Kitten Troubles...

Is it normal to have to litter train a kitten? I've always gotten older already trained adult cats. Is it normal for a kitten to try to go pee in other places then her litter. She did it once the first day we brought her home, she squatted down and peed on our bath rug... I don't know, I guess I always assumed that they knew where to go after you show them where the litter box is... I'm a total newb! She DOES go in her litter as well!
Btw- she is a gorgeous blue (solid blue, no white markings) female mutt cat. She is 12-14 weeks old. We haven't named her yet suggestions would be great!

It's important to keep a kitten that young in a small area, like a bathroom. A litter box with low sides will help, and if the kitten has been outdoors at all, it sometimes helps to scatter some dirt on the litter. Kittens that young can get "lost" and forget where the litter box is.

mrblanche said:

It's important to keep offensive that young in a small area, like a bathroom. A litter box with low sides will help, and if the kitten has been outdoors at all, it sometimes helps to scatter some dirt on the litter. Kittens that young can get "lost" and forget where the litter box is.

Click to expand...

That's kind of what I was thinking.... that maybe she got lost! We have the litter boxes upstairs and she had an accident on the main level. Is it normal for kittens to have accidents like puppies? Thanks!

I have no idea where "offensive" came from in that sentence.  Stupid smart phone!
 

Yes, kittens can easily get lost and not be able to find the litter box.  Then they'll choose a good substitute.  Be sure you clean the spot thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner.

I was kind of wondering about the offensive part lol. Well she peed on an old rug that I needed to replace anyway so I just threw it away...! It motivated me to get a new bath rug! Lol thanks for the advice!

When we first got Hannah (now 6), we got those 9x13 aluminum cake pans and put one in every room of our house for a litter box.  She would play, play, play and then have to go to the box NOW!!  Sometimes she would barely make it, so we wanted to make sure she had a place to go no matter where she was.  As she got older, we decreased the number of pans down to the 3 boxes we have today.
 

bluebo said:

Is it normal to have to litter train a kitten?

Click to expand...

That really depends on where she came from and how she was raised. For homes with multiple levels it's always a good idea to have trays on each level

In my experience what mrblanche said is true - kittens can't be trusted to make it to the litter box in time if it is out of sight.

if you posted pics, I bet someone could help you come up with a perfect name...

I agree with the aluminum disposable pans or at least multiple (small) litter boxes around your house. Kittens are basically toddlers. They are still learning and when they got to go, they got to go, even if it's the middle of a mouse toy battle. If the only litter box is on the second floor he may not make it in time.

One word of recommendation though if you decide to put disposable litter boxes around your house. Weight it down! Put a few heavy rocks or even a brick inside the tin tray or else you may come home to a kitten covered in kitty litter batting around his poop and a big mess on the floor! Trust me, I know.

What may help attract him to the other litter boxes is to move some of his poop or pee clumps to the other boxes. That way he knows what its for (but he will probably still sleep in it at some point. Don't ask me why. I have NEVER had a kitten that didn't sleep in the litter box at some point). 

I would love to see pics of your new little baby!!!! I love suggesting names, but my experience is the only way you can truly name them is by knowing them and seeing their personality emerge. 

calico2222 said:

What may help attract him to the other litter boxes is to move some of his poop or pee clumps to the other boxes. That way he knows what its for (but he will probably still sleep in it at some point. Don't ask me why. I have NEVER had a kitten that didn't sleep in the litter box at some point). 

Click to expand...

Agreed that keeping some of her scent in the box(es) can make a big difference. I'm a big fan of cleaning every litter box at least once a day, but with young kittens I always leave a little behind so they remember it's theirs. 

If she really struggles you can try some Dr. Elsey's kitten attract litter, which is magical. However, it is clumping so watch her closely to make sure she doesn't eat it. I generally only recommend using this formula if you have a kitten who is adverse to the box because you may end up in a situation where she will use this litter and nothing else. It doesn't sound like that's the problem here, but rather that she got too far away from her box and couldn't make it back it time. Adding additional boxes should help, especially if you are in a multi-level dwelling. 

And I so agree, all kittens fall asleep in the box at some point. Just another reason to keep it clean!