We have a male kitten that is about 12 weeks old. He uses the litterbox normally but at night he poops in mine and my wifes room or my kids room. I noticed that he has been nursing on another cat we have but I dont think he is getting anything because she is spayed. The thing is his poop is always runny and we are feeding him kitten food. What do we need to do to stop him from doing this. Please help
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Male Kitten Poops Everywhere What to do
- Thread starter jlbateman333
- Start Date
He probably needs some litter box training, assuming he a) likes his box, b) isn't competing for it with another cat c) isn't one of those cats that need 2 boxes, one for pee and one for poop (unlikely) and d) isn't having accidents because he doesn't have time to get to the box (loose stool plus young kitten often means when he needs to go he *needs* to go).
I would definately treat his poop problem, probably needs more deworming and possible stool testing for parasites and in the meantime you can put him on a very mild wet food like iams chicken or human baby food chicken stage one , and only stage 1.
To retrain a kitten who isn't using the box correctly, start by confining him for 1 week to the bathroom with his box, food and water. He only comes out under direct supervision and only then if he doesn't poop. He should start using the box right away, but you **MUST** give him a chance to really learn the new behavior by keeping him confined for a week. This is essential tough love that will allow him to be a happy cat in your happy home. If you fail at this, you will have a cat who poops everywhere, and whom you will either give up, or be unhappy with. You are doing this for his sake and for yours.
If he still poops outside the box when confined to the bathroom, then I would get a small cage and confine him there with a small litter box or aluminum pan as a litter box, then after a week (if this is working) transition to the bathroom for several days. If the cage doesn't work PM me, there is still one more thing you can do that *will* work when nothing else does.
Assuming the issue isn't A-D above, you HAVE to do this. I've helped train many cats to use the box when they weren't properly trained by the mother cat.
Please don't ask me "do we have to keep him in the bathroom for a whole week?" because the answer is already "YES". One week now = a lifetime of happiness. Don't try to cheat. You owe the cat this training, its not his fault he wasn't properly trained. Again, it could still be for others reasons like A-D above, but if you control for those reasons and he's still doing it, then re-train.
Assuming he is peeing in his box well, its possible the reason for the pooping is A-D. At the very least, get the stool fixed and provide other boxes in other rooms and that might fix it. If not, you know what to do!
I would definately treat his poop problem, probably needs more deworming and possible stool testing for parasites and in the meantime you can put him on a very mild wet food like iams chicken or human baby food chicken stage one , and only stage 1.
To retrain a kitten who isn't using the box correctly, start by confining him for 1 week to the bathroom with his box, food and water. He only comes out under direct supervision and only then if he doesn't poop. He should start using the box right away, but you **MUST** give him a chance to really learn the new behavior by keeping him confined for a week. This is essential tough love that will allow him to be a happy cat in your happy home. If you fail at this, you will have a cat who poops everywhere, and whom you will either give up, or be unhappy with. You are doing this for his sake and for yours.
If he still poops outside the box when confined to the bathroom, then I would get a small cage and confine him there with a small litter box or aluminum pan as a litter box, then after a week (if this is working) transition to the bathroom for several days. If the cage doesn't work PM me, there is still one more thing you can do that *will* work when nothing else does.
Assuming the issue isn't A-D above, you HAVE to do this. I've helped train many cats to use the box when they weren't properly trained by the mother cat.
Please don't ask me "do we have to keep him in the bathroom for a whole week?" because the answer is already "YES". One week now = a lifetime of happiness. Don't try to cheat. You owe the cat this training, its not his fault he wasn't properly trained. Again, it could still be for others reasons like A-D above, but if you control for those reasons and he's still doing it, then re-train.
Assuming he is peeing in his box well, its possible the reason for the pooping is A-D. At the very least, get the stool fixed and provide other boxes in other rooms and that might fix it. If not, you know what to do!
Has he been seen by a vet. He may have worms or its the food causing loose stools. Where is his litter box located? Do you have more then one?
Just keep putting the poop in the litter tray. It sounds nasty, I know, but it will work. Keep doing it over and over again. Each time you do it, then bring your cat over to the litter tray and scratch it's paw through the litter. It may take a week, but almost everyone that I know who has done this has had success. Best of luck to you.
Keeping your kitten confined to the bathroom or a small room for a week might be a good idea, but not absolutely necessary. You may, however, have to confine her at night until she is fully trained.
Personally, I don't like the idea of using a cage as training, because the kitten might feel she is being punished for something and will probably end up afraid and confused. But that is just my opnion.
First of all, do you have a kitten sized litter tray? If it's a regular adult sized one, it could be hard for her to get in and out of. Is it easily accessible to her? Do you have a big house? You might want to have more than one litter box if that is the case. What kind of litter are you using? If it's a heavily perfumed type, the kitten might not like that.
Also when washing the litter box, just use plain old dish soap and hot water. Please don't use heavy bleach or harsh chemicals. We may think we are doing a good thing by using bleach or other chemicals to disinfect the box, but we're not. In reality, we are really only disinfecting the box for our sake. Even after you rinse out the box, harsh chemicals, especially bleach, leaves a strong smell behind that your kitten can easily smell and that will repulse her. Remember cats do everything by smell! So if the box smells all chemically, it won't be familiar to them.
There are also signs to look for that the cat is getting ready to do his business. They usually will go in circles, dig or paw at the area, look furtive, sniff at the ground, and usually search for a corner or dark place, then they will squat.
First thing, when you do catch your baby in the act, please don't yell at her. It will only frighten and confuse her. Remember, in her mind she is doing something perfectly normal and won't understand why she's being yelled at. Also she may start to think you are mad because she is relieving himself, not because she is in the wrong spot.
No matter what anybody says *never* rub a cat's or even a dog's nose in it. It's a very cruel thing to do and very counterproductive. Again she won't understand why she's being punished and she will start to think doing her business is a "bad" thing and she will start looking for places to hide so she can "go" without you being around. (I'm sure you yourself have never done this, I'm just trying to explain why it's not a good idea, because some people just don't understand what they are doing when they give out this kind of advice).
When you do catch her getting ready or even in the act, just quickly pick her up and bring her to her litterbox. Again, don't scold her if she misses, you don't want her to start thinking that you are mad because she is doing her business. Place her in the litterbox and explain to her that this is where she is supposed to do her business. If she then pees, praise her and even maybe offer her a treat. If she was already peeing when this happens, just bring her to the litterbox anyways. In time she will start to realize that this is where she is supposed to be doing her business.
Another trick is that if you find some of her poop, don't throw it away. Instead put it the litterbox and leave it. The scent of her poop there, will tell her that that is where she is supposed to be doing her business.
Line the areas where he has already done her business with aluminum foil. Most cats don't like walking on it and it should help to deter her.
Nature's Miracle works *really* well for urine, poop stain removal and odor too. You have to make sure though that you pour generously so that the liquid goes all the way down into the under-padding of the carpet. This is to ensure that the odor is completely removed.
You could also try some cat attract in the litter tray.
Please be patient, within a week she should be using her litter box faithfully.
Personally, I don't like the idea of using a cage as training, because the kitten might feel she is being punished for something and will probably end up afraid and confused. But that is just my opnion.
First of all, do you have a kitten sized litter tray? If it's a regular adult sized one, it could be hard for her to get in and out of. Is it easily accessible to her? Do you have a big house? You might want to have more than one litter box if that is the case. What kind of litter are you using? If it's a heavily perfumed type, the kitten might not like that.
Also when washing the litter box, just use plain old dish soap and hot water. Please don't use heavy bleach or harsh chemicals. We may think we are doing a good thing by using bleach or other chemicals to disinfect the box, but we're not. In reality, we are really only disinfecting the box for our sake. Even after you rinse out the box, harsh chemicals, especially bleach, leaves a strong smell behind that your kitten can easily smell and that will repulse her. Remember cats do everything by smell! So if the box smells all chemically, it won't be familiar to them.
There are also signs to look for that the cat is getting ready to do his business. They usually will go in circles, dig or paw at the area, look furtive, sniff at the ground, and usually search for a corner or dark place, then they will squat.
First thing, when you do catch your baby in the act, please don't yell at her. It will only frighten and confuse her. Remember, in her mind she is doing something perfectly normal and won't understand why she's being yelled at. Also she may start to think you are mad because she is relieving himself, not because she is in the wrong spot.
No matter what anybody says *never* rub a cat's or even a dog's nose in it. It's a very cruel thing to do and very counterproductive. Again she won't understand why she's being punished and she will start to think doing her business is a "bad" thing and she will start looking for places to hide so she can "go" without you being around. (I'm sure you yourself have never done this, I'm just trying to explain why it's not a good idea, because some people just don't understand what they are doing when they give out this kind of advice).
When you do catch her getting ready or even in the act, just quickly pick her up and bring her to her litterbox. Again, don't scold her if she misses, you don't want her to start thinking that you are mad because she is doing her business. Place her in the litterbox and explain to her that this is where she is supposed to do her business. If she then pees, praise her and even maybe offer her a treat. If she was already peeing when this happens, just bring her to the litterbox anyways. In time she will start to realize that this is where she is supposed to be doing her business.
Another trick is that if you find some of her poop, don't throw it away. Instead put it the litterbox and leave it. The scent of her poop there, will tell her that that is where she is supposed to be doing her business.
Line the areas where he has already done her business with aluminum foil. Most cats don't like walking on it and it should help to deter her.
Nature's Miracle works *really* well for urine, poop stain removal and odor too. You have to make sure though that you pour generously so that the liquid goes all the way down into the under-padding of the carpet. This is to ensure that the odor is completely removed.
You could also try some cat attract in the litter tray.
Please be patient, within a week she should be using her litter box faithfully.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
The thing is he uses it during the day when we are downstairs. Its at night when when he does it. He comes upstairs and plays around and then does it right there. I am thinking he needs to go and just is too lazy to go downstairs and go. I read another post somewhere that said to confine him to a kennel which we did last night and he didnt do anything in it. Also my other question is he is nursing on a cat that has never had kittens and is spayed. Is he actually getting milk? It seems that is when his stool is runny.
Well, he's still a growing kitten and it makes sense that he still doesn't have full control of his bladder and bowel movements. So when he is upstairs it is very likely that he just wouldn't be able to hold it in long enough to get to the litter box downstairs, so he just goes, it's not because he is lazy. Remember, he is a "baby" that just got out of his diapers and as such is still learning and growing. One of my cats used to do that when he was that age. But he learned
I would add a second litter box upstairs where it is easy for him to get to. If possible, put some of his poop in it. Make sure to show him where it is by placing him in it. At first he will probably look at you all confused, but don't worry, he will get it. It may take a few days, but he will get it.
Even if you have just one cat, having a second litter box is always a good idea
When you put him in the kennel last night, did you put a litter box in it too? If there was none, that's probably why he didn't go. Cats are very clean little creatures and they don't like for their poops etc to be near them. They also don't like to have their food close to their litter box.
About the nursing thing. No he is not getting milk from doing this. The only way this could happen would be if the cat he was nursing on was a female who had kittens and was already nursing them and she allowed the new kitten to nurse on her as well.
No what he is doing is perfectly normal and it happens a lot
About his stools have you taken him to the vet to get dewormed? What kind of food are you feeding him?
I agree with Shanynne, put a second litterbox upstairs. The second litterbox comes under one of my original caveats to re-training, specifically "D", doesn't have time to get to the box. Young cats like kids have poor muscle control and when they have to go, they HAVE to go.
His poop consistency still needs addresses through either a) milder food b) more deworming or c) fecal tests for parasites. "B" and "C" can become very serious if not treated. No kidding.....
His poop consistency still needs addresses through either a) milder food b) more deworming or c) fecal tests for parasites. "B" and "C" can become very serious if not treated. No kidding.....
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Definitely treat the diarrhea. Remember the last time you ate something that disagreed with you; only now imagine you're in a strange house and aren't quite sure where the bathroom is; or you know where it is, only it's very far away; and you're a little kid besides! Understandable that he should lose his litter training in a situation like that. Litter boxes on each floor of the house, definitely. To a cat, a house is the size of a shopping mall!
If you confine him to a bathroom, by the way, there is absolutely nothing that says you can't take a book in there and keep him on your lap for a few hours. It's not punishment, after all, any more than it's punishment to crate-train a dog.
Oh, and get yourself some enzymatic cleaner for the places where he had accidents. Stuff does wonders for smells.
If you confine him to a bathroom, by the way, there is absolutely nothing that says you can't take a book in there and keep him on your lap for a few hours. It's not punishment, after all, any more than it's punishment to crate-train a dog.
Oh, and get yourself some enzymatic cleaner for the places where he had accidents. Stuff does wonders for smells.
