Can a kitten be trained to use a cat flap?

I'm looking at adopting my first kitten in the next few weeks. My plan is to have a little "safe area" set up our family room/basement and would ideally like to aim for the litterbox to eventually be in an small, adjacent storage room to this safe area once the kitten is litter trained -- that way hopefully helping to cut down on the litterbox smell that my boyfriend hates. To do this I want to install a cat flap in the storage room door.

Can a kitten be easily trained to use a cat flap? Is a kitten strong enough to push open a cat flap? I have no experience with cat flaps so I don't know how heavy or thick they are.

In addition, from your experience is one litterbox usually sufficient for a single cat? We have a two-level house and I'm not sure where I'd put a second litterbox if need be on the first floor.

There are LOTS of different kinds of cat-flaps you just need to find one that is light enough.

IME the best way to flap-train your cat is to leave the cat flap OFF or taped up but with the hole installed for a few weeks, so they get used to going through it. Then place them inside the room with the flap down and offer treats on the other side. He'll put two & two together relatively quickly.

Yes 1 litter should be enough as long as it's large enough & you change it regularily .

A young kitten will have a lot of problems remembering to go look for a box in another room, let alone managing a flap. Remember that when you're picking out your cat.

Kittens also need more boxes or to be kept in a smaller area to start off.

I don't have problems with that litter box smell, many of us on here don't, in fact.

That was a good point, I guess it depends on how old your kitten is.

You can try a de-oderizing litter, I bet it won't be as bad as he thinks it will be.

^Or just scoop often. I have four cats, four litter boxes, and use chicken feed for litter. The only time I really smell something is if I skipped a day scooping or when I'm actually scooping the boxes. Not counting when the cats are actually pooping, of course - you cannot avoid a smell during that, not even humans can.

I'll be scooping the litterbox at least once daily, twice if I think it needs it. It only takes a moment to do that's not a worry for me.

As for how old the kitten will be, at this point I have no idea. It all depends on which kitty I fall in love with at the shelter~ If I need to, I guess I'll just leave the litterbox outside the storage room until the kitten can handle the cat flap and can be trained to find it in the other room.

You could train your kitten to use a covered litter box with a flap, that cuts down the smell enormously and also prevents litter all over the floor. I have five foster kittens right now, and they have one covered box and one open box in their room. They all use both quite happily. I let them have the covered box without the cover at first, then when they got used to the location, put the cover on and finally the door. It means they won't freak out whatever their adoptive families give them.