Help! Litter box training a kitten
 

My kittens were contained in the bathroom at night with a bed and a litter box. When we opened the door the first morning they had used the litter box and have ever since. They were so tiny I used a tray with a rim that was only 1 inch high - they were too small to get in a regular box. Good luck.

Hm. Usually a nursing mama will drag her babies into the litter box with her and train them herself. This would be my route. Have a large litter box and when you see your other cats going stick the baby in there with them.

Hmmm, you might get some potting soil and put a bit in the litter too. perhaps the smell of dirt will help kitty get the idea. good luck.

I always just put them in the litterbox and scratched with their paw and they took it from there.

We rescued two outside adult cats that our neighbors abandoned when they moved and I put them in the laundry room with the cat box for a day and it worked. Nothing else required. Hope it works.

Sometime this is a problem with multiple cats. You might try more than one cat box.

I would also suggest another litter box.
I have taken in two feral cats and using a box was not a problem. I have never had a problem with cats not using a litter box. Talk to your Vet. about it, might have some tricks you can try.

If all else fails, you could put him in a wire cage containing a large litter tray with barely enough room for him to lay down without being in the litter. Keeping him there all the time will force him to use it. Gradually reduce the size of the litter tray and he will continue using it.

We took the kitten to the vet today. He has a very low grade temp and they gave it some antibiotics. His eyes are matted and they ointment for that also. The kitten does use the litter box if we put him in it. I am going to get a small pan for the kitten and see if that helps. He is so cute and we will keep working with him.

I heard from "My Cat From Hell" guru that you should have one more litter box than you have cats. I have three cats (not my choice) and 4 litter boxes. Also, our vet said that cats ususally train themselves. I think everyone has given you good advice.

I rescue kittens and have trained a few from birth as there was no mom to do it. I believe a small area is good and i have around 10 boxes all over and different litters/ sizes/ lids but I am a real crazy cat lady :) I also have a huge (5000sf) home and cat doors into our contained fenced yard. My vet has always been great to help me with difficult issues. I bet once yours feel better, the problem will be solved. Good Luck!

Aw poor sweetie. Keep that eye clean

this is pretty much how we do it. always works.

Having raised almost 1000 newborn orphan kittens in my years of rescuing - this is what we did when we were working with feral kittens. The really little ones learned the same way. Especially when my older cats wanted nothing to do with them. My male boxer always helped with the babies, but HE isn't litter box trained either.

Check with the grocery stores and things for their boxes that soft drink 6 paks and canned vegetables are delivered in. The sides are only about an inch or an inch and a half. They are also easy to make a cut on one end so that they can get in.

I have never had a kitten NOT use the litter box after being introduced. Some are just a little harder headed than some and it takes a few days.

Good luck, and thanks for adopting NOT shopping.

When we rescued our last kitten, she was 5 weeks old and tiny. I have two big litter boxes and two adult cats as well. I ended up getting a smaller open litter pan with shorter sides for the kitten and I kept her confined with the box, food and water in one bedroom. We put her in the box once and she took it from there. I did notice though that when we had her out, she cried even though the big litter boxes were around until we brought her in her room where her litter box was at. I think she was too small to hop in the big boxes. Now she is 6 months old and we removed her small box and all three cats use two litter boxes. I do scoop and clean them frequently though :)

I have 3 cats and had three litter pans. went to two, but back to three. They seem happier and if they are happy, so am I. Now to train them to clean their own litter pans!!!

We never hada problem. We just showed the kittens the box, and they knew what to do. Ive heard to have as many litter boxes as cats. Do you have more than one box - that might be a suggestion. Also, I've heard that not using the box might be a sign of a UTI. I'm sure the vet can give you some help !

I think our sweet little fellow is just stubborn. LOL!! He seems to be doing better. I am going to get an extra litter pan today and see if that will do the trick. The vet gave us an antibiotic for him, along with meds for his eyes.

I commend you for trying to train your new baby and for getting the other kitten a playmate. Put him in the box immediately after he finishes eating. Put him right back in if he jumps out. Wiping his tush with a wet rag is a signal to him to do his business. Stay with him until he does his business. Praise him highly when he is finished. Leave him in the bathroom during the night or when no human is home with him to cement the training. Keep the litterbox clean, many cats are fussy. A wire cage is also a good way to help him learn. He could have been a barn cat or an outdoor cat and never trained to a litterbox. Six weeks is really a little too early for a kitten to leave his cat momma. Eight weeks is reccommended.

I've had several cats over the years...taken in both young and old. I always just took them and put them in the litter box and that's all it ever took. I had only one who ever used the floor and that was my husband's fault. He closed the cat up in a room and didn't realize it all night long. Next day we heard him crying and went to get him and he had messed in a corner, but I probably would've done the same thing. He headed for his water and food like a bullet. And always used the litter box after that.

We had two outdoor cats. When one gog attacked by dogs, we decided the one left would become an indoor cat. The first time she used the bathroom, it ws in my sons closet. We scooped it up and put it in the litterbox. After that, she always uses the litterbox.

I have always heard that you need one more litter box than cats---Toby has 2

Having hand raised a couple of kittens that just had their eyes open, I took a small box and cut the sides down and placed it and the kittens in a larger box at night with an area for sleep and at the far end the "litter box". I placed a drop of ammonia in it as I have always done to train kittens or cats. They both adapted to that and after growing some to where they could get in a regular litter box I never had a problem. Worked for us, hope you find something that works for you.

It still won't keep him from spraying (marking his territory). Even females spray. I've had cats and won't again. They get up on counters. I don't hate cats, I just don't want cats. I won't eat where some one has cats. Every time in the past, I've had cat fur in my food even after counters have been washed off. I love my dogs but when they're gone I'm done with pets. I Swiffer my home twice a day even after brushing my dogs and I do that outside. Good Luck with your cats.

Most cat experts recommend one cat pan for each cat plus one more. Also recommend don't place cat pans next to each other and not by their food or water. A protected place is also good. Have you taken kittens to vet? They might have health issues.
Just read all the posts. Sorry to repeat what everyone else said.

I agree with the suggestion that several have made about providing an extra litter box. Sometimes they have very strong feelings about sharing, or there may be a signal from the earlier cats that the new one isn't welcome in their bathroom territory. Sometimes it has to do with one or more of them having intestinal parasites, and the vet will be checking for that. You could ask the person you got him from what brand and "flavor" of litter she used, because sometimes they're just picky if it doesn't smell exactly like what they're used to. If you don't like her choice, you can start with it and gradually mix in your preferred one.

Try hydrogen peroxide for cleaning the areas where he's gone (test first in a hidden spot because it might bleach!). Once they have marked a spot with their aroma it's very hard to break them of the idea that it's a good place to go.

The two cats I had until a few months ago didn't mind sharing the litter pan, but I learned after one cat died that they each used only one area of the box. It was weeks before Pogo would go in the back of the box that used to be Bee's area, and she still usually does not go there. Years ago when we introduced a third cat, one of the two earlier cats resented sharing the litter with him and was going in a corner behind the water heater, which was a very hard area for us to reach! We put a new litter pan near there and she straightened out her act.

You could ask the vet about using calming collars or pheromone mists which are supposed to help cats get over anxieties.

Good luck with your new fur baby!

It's said you need an extra box---so try a 2nd one of they're both using the same one. . Also, I have a one (11 years old) who WILL NOT pee in clumping litter...so with the 2nd box, a different litter.(BTW--I have 3 cats and 3 boxes)

So sorry you feel that way---cats are SOOO loving. We have a saying in our home...."Pet hair is a condiment in our house" as..No outfit is complete without pet hair.

Cats have a very keen sense of smell. Maybe the kitten doesn't like the smell of the litter. My cat didn't like the litters that claim to be odor fighters, I don't blame him, even I thought they smelled like soap. Try using plain old, unscented litter and see if that helps. When I switched litters it solved the problem. We buy the unscented litter at Petco, you can buy the tub of litter and take it back for refills at a reduced price. They have a big sandbox like structure in their stores and you just refill the container.