Kitten won't poo in box

MOD NOTE: Moved from New Cats on The Block forum, hence the welcome messages.

Hi guys yesterday my husband and I got our first kitten . We are both very excited.
Meet Pretzel, she is a British shorhair and is just over 8 weeks old

Pertzel was super shy when she got home,but she is much better today!
Pretzel had been using the litter box all day today to pee and I was super excited and happy. Tonight as she got comfortable in the room she was in she made her way to the living room. She played all night and then went to the corner and pooped .... it smelt pretty bad .... I made sure I walked her into the room with the litter box.we also had to wipe her bum as she failed to do so herself (how long should I wait before I clean in up)? 45 minutes later she did another poo in the living room... this time it was more like diarrhea. .. this meant we had to get her into a shallow water bath and clean her up properly before she had a chance of smearing the poop all around the house. what am I doing wrong? Why is she not pooping in the litter box. . She peed in the litter box a number of times, why won't she poo in it?

Welcome Pretzel!! you sure are a cute little thing. To Pretzels mom, I am sorry I can't provide you any insights as to why kitty is not using the litter box for her #2's wishing Pretzel a long and happy life.

Eric and Midi

If the social life is happening more in the livingroom, perhaps she just is in there then realizes it's time to go and doesn't have enough brain power yet to get back to the box. I'd try getting a second box and putting it in the spot she keeps going, then slowly moving it towards the first box, in the place where you want her to go. As she gets older she'll also get better at remembering.

If she's having diarrhoea it might be because she's not getting exactly the same food she got when she was being weaned? The tummy upset should clear up in a week or so, or you could check with the person you got her from and get the same food. Grain free foods are also a better bet for a sensitive stomach, but a change from even one grain free food to a different one can cause an upset stomach in some cats.

P.s. She is beautiful!

You have a beautiful kitten! Congrats to you!

Pretzel is really adorable! Congratulations to all three of you. You've gotten some great advice about moving the litter box temporarily and ensuring you don't change food too quickly. You could also try putting some Precious Cat Attract Litter in the box in the living room - lots of people have had great success with this product attracting their kitty to the box.

I hope we get to see lots of photos of Pretzel growing up. Such a sweetheart! [emoji]128149[/emoji]

The brand of litter mentioned above makes kitten attract litter, actually. I've heard success stories.

You can put a bit of pumpkin (plain; not pie filling) in with her wet food to help firm up her stool.

Some cats like to have two litter boxes; rule of thumb is one per cat plus one more. I would add one. If she goes on the floor again, put the poo in the litter box so she starts to get the idea. Also clean the spot she went with an enzyme cleaner so the smell is totally gone. Then she won't associate the improper location with potty time.

Some advice I got was to put some of the poo in the litter box and put her in it. Let her smell herself in there. If it's diarrhea that might be difficult. Moving the box sounds like a good idea too. Just keep putting her in the box, taking her paw and scratching with it, and gently squeezing her belly. Eventually she should get the idea. It might be the litter you're using too. When I had difficulty with Rista I discovered that the natural pine litter I got had too strong of a scent for her. It seemed like a good idea at the store, but she didn't like it and so wouldn't use it. I got Tidy Cats clay litter and had no problems after that.

Thanks so much guys, your advice makes a lot of sense... we will give it a go and see how we go

I've never heard of squeezing the belly to get a kitten to poo. I would be hesitant to do that. I think you would more want to stimulate them as mom would, maybe rubbing the belly/genital areas with a warm damp cloth.