Need Help Litter Training 5 Month Old Kitten

mcfluffy

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Hi there.

I'm still a newbie... just joined today (I've posted in a couple of other places already though).

We brought a cat home last night. We had been visiting some family in another part of the state and they have a bunch of "barn cats" running around. Well, we fell in love with Cami, and brought her home last night. Before 7pm last night, she had never seen a litter box. She's about 5 months old and has always lived outside.

Anyway, we put her in it several times before we went to bed, hoping she'd get the idea. We thought she MIGHT have used it once, but weren't sure.

When we went to bed, we closed off the upstairs, downstairs bedroom, and bathroom, so she just had the living room, staircase, and kitchen. I figured that way it would be easier to discover where she was going, if she wasn't using the litter box.

So, today I went home from work at lunch to check on her, and she pee'd on the rug in front of the stove. I took her directly to her litterbox, but she just hopped right back out. I called my mom for advise and she said to put her in the downstairs bathroom, take all of the rugs and towels out of the room, and just put her food at one end and her litterbox at the other (it's a long narrow room) and leave her in there until SO and I get off work tonight.

So that's where she is now.

But, what now? What can I do to "train" her to use the litterbox? Any ideas and suggestions would be great.

I thought about taking the rug she pee'd on and (after I've washed it, obviously) putting it under her litterbox. Would that be helpful, or would that cause more problems?

HELP!
 

addiebee

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What are you using for litter? She is used to going to the bathroom in dirt or sand -- try mixing some clean dirt or sand ( I know ... "clean"????) I mean don't use potting soil or something like that. Use to topsoil or fill dirt or cat or play sand. And add Kitten Attract to it. You can get an additive or as a litter and use that as well to draw the kitten to the pan.

Also, put some of her pee (on a rag or something) and if she poops, that too, in the pan so she gets the idea.

Good Luck!!
 

darlili

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I was going to suggest the same thing - she's probably looking for similar texture to what she was using - and maybe try Kitten Attract (Dr. Elsey). It's got some herbal something or other in it that honestly does attract a lot of cats, and the texture is supposed to be appealing to many kitties. Cat Attract is for older cats.

Everything is just so new to her - she's probably just trying to figure out her place in this new world. Good luck - she sounds like a charmer, other than the litter box issues, but I bet you can overcome those with a little patience and understanding.

BTW, use an enzyme cleaner (like Nature's Miracle or Oxyclean) wherever she pees or poos incorrectly - otherwise, she'll pick up the odor and think it's ok to use that area again.
 

ldg

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Actually, when litter box training our ferals, we DO use potting soil. Organic, no additives. That way you're not bringing parasites into the house.


Also, ferals are used to not pooping and peeing in the same place, so two boxes is pretty much mandatory. We put about 2 inches of potting soil over the litter, and then we sprinkle the Cat Attract additive to that: http://www.entirelypets.com/catattract.html

We also confine new kitties to a smaller space for at least a week - a guest room, a bedroom, a large bathroom - something like that. Cats are all about territory, and she's been uprooted from hers. If you want the living room &etc. to be it, that's just fine - but she needs time to make some place her new territory, and she should have at least one "hidey" place in it, to help create a "safe space" she considers her own.

Also, you may want to get scratching posts and pads now, and start working on clipping her claws to get her used to it. Maybe give her some time to get used to her new place and her new people. But if she's comfortable around you, when she's sleeping, have cat treats available and just do one claw at a time - and have the treat ready. Just do one a day, and eventually she'll be OK with having all of them done.


In the meantime, now that she's gone outside of the box, you MUST clean the area with an enzyme cleaner:

The only way to prevent her from continuing to pee in the same places even after she's been spayed (she has been spayed? If not, she really needs to be and ASAP before she goes into heat!), you must rid anything she's peed on of the scent she has left behind - to her nose, not yours! The ONLY way to do this is with an enzyme cleaner. While these are available at most pet stores, they are not all made equal. These two are, in my opinion, the best products available out there: http://www.nokout.com/odorelim/pets/ or http://catfaeries.com/cleanup.html

For any carpeting or furniture, you must soak it down to the floor boards or thoroughly soak the area of pillows/cushions/mattress affected, making sure it gets down into it. Let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes, blot up the excess. We put aluminum foil down over affected areas of carpeting to help prevent continued attraction due to the smell by making it an unattractive texture. For a mattress, put a thick towel or a couple of towels down over it and make the bed. Thinks like chair or couch cushions or a mattress may require a second application. For walls, wood, or tile floors, just wash them down with the cleaner once or twice.

For any throw rugs or clothing, add the enzyme cleaner to the wash like you would fabric softener.

This is how to eliminate the smell she's left behind. Any place that smells like her scent to her just encourages her to keep going there.

Laurie
 
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mcfluffy

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Thanks for all the ideas, everyone. They're all truly helpful.

She's not spayed yet (she doesn't even have her shots yet!!!)

We have an appointment to get her checked out and get her shots on Thursday, and they're going to tell us if she's pregnant or not. Keep your fingers crossed that she's not.

Then, we'll get her fixed within the next couple of weeks, if she's not pregnant.

So, do you think it would be a good idea, or a bad idea, to put the rug she had pee's on under her litterbox? I mean, after I clean it, of course.

By the way, Laurie, I forgot to comment on the claws...
"Also, you may want to get scratching posts and pads now, and start working on clipping her claws to get her used to it. Maybe give her some time to get used to her new place and her new people. But if she's comfortable around you, when she's sleeping, have cat treats available and just do one claw at a time - and have the treat ready. Just do one a day, and eventually she'll be OK with having all of them done."

We got some of the Soft Claws and put those on her last night. She's doing really good with them! She didn't seem to mind at all.
 

ldg

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Oh that's beautiful!


About the rug.... since it seems to be a throw rug, maybe just remove it for a little while until you're confident she's using the boxes.


Laurie
 

skimble

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We have an appointment to get her checked out and get her shots on Thursday, and they're going to tell us if she's pregnant or not. Keep your fingers crossed that she's not.

Then, we'll get her fixed within the next couple of weeks, if she's not pregnant
Very personal choice, but with her being so very young the vet can still spay her early in pregnancy. The kittens that are having kittens can have a greater health risk which could cost much, much more in money and pain for her. I have faced this issue before as well.


We got some of the Soft Claws and put those on her last night. She's doing really good with them! She didn't seem to mind at all
Those do work well. She would probably like having a scratching post to stretch on anyway. That way when the soft paws start to come off she will be using the post instead of furniture.
Congratulations on your new kitten!
 

ping

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Good thing I saw this. Tiny is not litter box trained, she was an indoor/outdoor cat that did her business outside. She is 3-4 mths old. How effective is using soil and how do you transition over to using litter? Thanks.
 
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mcfluffy

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Thanks so much for all the help everyone.

As I stated, I put her into the bathroom with the litterbox at one end, and her food at the other, until we got home last night. Well, it worked. She pooped in the litterbox. YAY!

Still, when we went to bed last night, we went ahead and put her back in there, just to be on the safe side.

This morning, while I was lounging on the couch, waiting for time to get ready for work, I heard her go into the bathroom and use the litterbox. So, again, YAY!!!!

I'll let you all know how she does today. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Also, went to Petsmart last night and got some Enzyme cleaner. Put some into the wash with the rug and towels I used to clean the mess up with, and wiped down the floor in the kitchen and the bathroom.

I hope it worked!
 
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