How old to start litter training kittens?

The 2 babies were born around March 4th or 5th.They are now starting to play and run around in their box. They are soooo cute and sweet! I think they will be trying to get out of the box very soon and start exploring a little bit.

I have only raised one litter before and I know what to do to train them... I was just wondering how soon should I start to introduce them to the box?

Is mom cat still around? If she is, don't worry, she'll teach em how to use the litter box in due time. All my kits were litter box trained by 5 weeks

The litter box (or shallow cake pan) is in the cage with mom from the beginning. The mom doesn't really use it but the kittens will when they are 3-4 weeks old. They watch mom in the bigger pan.

Just use clay litter instead of the scoopable kind till they are out of the stage of eating litter - usually by 6-8 weeks they should be fine with scoopable - I never had a problem with my kits eating litter.

I had Monster litter trained && weaned by 6 weeks. his mom wasnt around, but they catch on really quickly, especially if mom is there to show them.

Thanks for your replies. I will put the little box in there for them tomorrow (I have to get the clay litter).

The other litter of kittens I had were litter box trained pretty quickly, but they did try to eat the litter a little at first. Hopefully these guys won't try to.

I didn't plan on having kittens, but I am loving watching them grow.
They get so much bigger every day. Momma will get spayed after they are weaned (no worries of her getting pregnant again before then). I need to work on finding them good homes now.

My kitten was fully potty trained at 3 weeks old. She had a problem at first with stepping in her poo while trying to bury it, but that didn't last too long.

When I move the kittens to the bigger pen at 2 1/2-3 weeks old, I put a litter box in with them. They start out just playing in it at first, but they figure it out pretty quickly. Some kittens take longer than others but my current foster kittens were all using it at 3-4 weeks old. Now at 7 weeks old, they're using it reliably!

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Just use clay litter instead of the scoopable kind till they are out of the stage of eating litter

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Oh, there's something fun and exciting I hadn't thought about...

Mom cat teaches the babies how to use litter box! Just get a shallow pan that they can get into.

The last litter of kittens we fostered were litter trained by 4 weeks of age. I had a shallow litter box for them close to their bed box and a large one for the mother further away. After I started them on soft food, I started putting them in the litter box taking a front leg and showing them how to dig...they went potty right a way and that was it!! That's what I love the most about cats--they learn the first time you teach them!!

I did have to watch them when they pooped because they did step in it at first, but I gave them baths immediately so they wouldn't get it all over.

Susan

That's a good idea to start scouting for homes for them. But please keep them till 10-12 weeks old. They need that time with mom/siblings to develop proper social and behavioral skills. You can also train them where to scratch and not to be climbing curtains or chewing on wires during those important weeks.

Plus better socialization with people/dogs, etc. will help to produce a loving, outgoing kittens.

Originally Posted by skewch

I did have to watch them when they pooped because they did step in it at first, but I gave them baths immediately so they wouldn't get it all over.

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Same here. i always watched to make sure he was pottying, & when he pooped he would step in it tryin to bury it, so i would have to bathe him so it wouldnt get all over. but he quickly learned how to bury with out stepping in his poo.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

That's a good idea to start scouting for homes for them. But please keep them till 10-12 weeks old. They need that time with mom/siblings to develop proper social and behavioral skills. You can also train them where to scratch and not to be climbing curtains or chewing on wires during those important weeks.

Plus better socialization with people/dogs, etc. will help to produce a loving, outgoing kittens.

Click to expand...

Oh, I agree. I would never seperate babies from mom and siblings before then.

We talked to a lady we know from a rescue group here and she is going to help us find homes for them.

She is also going to help with getting a few neighborhood strays neutered.