litter training

Hello everyone !

I haven't brought a kitty home yet, but have been reading about litter training.
My kitty will be a house cat, so litter training will be very important.
Now the first thing that worries me, is that i have an open apartment its hard to restrict the new kitty to one room with his food, bed and litter tray, so do you think this will be a problem?

Some people even go so far as to say you have to put the kitty in some kind of pen so he doesnt mess all over the house. I realy dont want to do this, i want him to feel free when he comes to his new home.

Do you have any tips for to potty train succesfully?

I read a tip that you could even put ammonia in the tray so he thinks other cats have peed in there too ? that sounds good, what do you think?

Lastly, i read that finicky cats prefer fine sand type litter or even soil. so is it possible to use "real" sand?

I hope someone has some advice fo me?

You see, we've got new carpets and rugs, so i dont mind the odd accident in the beginnig but i would really like to get him trained as well as i can.

Thanks so much

Khadijah

I would make sure the kitten is old enough to be away from it's mother. This is about 12 weeks old. The mom cat will train the kitten to use the box, play, and be social. You should have no potty troubles if the kitten is trained by mom.
If you wish to restrict the kitten to one room I would place a kiddie gate across the doorway to the room you chose.

I adopted Max when we was 3 mo. old from the Humane Society. I have an open house plan too. I showed him were his litter box was and I showed him were his food was and that was all there was to it. He has never gone outside his litter box and it didn't look like he had any trouble finding his food. They are very smart. He has free reign over the house.

Hi Khadijah!

You: I haven't brought a kitty home yet, but have been reading about litter training.

Me: i think Khadijah, that you are very wise to do research prior to having a kitty... great move! All the research and questions are going to help a great deal. i think it is so important to study and research about something before taking the leap. i feel you are definitely on the right track here.


You: My kitty will be a house cat, so litter training will be very important.

Now the first thing that worries me, is that i have an open apartment its hard to restrict the new kitty to one room with his food, bed and litter tray, so do you think this will be a problem?

I read a tip that you could even put ammonia in the tray so he thinks other cats have peed in there too ? that sounds good, what do you think ?


Me: Cats are such intelligent and smart animals. They have an acute sense of smell, and are highly aware of their surroundings and environment. That is what i concluded, after much observation and interaction with them.

i doubt you have little to worry about. i would distant the meals and the litter tray. Cats can easily be litter-trained, as they have an innate instinct for litter use. Personally, i have not come acrossed a kitty that does not know how to use the litter box.

i think it is vital to keep the litter area clean, remembering to wash the box thoroughly and changing the litter completely every now and then. Oh yes, don't forget to scoop away the undesirables several times a day.

i would keep the kitty amused with different toys. Whenever possible, please play WITH your kitty. It really helps you two to bond. i bond with my kitties during grooming sessions as well.

Also, a view of some sort would be great to broaden the kitty's perspective (window view.) If possible, a tree would be great, as kitties love elevation.

Regarding your ammonia question, i am not aware of this.

Just today, i was quite worried when a cat i just rescued did not use the litter box for hours. He ate foods and drank plenty of water since about 8pm last night. At about 1pm today, the litter box was still clean. i sort of encouraged him to use it by stirring the metal scoop inside the box.

At about 1.45pm, he did both his small and big businesses. Thank God!! i gave him some treats after - in the form of hugs, sweet stroking and cat-treats.


You: Lastly, i read that finicky cats prefer fine sand type litter or even soil. so is it possible to use "real" sand ?

I hope someone has some advice fo me ?

You see, we've got new carpets and rugs, so i dont mind the odd accident in the beginnig but i would really like to get him trained as well as i can.


Me: i think it would help greatly to do some research on litter. Would you read my previous posting please?

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...555#post188555

i would get clean cat litter for an indoor kitty.

With regards to your new carpets and rugs, i hope you don't mind me too much when i add this: your kitty is above all objects (non-living things.)

i feel that having a kitty, a pet, is like having your own child. You need to put priority on your living baby over things in the house. You know what i mean? i have a silk carpet at home as well. My two babies play and roll themselves on the carpet pretty frequently. i just let them be.

In addition, i think it helps to get scratch posts, a tree (with sisal rope) and to provide ample toys to keep them amused, busy, and possibly to keep them off furniture.

i would recommend you consider seriously before having a kitty, if it is your first time. The last thing you want is to have a kitty, and give it up later. i don't thing it is fair to either of you.

Last but not least, Khadijah, i can assure you from my personal experience, it is a great joy to have kitties at home. You give love, and you receive love many folds over.

Cheers!

Dear Shirley,

That was great advice, thanks !

I read the clumping litter post, how awful, how come these companies are allowed to make something so destructive

I will look into the litter available, but I do live on a very small Spanish Island, Gran Canaria, so it is a bit limiting on what you can buy, ive looked at the litter in the shops and so far they just seem to have that common stuff that most people use, its very cheap and its like little grey stones , is that clumping litter ?! I'll try and check the package to see what it sais, but im afraid my Spanish isnt very good !

I didnt check the pet shops in town, im sure they'll have more choice, Also whats your opinion on shredded paper ? Is this safe ?

And dont worry, this kitty WILL be my baby, i dont care if he trashes the whole aprtment i was just worried about my hubby, you know how moody blokes can be ! lol


And thankfully im not working, so ill be able to devote all the day and nearly every evening to my little baby, i also have a roof garden, so he wont be confined to just the apartment, this is my second worry though, the wall is about a metre high, so its possible the kitty will try and jump up on the wall as i know they like to look out and see whats going on ! is this safe, will he fall off the wall, i know a lot of people will say dont be silly but ive seen young cats and they can be quite clumsy, Im thinking to supervise while he's up there untill we can afford to have a fence put up.

And yes i will get lots of toys and scratching posts, my hubby has promised a tree but i think he'll die when he sees the prices !!

Maybe i can look in the ads for second hand trees you never know ! I havent a clue what they're called in Spanish

You've been a great help !
Thanks very much,

I did have a family cat when i was living with my folks, but we didnt research or anything, we even fed her milk daily ! can you imagine, poor kitty ! I am determined not to make the same mistake again, im even going to feed homemade raw diet this time !

Anyway, speak to you soon ,

Khadijah

Cats can fall from balconies and these falls can kill them! To keep your cat safe, either keep her out of the roof garden or have lots of perches near (but not too close) to the wall so she can sit on the perch and look out at the view instead of sitting on the wall.

Regarding litter....shredded paper is fine, though it will become smelly very fast and it will not cover poop very well. If you don't want to try the scoopable clay litter, regular clay litter will be fine. However, you can probably have better litters shipped to you. You can find litter made out of corn, wheat, recycled newspaper, wood chips, etc. Try one of the internet pet products sites to see whether you can have it shipped to you.

How old is the cat you will be adopting?

Thanks for the warning, I do have a table about the same height as the wall, so he could sit on the table and have a nice view, But thankfully my husband will be putting up a fence for privacy so that should solve any danger problems.

Great litter advice, thanks very much.

The only thing is i dont know yet how old the kitten will be.
Basicaly what happened was we were thinking to go to the rescue centre, but then we bumped into a man who has some kittens only recently born and will be needing homes, so he did say that they needed another couple of weeks with the mum.

I have had mixed reports about this seperating age though ! I read that 5-6 weeks is acceptable but then i have now been told that 12 weeks is better, this would be better as the kitty will have learnt many things from the mother, but this man will be phoning when they are ready to leave, and im worried that if he wants to get rid of them at the 5/6 week stage we will just have to take it. But you never know he might agree to keep it longer if he's sure we will come back for it.


And then of course he might not phone ! in which case i will go to the rescue centre.

Im just trying to prepare myslef well for this new member of the family. I made mistakes in the past with pets, by not studying properly BEFORE bringing the pet home, so Im determined not to make the same mistake again !

So I really appreciate all the advice,

Thanks a lot

Khadijah