In desperate need of help litter training kitten

michellebct

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 5, 2016
Messages
1
Purraise
1
Hi all. 

I got a kitten a week ago (Rambo), I was told he was 8 weeks old but have now found out he is only 6 weeks old. The whole reason I got him was because the house he was in was not suitable at all. The children that live there were very rough with him and one of them slammed his back legs in a door causing him to lose the use of his back end. I took him to the vets straight away and the vet said he believes he has nerve damage and prescribed lots of TLC. I'm pleased to say that in only a week he has improved tremendously! When I first got him he would drag his back legs behind him but now he walks on them (sometimes has a little wobble and falls), he uses them when he is playing and is even trying hus hardest to learn how to jump. He also could not use his tail but I have seen improvement with that too, he uses it to balance himself when he is walking. 

My problem is that he won't litter train! 
His set up is in my kitchen where he has a comfy bed, plenty of toys, food, water and milk and his litter tray. I have even made a little ramp so he can get in and out of his tray easier. I put him in his litter tray after he's had a nap, after he's eaten and after playtime.

At first I thought he was maybe incontinent due to his injury. But now I'm just not sure. As he walks around he drips urine and it ends up all over his tummy, legs and tail and he also poos everywhere (sometimes in his bed). So from that I thought he was incontinent or was unable to squat because of the nerve damage buy me and my brother have both seen him squat and my brother saw him go to his litter tray, squat and do a wee! 
So then I thought maybe he isn't incontinent. Then the other evening he was asleep on my lap and while he was sleeping he weed on me, so then I start thinking again that he is incontinent, he woke up soon after then squatted! Which then made me think maybe he isn't incontinent! The only times I have seen him squat has been outside of the litter tray and I'm not sure if the two or three times he's done his business in the litter tray has just been that he's just happened to go to the toilet while he's been exploring his litter tray.
I don't know what to do. Apart from this he is very healthy, happy and playful. 
The thing is though, I can't keep him. I took him in with the plan that I would look after him till his legs got stronger then he would go to my sister's but she has changed her mind about wanting a cat. I can't keep him as I already have 3 cats. I need to get him litter trained so I can find him a new home, the only other option is to put him into a cat shelter which breaks my heart at the thought of it. 
So please if anyone has had a similar experience or can offer any advice or tips I would be so grateful!
 

talkingpeanut

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 12, 2015
Messages
11,793
Purraise
3,600
It sounds like he is mostly incontinent but does sometimes feel the urge to go, which is a good sign. At such a young age you can place him in the litter box and stimulate him to go. This means rubbing his genitals with a warm, damp cloth like mom would do if she were cleaning him. This will help him to go when and where appropriate. As he gets stronger he may be able to do it alone.

Are there any other cats in the house you rescued him from? Where are his siblings and mother?
 

kittens mom

Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2015
Messages
6,198
Purraise
3,964
Location
Moriarty, New Mexico
He needs a full medical evaluation. Best chance is to find a cat rescue that will take him in.  The good news might be that at this age and growth remarkable things happen that won't for an adult cat with the same injury.

First rule of rescue. Don't take it unless you know you have a safe haven lined up or you are willing to take on the responsibility yourself.

This animal was abused and the AC should have been called. The children are the responsibility of the parents.

You learn very quickly that the people causing the problems are seldom the ones emptying their wallets to fix the mess. Public shelters will euthanize and rescues are strapped for funds just to keep their cats fed.

Every time that pet store commercial comes on singing You're My Best Friend I wanna throw a rock at the screen.

You can try litter training this baby by making sure the tray is easy entry and by confining him to one room. He's pretty young and you may be dealing with youth and injury. And the injury might have set him back a bit in development. I would try and take him to a vet but if that isn't possible patience is your best resource.
 

jennyr

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 6, 2004
Messages
13,348
Purraise
593
Location
The Land of Cheese
This little one has had a hard start in life, and deserves a chance. It is such a shame you can't keep him. But as I understand it, you will keep him until he recovers and is litter trained, or a vet decides he has irrevocable damage to his nerves or muscles and could never live a normal life. At this stage no-one can know the final outcome, though it is good news that he is improving. Nerve damage can take months to heal, and you may be in for a long haul; he may take a long time to get total control of his functions. Meanwhile you have to live with the results in the house, which I know can be difficult. If it were me, I would try and confine him for the moment in a bathroom or large cage, until you can be sure that he will not pee all over the house. It will also help him to be really near a litter box all the time. You should of course take him out regularly to play and cuddle with him, and give him toys to play with wherever he is.

I wish you all t he luck with him. You obviously already care deeply for him and want the best for him. I do hope it works out.
 

Sarthur2

Cat lady extraordinaire
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Mar 8, 2015
Messages
35,984
Purraise
17,674
Location
Sunny Florida
Your kitten is only 6 weeks old. Kittens at this age are not always fully litter box trained. Due to his injuries and the abuse in general, he will probably develop more slowly than normal, however; many 6-week-old kittens have accidents.

A kitten with nerve damage - if he indeed has nerve damage - can live a normal life. No need to euthanize. You should ask the vet about a urinary tract infection (URI) just to rule this out. URI's cause cats to pee inappropriately.

My guess is that the kitten needs time and patience. Thank you for rescuing him! Try to enjoy him while he heals and matures :).
 

catpack

TCS Veteran
Kitten
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
3,271
Purraise
646
Location
Southeastern USA
I'm going to say that this kitten's issues are related to his injury, especially since he leaks/dribbles urine. Add this on top of trying to litter train a baby and you get the issues you are seeing. The question is whether he will gain better control of his bladder/bowels as he gets older or not.

I took in a kitten in June of 2014 that came to me with a ruptured Achilles' tendon that he had surgery on shortly after his arrival. He was on strict cage rest for 12 weeks to heal from his surgery. He was slowly given more roaming access at which time we discovered he had neurologic issues with his rear limbs (from about mid back/pelvis to his toes.)

A few weeks later as he was given more and more time out of the crate I started to notice an odor in his room. You see, if an another kitten would play by running under a couch and then surprise attack each other (really funny and completely non-aggressive!). Well, as he would run, he couldn't control his bowels and poop would just come out.

I just learned to thoroughly check under furniture, etc daily and clean up any accidents. I also put more litter boxes around so that he would hopefully be able to make it to one (this helped a lot, though there were still accidents.)

He finally gained decent control when he was about 10 months old. Evenso, he still travels with a litter box in his carrier anytime we make a trip to the vets.

You can providing more litter boxes. Think 1 in each corner of his room and 1-2 in the middle of the room (I know, not ideal for a kitchen) or, you can try crating him in a large dog crate (this may be a good option when you are not home to supervise him), so that he doesn't have far to go to get to the box.
 

catpack

TCS Veteran
Kitten
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
3,271
Purraise
646
Location
Southeastern USA
I also want to add...
Have you mentioned the dribbling/leaking urine to the vet? It wouldn't be a bad idea to have him checked to see if he is able to do a full bladder void. Not being able to do so can lead to bladder infections and UTIs.
 
Top