4 week olds and the litter box

Hi! I'm having a little trouble with my latest group of bottle babies and the litter box. They aren't even attempting to use it. The are starting to poop and pee on their own and have literally managed to poop everywhere BUT the box. I'm not expecting perfection and I still help them out and stimulate them and have stimulated them in the box but... yeah, everywhere but the box. They poop in one corner so I move the box over there and then they poop in the other corner. I've tried two different sizes of box to no avail. They are in a large dog crate (big enough for my malamute). What's more amazing to me is that they are happily weaning themselves but not using the box! That's usually the opposite of what I get!

Any suggestions?

I'm having the opposite problem...using the litterbox great but not weaning!

Have you tried moving their poop from where it is into the litter box? Then put them in the box after they eat and let them smell the poop. With mine I just started stimulating them over the litterbox and then when I was finished I would take their paws and make them scratch in the litter. They caught on pretty quick! They started using it just before they were 4 weeks old, but every kitten is different.

And maybe try that litter Laureen mentioned...I have heard a lot about that on this MB.

Good luck...they'll get it!!!

Originally Posted by roxsam

I'm having the opposite problem...using the litterbox great but not weaning!

Have you tried moving their poop from where it is into the litter box? Then put them in the box after they eat and let them smell the poop. With mine I just started stimulating them over the litterbox and then when I was finished I would take their paws and make them scratch in the litter. They caught on pretty quick! They started using it just before they were 4 weeks old, but every kitten is different.

And maybe try that litter Laureen mentioned...I have heard a lot about that on this MB.

Good luck...they'll get it!!!

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I've also moved the poop into the box so they will learn, at that age i did not have a proper litter box for them, just a card box cut low covered with plastic bags and litter in it so it will be reachable for them and I moved the poop there so they know where they should go, after a day they learn...

I got Monster when he was about 3-4 wks old. for the first week or so i had to stimulate him to go potty. i think once i put him in the box & did the scratching montion with his paws. then i stimulated him over the box & when he started to pee i would put him down & hope that he would finish in the box. then i would do the scratching motion again with his paws to cover it up. then one time he peed on my bed, so i knew he could go on his own. if he needed me to, i would still stimulate him, but he really didnt need my help. so after bottles & sometime in between meal times, i would take him to the box & use his front paws to dig. then i would leave him go & see if he would go. he usually did, then all i had to do was take him to where the box was, put him down, & he would hop in on his own & go himself. he has NEVER ever had an accident, not even when he was that small & just learning, so i never had to put any poop in his litter box. he caught on quick & he uses the box at all times. this was the same time i was tryin to get him weaned, which he also caught on quickly to. within a week, he was completely litter trained & weaned. i hadnt expected him to accept the solid food as quickly as he did, so i had started him early.