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Hmm.. I thought mom trained kittens where to poop

post #1 of 15
10/13/08 at 8:43am
Thread Starter 
That hasn't been the case here. I've had to do search and destroy missions for kitten turds for two days now. more often than not they are not going in the box. The floor all around it? the floor in the bedroom? the expensive comforter? yes. But in the box? not so much.

That also means they're peeing in those places plus likely more!

I have caught two in mid-grunt and shifted them to the box, but at this point it's a losing battle.

Suggestions? My two kittens were much easier to train when I did it myself. but I can't keep track of 7 kittens that are blocked off from the rest of the home.
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post #2 of 15
10/13/08 at 9:24am
Put them in a cage with water, box and bed. They'll get the message. When they "get it" you can start expanding their horizons.
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post #3 of 15
10/13/08 at 9:28am
Thread Starter 
Don't have that option.

I had them locked in a closet with little more than that anyway. But it didn't make a difference. You're saying I should pen them back in the closet?
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post #4 of 15
10/13/08 at 9:43am
What size box are you using? It has to be low enough to be comfortable for them. I used a shoe box lid.
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post #5 of 15
10/13/08 at 9:51am
Thread Starter 
it's a kitten litterbox. About an inch off the ground.
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post #6 of 15
10/13/08 at 9:54am
Ok then thats low enough. I dont know what to say then. These kittens sure are fiesty. I wish I was near, I love fiesty cats
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post #7 of 15
10/13/08 at 10:06am
Try collecting the poo and putting it in their litter box. By the way, do you have them a low sided box that they can get into easily until they learn what's expected? If you don't try getting one of those aluminum cake pans, add the litter and put any misplaced poops you find in there. It's always helped when I've did that.

ETA: Well duh! I guess I type too slow!! Never mind about the litter box!
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post #8 of 15
10/13/08 at 10:07am
How old are the kittens? When mine were around 4-7 weeks old, there were often pee/poop accidents outside the box. They're too little & not trained enough yet to fully get the hint. Yeah, it was a mess, but IMO, it's normal at that age.
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post #9 of 15
10/13/08 at 10:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fastnoc View Post
I've had to do search and destroy missions for kitten turds for two days now.
Sorry, I couldn't help but find that bit quite amusing!!! Is there anywhere in particular that they like to 'go' or is it just randomly everywhere? Are they confined to one room?
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post #10 of 15
10/13/08 at 10:42am
With my litter of 8 kittens, I used a box that a flat of pop comes in. It's low, but it's large enough that more than one at a time can use it. I used Kitten Attract cat litter and that worked so well, they were trained a few days before they were 4 weeks old. I didn't have to pick up tootsie roll treats off the carpet or anything. I was so thrilled with the way they learned so quickly. I also scooped that litter box 4 times a day, just so they weren't as likely to step in another's eliminations LOL.

Good luck, but I can tell you for certain, they DO learn and cats are notoriously clean, so don't fret

Susan
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post #11 of 15
10/13/08 at 11:07am
As usual, most of the good advice has been given by the time I get here! The only thing I can think of to add is to put out a LOT of boxes. Basically, anywhere they've had an accident, I put a box when I had my litter of 5. I remember reading on here (or being told?) that they are still learning, and by the time they realize they have to go, they have about two seconds until they do, so the box needs to be right there.

It worked for mine! It was annoying to have litter boxes every three feet, but it was better than having surprises every three feet!

Good luck!
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post #12 of 15
10/13/08 at 12:08pm
When I get kittens from other people I always put the kittens in a tight area, enough room to sleep, eat, drink and potty. If you give them too much room too early, they will go all over.
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post #13 of 15
10/13/08 at 12:59pm
I started by putting the small litter pans right next to the litterboxes my adult cats use. The kittens did learn from mom. Cali watched mom using her litterbox, then immediately stepped into the little one and started scratching around. Of course, when she was finished she just walked away. It took a couple of weeks for all of them to figure out they were supposed to cover up their presents after they dropped them off.

The funny thing is, after a couple of weeks I noticed the kittens are climbing into the big boxes, including the one in the bathroom with sides 18" high. In the meantime, the big cats are trying to scrunch into the little bitty boxes to do their business.
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post #14 of 15
10/13/08 at 8:29pm
the KittenAttract worked wonders for my Firefox. unlike yours, she would poop in her little box, but pee on the floor [i was using WBCL]. i got the KittenAttract, & she almost immediately began using her box for both!
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post #15 of 15
10/14/08 at 1:58pm
I've got a 4-5 month old male who's still learning the finer points of litter. He uses the box, but he's unclear on the concept of covering up after himself... we've gotten him to bury his poops, but not his pee clumps. Odor eliminating litter seems to need to /cover/ the offending excrement in order to work, but somehow I think our little guy is somehow proud of the stench.
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