretty quickly and done right, the dog continues to view his kennel as his sanctuary and doesn’t get upset by this.
I’ve a sneaking suspicion that cats view things quite differently. So what do I do with the reluctant kitten? She’s over here just this weekend since my sister is at a Guard training thing.
So far my kitten seems to have gotten the idea quite well, but I’m nervous that kitten pee on the rug might give her the idea that it’s okay.
Although, now that I think about it, the owner of the mother cat had kept them all in a kennel.
Kittens still need encouragement when it comes to litterbox training. Since the kitten is adjusting to being in a new home, she may forget where the box is for a while at first. Did you make sure to show her where the litterbox is on her first “tour” of the house? Place her gently in the box, and take her little paw and gently stroke it through the litter. She will get it - perhaps not instantly, but she will fairly quickly.
It sounds like she’s just confused with being in a new home with new people. Keep an eye on her, have patience, and keep taking her to that litterbox. Show her a couple times a day if you think it would help. She might just not “get” it yet that that really is where she’s supposed to go.
If problems continue in a couple weeks’ time, it may be time to look into a new, finer litter (some cats are picky, mine is), and also take her in to the vet to rule out any urinary problems. Sometimes cats pee in the wrong place because there’s something wrong and they’re trying to tell you. However, I wouldn’t worry too much about it at this early stage, since I really think she’s just overwhelmed and still learning.
Just keep an eye on her. She’s in a new, strange place and might try to pee on the floor. If she does manage to pee on the rug - ugh - clean it up with paper towels immediately, use a good quality rug cleaner - it sucks but you can never quite get that crap out of carpet. However, you can discourage your own kitty from using that spot by soaking the spot in vinegar.
However, be sure to show her the litterbox, run her paw through the litter, like I mentioned above, and it should only take a couple of times for her to get the idea. Also, she may be nervous - she doesn’t know what’s going on, why her mother is gone, who are these strangers, this is not my beautiful house! etc. Spend a little time with her stroking her gently and speaking to her softly so she knows she’s safe. Nervousness is another reason cats won’t pee in their proper place. Try to keep you voice in a higher pitch when speaking to her, as lower pitches tend to make some kittens nervous. (hell, they still make my two year old cat nervous - she hates men!)
Keep any dogs at bay, as they may frighten her a little, too. This is all very confusing to a kitten, and she may simply forget where the box is.
Check with the kitty’s person about what kind of litter they use. Our Princess of Neuroses really, really hates the fine clumpy litter (I think it sticks in her fur) and prefers the cheap clay gravel. If it’s not the right kind of litter, she won’t want to go-- or she may not even recognize it as “a litter box.”
Hehe, that’s okay. I’m very new at this so your advice helped anyway. I’m watching my ktten very carefully as well. I’ve only had one cat as an adult and then only for a short time. and have not had a kitten since I was a little kid myself.
The kittens are so dang tiny that the litterbox is for now, an old cake pan. Mine seems to be pretty good about using it, and I make sure I take her there when she wakes up, and if she seems to have been playing for awhile without having gone back there (I figured that that part would be similar to having puppies).
I bought one of those covered cat boxes, but for now it’s way too deep for this tiny kitten. So, when I get ready to have her start using the big box (it’s already set up, and near the cake pan), do I put the cake pan inside the new box? take the lid off for awhile?
Thanks again everyone for your patience, I know some on the board get tired of “cat threads”.
Ah, kittens. I myself have recently acquired two of them. Luckily, they are by now old enough (8 weeks) that they should have no problems using any of the three litterboxes I have scattered around my apartment. I did have a few problems with them peeing on my bed (which I think was due to simple laziness and not wanting to hop down combined with a sudden urge to go), which I solved by throwing a cheap tarp over the bed when I’m not in it.
I had a few corners where one of the kittens urinated, but I’ve found that a little bit of ground black pepper sprinkled there after cleaning discourages them from going back quite nicely. They always sniff and paw the ground before going (which is also helpful for catching them before they go somewhere they’re not supposed to), and the pepper makes doing this rather unpleasant.
Another thing to remember is that, like dogs, kittens won’t go where they eat or sleep, so if you put a bowl of food and a bed in a place she’s going regularly, she’ll stop going there.
Hehe, perhaps I should have qualified that with “a never to be used again for baking” cake pan?
;D
I’ve not caught mine doing this yet. But then, I’m one of those who has to get up several times a night to pee. So, when I wake up, I just grab her and take her with me, and place her in the litterbox. Sometimes she goes, sometimes she looks at me like I’m nuts and proceeds to play with the litter scattering it all over.
Thank goodness for dustbusters!! I can barely wait until she’s big enough to use the “big kitty’s box”.
You know? I’ve been meaning to take pictures. I need to find the batteries to the camera. Second, I need a wiser doper to explain to me how to post them in SDMB.
She really IS kyoooooooot…even if she is “just” an ordinary orange tabby.
And if you start to get freaked out because you don’t really know HTML coding, just stop, take a deep breath, and use the most ergonomic laptop for stress reduction until you’re ready to try again.
More litterboxes. Their bladders are tiny, and they’re just learning. Might help if they didn’t have to go so far to find it. (Don’t know how big your place is.)
Try some different litters. Some cats are way finicky.
Clean more frequently. Some cats are very finicky about this, too.
She might not like being expected to share a box with your cat. My parents’ cat HATES it when my cat comes to visit and uses her box. If you put out a second one, maybe she will use that.
It could be the cake pan that’s scaring your visiting kitten. It might make noise she’s not used to, or be unsteady, if it’s a little warped.
When you go to switch your own to the big box, you might want to try putting the pan right inside the box, only with the two pans’ rims made even with a phone book or something. Show her around and if you’re lucky she’ll get the idea quickly. Watch to see if she’s still struggling a bit. More phone books made good stairs for my two. I’d leave the top off at first if the box is in a fairly quiet area.
I kinda sorta crate trained my cats when they were really tiny. The bathroom was their domain whenever I wasn’t around. They still like to sit in the sink, on occasion.
Take them to the litterbox about ten minutes (or less) after they have eaten or had a drink. They often need to go after a meal. Don’t move the litterbox suddenly from one place/room to another either. Cats will often go to the “old spot” to go, even though the box isn’t there, because they have stronger smell. (They’re actually fastidious, and won’t go where they sleep or eat unless ill.) Q.N. Jones and Anastasaeon are right on with their advice too. Good luck with litter training both your kitten, and your kitten guest. (And post pictures too. ImageShack is another good hosting site.)
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How do you convince a cat to use the litterbox *with *the cover on if they’ve gotten used to it *without *the cover? I keep trying to put the cover on - for hours at a time and even overnight - but my (adult) cat WILL NOT use the litterbox with the cover on. She’ll look in it and sniff, but then wanders away. (She doesn’t seem scared though.) I haven’t tried to force her to use it by just leaving the cover on permanently because I’m afraid that she’ll look for an alternative spot instead of using the covered box. Do I have to just give up?
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