kitten poops but doesnt pee in litter box

a stray kitten showed up and I started feeding her. She was maybe 2 or 3 months old (I'm guessing) and she never went away of course. there are already a few strays that I feed. this kitten was so small and I was afraid that she would get hit by a car, so I took her in. I got her a litter box and put it in the bathroom. I trained her to poop in it pretty quickly. the problem is that she won't pee in it. she pees either in the kitchen or in the bathroom... but not the litter box. she will go into the bathroom and poop in the litterbox and then pee outside of it. this has been going on for about 5 days now. I have caught her peeing, I pick her up gently and put her in the litterbox and she'll walk right out.
I don't want to put her outside again, but she's making me crazy.

i am using clay litter, by the way.

Well, some cats like to poo in one box and pee in another.

Put a second litterbox in one of the areas where she's peeing. Some cats will not do their business in one box. Kittens also can have a hard time making it to the box in time if it's too far away. They also can forget to do their business, so putting her in the box several times during the day might help.

It's also REALLY important that you use an enzyme cleaner to clean where she's peed. If you're using an ammonia-based cleaner, it still smells like pee to her, and she'll continue peeing there.

A second litter box is really a must, especially if you're having this problem. Scoop both of them at least two times a day.

You can also consider purchasing a product called "Cat Attract." You put it over the litter - for a "just brought inside" kitten, it may really help. I think they actually make Cat Attract litter now, though we used the stuff you add to litter you have, and we purchased it from the vet. It worked for one of our feral rescues that was having a problem.

Laurie

thanks. I just picked up a 2nd litter box. should I put it near the 1st box or does it have to be in another room? she liked to pee onthe bathroom floor, which is where the 1st litter box is anyway. she did that until i cleaned the bathroom floor really good. now she goes elsewhere. she did pee in her 1st litter box today. at least once and i thought all was good, but then she peed right in front of the tv.

I wouldn't put the second litterbox too close to the first one. I've read in numerous places that cats have a tendency to view a setup like that as one big box, which is not the result that you're after.

Mind you, I'm not exactly sure what constitutes "too close." I would think that they would need to be separated by at least a few feet. Obviously if you put the second litterbox in another room there would be no problem.

I would put the second litter box in a different room.

Also, when dousing the carpet in front of the TV with the enzyme cleaner, I'd then put aluminum foil over it to discourage her from going there again.

At this point, I'd make sure to get the Cat Attract litter ASAP.

I'd also consider purchasing a black light - go through the house at night and make sure you haven't missed any spots. (Any pee will show up as an orange splotch).

Also, if she goes on a wood or tile floor again, I'd soak some of it up with a paper towel and put it in a litter box.

If these things don't work, I'd consider taking her to a vet. I know it's that she may not be properly box trained, but she may have a urinary tract infection or a bladder infection. When cats associate pain with the litterbox, they will stop using the litterbox. This may explain why she poops in one but won't pee in it - especially if it hurts her to pee.

Laurie