kitten won't pee in litter?

Hi all!  I just found this forum and read through some helpful threads.  I was hoping to get some advice on my specific situation.

My husband and I recently adopted two kittens, 1 ~14 weeks old from a shelter and one ~7 weeks old (now ~8.5) from someone with kittens to give away.  I realize now this was a little young to take her   But we're trying to be the best kitten parents we can!

Anyway, after several days of letting them roam the house, we discovered that both were having litter box issues, but particularly the younger, the little girl.  To sum it up, she is now ok pooping in the litter box (baking tray with litter on it due to her small size - also have a larger one that her brother generally uses) BUT she only likes to pee on hard surfaces.

I've confined them to Kitty Jail in the kitchen / laundry room (where food, water, toys, bed, and litter boxes are all located), I've switched out the litter to the Cat Attract brand that seems to help, I've cleaned up every mess with enzyme spray, I put her in her box shortly after waking or eating (when I'm home - they have access to food while we're at work though) or when I notice her pawing around, I put a paper towel with her pee on it in the litter box, I put her in the litter box whenever she has an accident elsewhere, we keep the boxes very clean, etc....   But she still will either pee on the floor near the box in the kitty jail or find a moment to pee on the floor elsewhere when we've let them out but aren't paying attention.

Does anyone have any recommendations for something else I can do?  Or just reassurance that she'll eventually get the hang of it?  Kitty Jail seems to be improving the situation for pooping at least - it's only been 4 or 5 days.  I should note that I do keep one end of the litter box baking tray clear of litter in the hopes that this would be the hard surface she's looking for, but she's only peed there a couple times.

Thanks!  I really appreciate any advice!  I know it's a work in progress and she's a very sweet little kitty cat.  Just want to make sure we're not inadvertently helping to cement any bad habits...

Lauren

Oh and if you think she doesn't like the litter texture / consistency, do you have any recommendations for another kind to try?  She is a pretty tiny kitty - 1 pound 11 ounces - so perhaps the granules of the two brands we've tried were too big?  Do they make a fine sand-like kind?

THANK YOU!

Some cats don't like to pee in the same place they poop. Cats are just weird, lol! But I guess that is why we love them. Maybe try adding a second box. Confining them to the one room should help until this is sorted out. Does the baking tray make any crinkling noises when she's in it? (assuming it's a disposable aluminium one)
If so, the noises may be freaking her out.
As for fine grain litter, I use Feline Pine (in a box, the bagged is huge pellets) and it is very small flakes. I think my cats like the natural piney scent. Plus the odor control is fabulous. I mix it with Tidy Cats for better clumping.
Your baby might just be super picky about litter, so keep scooping as often as you can and don't be suprised if you have to try several different litter brands before you find a winner.
Hang in there, I know from experience it's super frustrating. If she doesn't catch on after a few more days, you might consider a vet visit to rule out a urinary tract infection. Best of luck to you

Oh I forgot...... Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter is supposed to be great for luring cats to the litterbox. I've never tried it but have heard good things, and it gets great reviews on Amazon

Edit: duh, just reread and saw you are already using it! Guess it's maybe not so attractive, huh? And congratulations on the new kitties!

The Special Kitty (Walmart brand) has small granules. Have you ever seen her trying to eat the litter? Some kittens do, and have to be given a non-clumping litter. The Cat Attract litter may have something she doesn't like.

You might try a cellulose-based litter like Yesterday's News or CareFresh, which is actually hamster bedding material.

Since she is so young, her mama never taught her to use the box properly.  Check out the articles section for more suggestions. www.thecatsite.com/atype/45/Cat_Care

Thanks happybird for the advice.  It's frustrating, it's like she just doesn't understand at all that litter = for peeing.  She's usually fine getting in the box and pawing around when she poops, but not peeing...  Maybe I'll try the pine stuff, that sounds promising.  I do have two boxes (1 box and the tray) and she'll use both for pooping.  No crinkles - it's a regular baking tray.  (Husband has forbid that from ever going back into the kitchen rotation, lol!)

Catspaw66, thanks, I'll try that brand.  She seems to like the Cat Attract more than the first kind I bought (can't remember the brand, but natural / nonscented / clumping.)  Haven't seen her trying to eat it.  I agree that she just never learned how to use it, poor little girl.  Most articles I've read are about pets who stop using the litter box - not as much info out there on how to train  a kitten in the first place.  I really think she just doesn't realize she should pee in the litter, and that it's just for poop.  UGH.

Any other advice out there??

Ugghhh this is driving me insane.

Has anyone tried confining a kitten to a very small space where there's only room for food and water, a bed, and a litter box?  Like a fridge box or a large pet crate?  It feels cruel, but at the same time, we need to get this figured out! 

This system is not working.  When they're in Kitty Jail, she's only occasionally using the box and often peeing next to it.  Often when I let them out of Kitty Jail, she'll find a minute when we're not looking to pee in one of a couple favorite spots on the floor.  I keep spraying them with the enzyme cleaner stuff but it's obviously becoming habit-forming.

I know you are using Cat Attract, but they do make a Kitten Attract litter that is formulated specifically for kittens. We had a litter of kittens come in about 2 months ago that had only been outside and not exposed to a litter box. These babies were about 6 wks old at the time. It was VERY frustrating the first 2 wks getting them accustom to using the litter box.
We put them in a bedroom with 7 litter boxes to 5 kittens. There was a litter box on every wall, 1 in the adjoining bathroom and 2 in the middle of the floor. And, yes, some would get in the litter box, paw around, and then proceed to pee on the floor next to the box. We started using Kitten Attract (our first time using it) and within about a week, all kittens were using the box without accidents.
We have slowly been taking boxes away and have the remaining 4 boxes in more appropriate places (I.e. no longer in the middle of the floor!)

I will note that the runt of the litter had to be separated out and bottle fed for the first 2 wks (he was the size of a 3 wk old kitten.). Due to his size and him being lethargic, I kept him in a Large carrier with bedding and a make shift litter box for about 4 days. He taugh himself to use the litter box the very first night and hasn't had an accident since.

I don't think it's a one size fits all situation. But, I think either confining her to a smaller space (like a bathroom) and/or adding more litter boxes for the time being would be a good idea. And, don't think that you have to go out and purchase anything expensive or a large box, that 7 wks, a Tupperware container or large plastic dog water bowl will work great.

Thank you CatPack! (Sorry I don't know how to reply specifically to you, if there is such a thing.)  Yes, we actually did get the Kitten Attract too (can you tell I've been googling and online shopping like crazy here?!?) and she seems to like it better.  But she just thinks that floors are for peeing, not litter boxes.   And then tries to "cover it up", and paws all through the pee puddle, and tracks it everywhere.... sigh...  

Thanks for your story.  We did something similar last night - confined her to a VERY small space, probably only 15 square feet, with their bed and food and scratching post and snuggly blanket covering all of the floor except where the litter box is yet.   This morning there were poops and pee in the box and I don't think there was pee anywhere else... so even though it feels like torture for all of us because she is mewing so piteously, I think we'll have to do this for a few days whenever we can't keep a very close eye on her.  In the long run she'll be MUCH happier if she's litter box trained, right??  That's what I keep telling myself.  

lolo said:

 
Thank you CatPack! (Sorry I don't know how to reply specifically to you, if there is such a thing.) 

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