How to litter train my kittens

I have had my kittens for about a week now.  They're my first cats.  Neither my boyfriend nor I have ever owned a cat before, so we're newbies.

Tygralily has had no problem using the litterbox.  Her sister, Sashi, is another story.

The first time Sashi used the potty, she peed on our couch.  I quickly picked her up and put her in the litterbox so she would learn.  Tygralily went straight for the litterbox and hasn't had any accidents at all.

Sashi then started following her sister's example and using the litterbox.  She did pee on the couch one more time after that.  There have also been two times when I saw her on the couch and felt like she was about to use the bathroom, so I snatched her up and put her in the litterbox; sure enough, she did use it.  Another time, last night, I came out into the living room to find that she had gotten on the couch and pooped over the edge.

Yet I've seen her use the litterbox on her own accord.  I keep it clean, as I know some cats are picky about this.  We also cleaned the couch very good where she peed on it the two times.

Any suggestions or ideas?  Seems like she is just sporadically using it?

They are seven weeks old and were all ready using the litterbox where they came from, according to the people I got them from....

Firstly 7 weeks is very young to be away from home.  Having two helps, but litter tray problems are one of the common issues with kittens of this age.  However you are where you are.  I suspect the kitten with the problem is a bit less mature (not necessarily smaller) and doesn't realise she has to 'go' until she has to go Right Now.  Going to a new home is very stressful and kittens of that age cope with it far less well than older kittens.

Have you asked the people you got them from what kind of litter and what kind of tray they were using?  I mean open or hooded.  Use that litter and that kind of tray for the time being.  It can also cause problems if there is a sudden change of diet.  Ask what they were being fed, feed that and if you want to change it do so gradually afrer

When you leave them, confine them somewhere fairly small an accident won't matter (bathroom?  close the toilet lid if you do!) with a tray.  When you are in and with them, watch like a hawk and pop in a tray if it looks like an accident might happen.  Consider having an extra tray or two for the time being.

Use a biological / enzyme cleaner to clean up - in the UK we have very cheap biological laundry liquid available and a solution of that is ideal.

glamourkitten said:

They are seven weeks old and were all ready using the litterbox where they came from, according to the people I got them from....

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I'm sure this is a standard line, no one would respond to an advert saying kittens not litter trained. They generally begin to litter train at 4-5 weeks but it can take some kittens a while to use it routinely especially if they're loose in a home and not confined to a smaller area. This is part of why kittens shouldn't leave before 12 weeks.

Ah, I see. Well considering they were technically "homeless," I guess the people were just trying to get rid of them once they seemed like they were good to go. (They feed the stray cats in the neighborhood, which leads to mama cat nesting in/around their yard or garage.) I did get the same litter they were using but the kittens really hated it bc it was rough on their paws, so I switched to pine. I also tried getting the same food (a wet food) and the kittens wouldn't have anything to do with it. I left out dry food I intended on switching them too (People said they never had dry food before & they liked milk but cow milk is horrible for cats! The food is Royal Canin babycat 34). Anyway, oddly enough they ignored the wet food and went straight for the dry, eating it with no problem. They also like the pine litter mix bc it doesn't hurt their paws like that other kind. She seems to be doing much better now and hasn't had any accidents in a few days. Thanks for replying.

PS- Since they are young to be away from home, is there anything else I should do or watch for?

It's just really, really good that she has a play mate- especially a littermate to learn from. Not as good as mom but a decent surrogate for learning do's & don'ts. Most people we see on here have these tiny young kittens and then they refuse to get them any companionship. A kitten alone is a kitten in trouble.

Have they been to the bet for their first set of shots and worming? They need to be wormed 2-3 times usually. Neutered around 4 months.

Not yet, they just turned 7 weeks this week. The vets here, even the SPCA doesn't want to give them their shots until they are actually 8 weeks & maybe a little past because I guess they are small for their age? I was going to take them Nov 13th to be spayed & vaccinated, but I'm still gathering info on the whole "early spay" concept to see what is the best option for them- now or waiting until they're a little older. To be spayed they need to be 8 weeks & at least 2 lbs. I don't think they're anywhere near 2 lbs yet, but I need to weigh them.

As far as add'l things to look out for or do, look at the stickies on the top of the site for links to kitten rearing website links. You can learn a lot by asking questions here as well as things come up.

Agree on the vaccines at 8 weeks, in the US it's common to start at 6 and do a series of 3. Here we do 2, no need to over vaccinate a tiny kitten

Just don't neuter and vaccinate on the same day, too much stress on the body for many kittens

You could vaccinate at 8 & 12 weeks then neuter at 13-14 weeks. Early neutering is quite safe and has been done for decades

Thank you, you're all very helpful here!  

If I want them to start using a covered box is now the time to do it?  Or should I wait until I'm completely comfortable with them using the trays at this point?