Litter training help please

My kitten is just 9 weeks old, we got him from the breeder last week. He doesn't seem to be litter trained at all. We tried separating his litterbox and his food and then putting the two together. He just refuses to use it. We tried different litter as well. We called the breeder and got the same brand that he uses. He pooped behind the bed, in the corners. I saw him scratching at the carpet and the walls as if to cover his poop. I don't know what to do. This is driving me crazy. SOmetimes we can't find where he pooped and the smell is so awful. Help please!!!!!

It sounds as if your kitten has not had the training he needed from his momcat - and 9 weeks is too young to be leaving her in most cases. He needs the example of other cats to follow. If he is from a breeder, why would they let him go so young?

Anyway, you need to put him in a small room of his own, maybe a bathroom, with all he needs close at hand, though keep the food/water as far from the litter box as possible. Go and sit with him and when you see signs of him looking for a place to go, put him on the box at once, if he does not go there himself. It is unusual for a kitten not to get the hang quite quickly if they know where to look. And he will need a litterbox where he can get to it quickly - small kittens have very tiny bladders and often don't make it to the box in time if they are distracted through play. Once he is using the box all the time, then you can let him out to explore a bit further. But I would put boxes around the place so he never has to go far to find one.

I assume you have had him vet checked too - just in case there is a medical problem. And wherever a kitten comes from, he should be seen by your own vet as soon as possible after arrival.

Good luck with him - I am sure there is a solution.

I question too why the "breeder" was letting kittens go so early - they should not be leaving the house till 10-12 weeks old and fully litter trained and eating foods.

Up till 12 weeks old, they learn important social behaviors; not just eating and using the pan.

You will have to confine him to a small area (bathroom) where its cleanable and put everything in there till he learns what the pan is for. And then clean very well the spots he has gone so he won't return there.

He'll have to be supervised closely for awhile. I'm wondering if the breeder had them caged or did they really have a litter pan for the kittens? Some bad breeders/mills just let them pee in the cage and not in a litter pan.

When i went to see the kittens they were in the living room. I didn't see any cages. I think he is litter trained because the breeder's apartment is very clean and I didn't smell anything.

Thanks for the advice. I placed him in the bathroom and closed the door. I put the food/water and litterbox several feet away from one anther. But still in view. I'll check back in a few hours to see if he used it yet.

Just cause you saw them in the living room doesn't mean they were not caged elsewhere and brought into the living room. She might keep them clean, but IMO something is wrong if an 8 week old kitten is not litter trained.

Still kinda concerned about this breeder letting them go at 8 weeks.

my kitten still hasn't used the litter box. he was in the bathroom all afternoon and evening. he ate all his food and drank some of the water but his litter box is still untouched. i put him in there a few times but he jumped right out. he seems scared of it. he went in there once or twice himself but only with his front two legs then he went away again. i saw him in there once earlier today, he seemed to have used it because he scratched the box but when i went to check, it still seemed unused. other than that one time, he hasn't used it.

Is there anything else I can do?

What kind of litter are you using now? Maybe take a tissue and clean up the pee/poop and put the tissue in the litter pan and partially cover it - the scent would attract him.

Other then caging him in a large cage, I'm not sure what else to suggest. Has the kitten been seen by your vet?

yep, we took him to the vet the day after we got him.


i think putting him in the bathroom worked. we left him in there overnight and this morning when we went to check, he did use his litter box, yay!!! we removed it, added a bit of fresh litter. hopefully he'll continue to use his box.

thanks for the help

You might try Cat Attract litter. It is supposed to help with litter box training. Several in these groups have had great success with it although I have never used it.

right now i'm using tidy cat litter. but i'll definitely look more into Cat Attract litter. thanks for the tip

The litter tray should be away from the food and bed but if oyu catch your cat pooing then move her into the litter tray and also after meal times put her in it as its the mots likely time to poo.

IMO until he is using the pan ALL the time, you might want to wait a little longer before cleaning it out. Maybe only scoop out once a day or once every other day so he gets the idea of where he's supposed to go.

I agree with GoldenKitty45, I would wait a little longer to scoop the litter box. Having the scent in the box should help him out. I know I do that when trying to litter train a new litter of kittens.


Valerie

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

IMO until he is using the pan ALL the time, you might want to wait a little longer before cleaning it out. Maybe only scoop out once a day or once every other day so he gets the idea of where he's supposed to go.

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Originally Posted by vrgchs

I agree with GoldenKitty45, I would wait a little longer to scoop the litter box. Having the scent in the box should help him out. I know I do that when trying to litter train a new litter of kittens.


Valerie

Click to expand...

i know when i was litter-training Firefox, she was not allowed out of the bathroom unsupervised until she was using the box consistently. i only cleaned it out once a day, so the smell would tell her that was the place. i also had more success after switching to the Kitten Attract litter - i highly recommend it!