New Kitten Advice

A recently got a new kitten. She's very young (between 5-6 weeks) and is an adorable terror in the new house. I've been reading up on how to take care of a cat as I never had one before, but there are a lot of conflicting info.

We're trying to potty train it but she point blank refuses to go in the kitty litter. I was told putting some of their droppings in the litter might encourage them to go but other sources said they wont go in a dirty litter box :S

Also, it says put food near where the box is and put food near where she sleeps but not to put where she sleeps near her kitty litter. Short of building a maze, I don't see how that's possible.

She meows all the time, whether she's looking for attention or not. I don't know if this is a sign she's in distress or what because apart from a little shaking every now and again, she's a happy, healthy, energetic kitten.

Finally, my boyfriend thinks it's funny to have the cat chase his fingers but now she thinks it's okay to bite and scratch peoples hands and she wont let anyone pet her. I don't want to squirt her with a water gun because that sounds a bit mean but I suppose you have to be cruel to be kind.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give ^^

Putting droppings in the litter box, will help her know where to go. They will not use a litter box if it's too dirty, if there's one or two potty spots they will still use it with no problem (most of the time).
Don't put food near her litter box, cats don't like their food to be near their bathroom.
Some cats are natural talkers, some will hardly meow at all. Just depends on their personality.
Tell your boyfirend to stop playing with her with his fingers, it makes her think it's okay, to bite and scratch fingers, buy some cat toys, or use a ribbon or shoestring, to play chase with instead.

Estellio - you never came for the answers to your other questions about your kitten shaking, and how to feed her... did you see it?

yes, I did and I replied. Thank you very much for your advice. Also, thanks for your advice here. I'll move the stuff around a little. She doesn't mind eating but she poos all around her box and only pees in corners. She's a weird kitten

Make your boyfriend stop doing that with his fingers. It may be cute, but you don't want the cat to learn aggressive behavior like that, because as shegrows she will learn that biting fingers is acceptable and every time she sees them she'll bite.

You should make sure the food is far away from their litter box. I know I wouldn't want to eat in my bathroom! And, you should put the bed far away from the litter box too.

As for using the litter box itself, try a few different kinds of litter. You should have at least 4 inches deep of whatever you use. Try some natural litter, try newspaper shreddings, and the generic type. Some cats just like different materials to go in.

Good luck!

When she grows up, you'll have a kitty who bites fingers & hard. Trust me, if you don't stop now, it won't be cute....and way too often something like encouraging them to chase fingers ends up with an adult kitty surrendered to a shelter.

Don't put the food/water by the litter. She might not like the litter you are using or might not be able to get into the box if it is too high.

Ideally, she should still be with her family. 5-6 weeks is too young to be away from mom, you have to teach her things like:
no biting fingers
how to use the litterbox
where to scratch
scratching humans isn't good
You essentially now must teach her to be a kitty.

We moved the food further away from her kitty litter and she's started using it. She is still a little skeptical about using the litter box and will sit outside it looking at me for a minute before she uses it She also wont sleep in her basket but sleeps in my bed or in a drawer full of paper bags so I suppose I don' t have to worry about her sleeping arrangements, she made up her own mind of where she likes to be

I've stopped him using his fingers as a play toy and whenever she jumps for my hand with her claws out, she gets a little pat on the nose so she's learning. I was worried about hitting her, even softly, in case she became afraid of my hands and wouldn't let me pet her but she seems to understand.

I know she's too young to be away from her mother, that's why I;m so nervous about raising her right but as far as I know, her mother was too sick to take care of the kittens so the owner gave them to the local petstore, that's where I got Medi.

Once again, thanks for your advice, I'm a lot more confident about taking care of her now

Was gonna ask about the age thing, but you answered why you got her so young.

If you can, I'd strongly advise you to adopt another kitten (older) 4-6 months old so your little one can learn how to be a cat! Otherwise, they really won't grow up normal (cat-wise) and in the future if you want to adopt after she's grown, she may never accept another cat.

Another kitten who's had the benefit of staying with mom/siblings can teach your little one things you can't Think about it.

And pictures when you can ????

Oh and please do not adopt another kitten from the pet shops!