My new kitty (8 weeks) is a real treat, the problem is she’s starting to do her buisness freely on the floor. I have her box set up in an easily accesable place(next to her food and drink)…i keep grabbing her paw and showing her how to use it, but she’s just doesn’t seem intrested at all. Please help me spare my floor.
Try moving it away from her food and drink. Many kitties dislike having things go in one end so close to where they come out the other. Aslo, try to se if she has a favorite spot for “going” and if it’s out of the way, put her litter box there.
What ever you do, DO NOT rub her nose in it. You may think you’re saying, “Dirty - Smelly - Nasty!” But what you’re really saying is, “This is where you go. Right here, where it smells like where you’ve been going.”
One thing I’ve found that helps is if I spray the carpet with a strong, citrus -
smelling carpet cleaner. Arm & Hammer makes one. The cat avoids that spot like the plague for a couple of days.
Kittens tend to want to go just after they’ve eaten so try picking her up and placing her in the box then. Keep her there for a short time to see if she’ll go. If she does, give her lots of praise to reinforce the idea that the box is where to do her business. You might want to locate the box in a private spot without too much traffic as well. Some cats don’t like being out in the open very much.
dwyr’s sig looks just like kitty in the litterbox…
Definatly put it away from her food and water. dwyr’s suggestion is also a big helper…
When I first got my cats, I put the litterbox in the living room and slowly moved it (an inch or two a day) towards the bathroom where its final location was to be. I was in an aprtment at the time and the bathroom was the only out-of-the-way place to put it.
Now that we are in a house, it is in the laundry room, on the opposite side of the house from their food and water.
I also hate to ask :o … Is she recently declawed? If so her feet could be tender from the declawing and that is another reason she may not be using the box- the litter would hurt her feet.
She is not declawed, I’ll take the advice to move the box around some and see what happens.
Also, make sure the litter box isn’t in a super public place. When I got my two babies, I had to adjust the litterbox placement - they weren’t big fans of it when the opening faced in to the room (no real accidents, but they wouldn’t go in if there was anyone else in the room, and with it being in my bedroom, that was problematic), but I turned it so that the opening faces the corner, with enough room for them to go in and out, and they’re happy (it’s a small apartment, so I didn’t have a lot of options for placement).
It’s a covered box too, so that makes for more privacy.
LVgeogeek has a good point too-don’t move the litterbox too far all at once.
When my little guy was about four weeks old he was using the box just fine. However, my sister moved it into another room and confused the heck out of him. He went to where the box used to be, couldn’t find it, and went on the carpet instead. Once I showed him where the box had relocated he was fine.
Of course, if your kitty isn’t using the box at all that might not be a problem.
Why would you want to train your kitty litter? 
At eight weeks is your kitten able to climb in and out easily? If the opening to the box seems like a big dark hole way up high where she can’t see in, it might be freaking her out. Just a wild guess, the proximity to food and water would seem a bigger problem.
I asked because sometimes cats that have been declawed develop an aversion to the litterbox. On a personal note, I do not advocate declawing
That could be a problem too, if the box is too big or a “hooded” box. For a kitten it is best to start with a “kitten sized” box (about $1.50 at Target)
~~~~~~~~~*
I will be getting a new kitty(http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/neolith76/detail?.dir=/1add&.dnm=ed0d.jpg) in May and I have already bought the “kitten” box for it to start with since my other cats use the largest cat box available. Now I only hope my BIG* kitties won’t try and use it
*By big I mean my other three cats are HUGE adult cats
Here are some links with advice on how to litter train. House training. also You want me to go where? From this topic page. You can find answers to many other cat related questions by clicking the “index” link on the topic page. Good luck. Scoop often, some cats are pickier about having clean litter, and will start to go elsewhere if their litterbox is too smelly for their tastes.
LVgeogeek, just a friendly word of caution: big cats will use a tiny litter box. They do it to mark their territory. I have a 27 pound cat, and when I first brought home my other cat, he weighed in at less than a pound. (Think tiny, sweet, abandoned kitten.) The kitten was using a pie tin (well, one of those aluminum jobs you get with dinner rolls and such at the grocery store) and Fattie decided to make it known that he was the Big Poop. Literally.
In any case, he fit his 27 pound butt in the tin, did his job, and walked away. And the poor baby kitten screamed his little heart out until I cleaned it up.
As for the OP, I know this is going to sound weird, but if your kitten just isn’t getting it, it may work. After the kitten drinks, give him a few minutes, place him in the litter box, and wipe his butt (or pee-area) with a warm, wet paper towel or washcloth. Momma cats do this in order to get them to use the bathroom. It may strike a chord with the kitten and get him to do his business in the right spot. (Like I said, it sounds weird, but it may work. I’ve done this with two cats so far.)
Good luck!
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…We SO think alike. That was the that EXACT PHRASE was the FIRST THING in my head when I saw this thread.
Yeah, something else I’ve done out of desparation with kittens I knew were quite smart. When they are done eating/drinking take them to the litter box, gently take both of their front paws, “dig” a hole, turn them around, and gently put them in a squatting postion, turn them around again show them the hole, spin then around facing away from the hole, and use their paws to “cover” the hole. Basically hold their paw and show them step by step what they should do.
If they poo/pee somewhere else, show them the mess, tell them “No” then pick up the mess, and take them to the litter box. Be firm, but not frightening. You want the kitty to not be fearful so it will take in what you are teaching it. Use their paws to dig a hole, put the poo, or pee soaked paper towel in the hole, turn them around to sniff it, then have them bury it. Don’t rub their nose in it, just put them gently within smelling range. (Scoop the paper towel out once the kitty is out of sight. I’ve found putting it in plastic store bags and tying them shut work well at containing the smell, don’t flush the paper towels.)
If the kitten is really small, maybe get them by the scruff of the neck gently, supporting their weight with your other hand, show them the mess in the wrong spot, tell them “No” and shake them once carefully. Be careful not to injure the kitty. Use this as the sternest warning after repeated offenses, and quit once they are too big for a mother cat to pick up. This is a discipline method that mother cats will use. If the kitten is bad, she’ll pick it up and sternly shake it to let it know it was bad. She’ll even slap the misbehaving kit.
If you are going to “spank” the kitty only do one VERY light swat right above the tail, and only if it’s a “BIG BAD NO NO”. I have only rarely swatted a cat in my lifetime, and only for a BIG VICIOUS WRONG, usually a “No” or a *****shunning works for me.
I’d also spray the area where they pooed with either a lemon juice mixture or some kind of “Scat” spray so they won’t go back there to poo, they have good smell, and even after the poo is cleaned up they can smell it. They’ll go where the smell is. On that note, also don’t move the litter box, keep it in one place or they will go in the place the litter box used to be.
They should catch on if you show them where the messes should go, and show them to bury it. If the kitten is young enough, it may have never learned to do this by watching it’s mother do so. Burying the poo/pee is a learned behavior. Burial of the mess is important, it cuts down on smell immensely. Also if you get plain unscented scoopable litter, scoop once a day, and sift a small amount baking soda into the litter it will also help cut down on the smell. Don’t put too much, or the litter will become gummy. You may have to end up scooping twice a day if your kitty is picky, most aren’t that picky. If you get more than one cat, you might have to scoop twice a day just to keep the smell under control though.
Do get kitty spayed/nuetered too. NOTHING stinks worse than a tomcat’s piss once they hit purberty. Snip them before their piss gets pungent. nods sagely, with an experienced look in her eyes
*****Shunning is where you basically do as the cat does when it’s sulking and pissy with you, you turn your back on the cat, and avoid it. Cats are social creatures, and will follow social rules. If you make it clear that the did a “social wrong” that the “colony” won’t tolerate, they’ll stop the behavior to be included in society again.
hijack example
I just had to do this with my young cat because she got angry with me, and PEED ON THE BED AS I WAS ASLEEP IN IT!!! She was “banished” for a day, and shunned for a while, and she’s quite repenatant. (Banished = Told not to show her nose in our prescence. We kept the other cats away from her too, we were gentle, and fed her and let her know we did love her, but everytime she tried to come out or get on the bed she was told “Get out of my sight!” She knew without doubt she’d DONE WRONG.)
She’s learned that the bed is a sacred place where only the cats who won’t piss on it are allowed. She’s not sick, she’s not gone anywhere else but the litter box, and is showing no other signs of sickness. She was angry and pissy, she’s in heat, and can’t get laid, the male cats are snipped and clueless.
She knows mom and dad had sex, tried to wake me up to play after I was blissfully asleep because of it, I was gruff with her, doing the “Horrible snapping head” routine I’ve had to start doing to keep her from trying to nibble or lick my nose/lips as I’m asleep. If she comes up to my face and my radar registers it, I snap at the air, to make her get away, cuddling away from the face is permitted.
A bit later she pissed on the bed, right beside me, where I’d be sure to roll over onto it in my sleep. If she hadn’t tried to “cover” it I wouldn’t have waked up. I think she also was trying to “mark” territory against what she may have percieved to be a competing female too. She’s getting spayed next month. She “bloomed” early I think.
Note: I’m a heavy sleeper, and she’s got “pica” she needs to suck/nibble/nurse. We’ve caught her eating the cotton off of Q-tips she’d taken from the trash, and she sucks on fluffy blankets or the fuzzy male cats fur. I’m pretty sure she’s about half Siamese/Oriental, she looks like an old fashioned Siamese/Oriental, sounds like a Siamese breed and acts like one too. If she keeps up we may have to take her to a vet so he can medicate her. It’s a nuerosis common to Siamese/Oriental breeds.
/hijack expample
Also, if the kitten doesn’t bury the mess, gently take it and use it’s paws to cover the mess, showing it the uncovered mess, and the covered mess. If it goes, and covers the mess, praise it, and pet it. Don’t give it a treat, it might come to expect a treat just for pooing in the litter box. Praise is enough, it shows them that this is a thing “Society” likes, so it will keep doing it. Cats aren’t quite like dogs, eagerly wanting to please, but they do like a structered society, and will follow societal rules.
No No No No No a thousand times no! There is never ANY reason to “spank” or “swat” your animal. It’s not going to teach them anything except to be afraid of you. Cats (and dogs for that matter) do not have that type of memory. If you try to correct behaviour even one second AFTER the fact, you are going to teach them the wrong message. The best that you can do is hope to catch them in the act and try to distract them with a sudden noise.
There are ways you can train your cat to use the litter box, but forcing them (by manipulating their paws or bodies to mime the actions) is not going to be effective and can, in fact, hurt the training. It’s the wrong way to teach a cat to use a scratching post and it’s the wrong way to teach them to use a litter box.
One thing you can start to try is carrying your kitten over to the box and placing her in it periodically (and often- especially after meals). If she sniffs or scratches at the litter even a little, you want to praise her for it. Even if she doesn’t eliminate.
But please, do not use force training. You may very well end up with the desired result, but not for the right reasons, and in fact, you may wind up with a host of other behavioral issues.
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/litter_box_problems.htm
A couple links.
HIJACK
My neutered male LOVES to be thumped with an open hand just over/at the base of his tail. THUMP THUMP THUMP-he nips you if you discontinue and attemps to grap your hand. He is the only one of three that loves “rough play” it is so strange. He loves the thumping, begging for it noisily, he loves “wasseling”, and he it the cat who climbs my hair and nuzzels my scalp.
Anyone else have a macho cat?
/HIJACK
Mauvaise The kittens I did this with (what you call “force training”, not swatting.) weren’t emotionally traumitized, and I am not a brute that “beats” kittens. The were normal affectionate, very smart cats that I dearly loved. They adored me too. They weren’t fearful, and each had their own personality, which I respected and did not try to *****change.
I think it’s a clash of different schools of thought on how to train a cat, some methods work with some cats, but not all cats. The method I mentioned worked without harm for me on more than one cat. Maybe you’ve seen situations where it didn’t work. The person doing probably didn’t approach it well. Understanding of how a cat thinks is important when you do this, and respect for the cat’s feelings too.
One of the only times I EVER swatted a cat was when a large male was play wrestling with a MUCH smaller female kitten. He got over-excited, and bit her neck, clamped hard, and was throttling her. He had bit on her windpipe, caratoid artery area. The kitten’s life was in danger because he was twisting, as cats do when they are going to kill prey. She was gurgling and making a high pitched plaintive sound which was fading in volume. She was writhing in pain and flailing in a futile attempt to get free.
There wasn’t much time, and swift action needed to be taken. I swatted his rump once very lightly, he startled and let go. I made eye contact, and told him “No”. I picked up the kitten to make sure no skin was broken and to comfort her. He learned to be more gentle with smaller things, because I taught him to be by example and reprimands. He learned that society didn’t tolerate brutish behavior towards other “family members”, and that “family members” weren’t prey.
I am very much a “mama cat”, a kind of matron that you Listen to. It’s not fear, it’s respect, and I show them a great deal of respect and affection in return. It’s a consensual colony situation. They look at me as another cat, and treat me as such.
Because I am a “Mama” cat, I act as such at times to get the point across to a young/new cat. What I do depends on the age of the cat of course, and I usually only have to use a “stern reprimand” like a swat or shake once, because I do it in such a way that they know it’s a “social” rule they broke, but they are still loved. They don’t fear me, the accept me as a fellow. I don’t cause lasting pain, it’s more like the “rolled newspaper” theory used with dogs, a breif startle, like the can of pennies.
As for what you call “force training” if you are gentle, and do it with a nurturing “instructive” demeanor, talking soothingly to the kitten, and stroking it and also stopping if kitty doesn’t want to do it, then there is no harm. I didn’t include that part and I should have. I’ve had kittens that were eager to learn, and didn’t mind this, they were loving and easy going.
It’s not forcing if the kitten is interested in learning, and willing to do so. Kittens are curious by nature, and open to new things. (This is what I alluded to when I said “quite smart”. Cats who are “quite smart” are interested in the learning process, and like to be taught. Kittens are like this by nature, with some it fades when adulthood comes.) Many kittens are open to learning this, if you approach the situation correctly. Maybe instead of using it’s paws, use the scoop, and show it what you are doing.
Only show the kitty the step by step process if it seems interested in it. If not, just place it in the litter box after it’s eaten/drank. Showing it where the poo/pee goes isn’t “forceing” it, it’s helping it understand what’s expected of it.
Do place the mess in the litter box, if it goes outside the box, and show it you put it there, so it can see for itself where poo/pee belongs. If the kitty doesn’t want to be held and showed to cover it’s mess, put it nearby while you cover it with the scoop. Maybe it will catch on and begin to cover the mess on it’s own.
Also do get the kitten spayed or nuetered at the proper time, this bears repeating, it’s quite important. Make sure you get it the shots it needs too, rabies etc. especially. Keep those updated too, this is also important for kitty’s health. Keep the bills etc. too just in case you need to prove you did get shots for kitty some day.
I hope this clarifies my previous posts sufficiently.
*****The only exception to this may be that we have to take Rhiow to get medicine for her own good health, to prevent her “wool sucking” type behavior. We don’t want her to get to the point where she needs surgery because of something she compulsively swallowed, this is becoming an increasing concern to us.