housetraining advice, please

crazycatnipper

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Hi--

I haven't had kitens for over 20 years (always got older cats from the SPCA), but now have the honor of adopting 2 beautiful little kitties from the neighbor's cat.

I brought them home last night and they seemed to be adjusting fine. This morning, however, one of them pooped on my bed, and the other one peed on it.

I always thought that you only had to show them the litter box and scratch their paws in the litter to teach them where to go. Obviously, I was wrong


I didn't yell at them or anything, just picked them up and showed them the box again. I'm hoping this will be the last time it happens.

Have I done something wrong with the trainning? The box was just in the next room, not so far away, is brand new, and I am using silica litter. I wonder if that is the problem. I have never used anything other than clay litter in the past, but was advised by the pet store that this is much better. The cat box is also in asecluded place, so kitty privacy is not an issue.

Any help would be appreciated, and I still love my kitties as jch as ever!
 

spirit

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Hi


When I first brought Boo-Kitty home she pee'd on my bed the first two nights... It was frustrating but I just remained persistent (like you in showing her where the litterbox was)... When she pooped outside the litterbox I put her poop IN the litter box so she could smell it...

Persistence and patience... PP

hehe

I am going to be working on changing kitty litter BEFORE the kittens (4 days old) will be using the litter, so they will be used to the silica from the get go...

anyways, good luck!

 

hissy

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How old are your kittens? If they are 12 weeks or under they should still be with mom because she is one who trains them about litterpans. If they are baby kittens you need a lot of litter pans - I use the throwaway pans (cake pans) you can buy at the grocery store- they are cheap, and the kittens find them easier to use than the regular pans. If your kittens haven't been to a vet yet, it is a good thing to get them there.

Small kittens should be fed in a bathroom with the pans inside far enough away from the food not to be a health issue and left there at least 2 hours after eating, then let back out into the house-
 

bcyprus

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hi a couple of weeks ago i was fostering a 12wk old stray kitten that was not litter trained i found putting her in there after she had eaten and i dug in there with my hands while she was in there really helped hope this helps you
 
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crazycatnipper

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Thank you for your messages!!!!!!!!

My babies are 7 weeks old, and the neighbors were quite insistent that I take them now.

To tell you the truth, I don't have the heart to lock them in the bathroom, so what I have been doing now is taking them to the box every two hours, and.......

They figured out that it's their bathroom!!!!!!!!!


They have each peed there twice, and I have praised them and given them a treat each time. They do seem to like to stay on the bed with us as much as possible, and they seem really secure the way things are set up now, so I am going to stay the course this way and hope for the best. Thank God someone is home 24 hours a day so they can be supervised and encouraged to learn. I also have tons of patience and don't freak out at poop accidents (I see a lot of poop in my work
).

This silica gel is wild! When I last had a catbox, they didn't make this stuff. It seems great for apartment dwellers, as it will take the small away completely...if the package can be believed.

Anyway, I am just so happy to have litties again. I haven't had a cat since 2000, when my last one died after 16 years of being my best friend. I had almost forgotten what a joy they are.

Thanks again and I am glad I found this forum.
 
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crazycatnipper

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Update: Well, I bow to the wisdom of this forum, and will now be keeping Ella and Louis in the bathroom at night or get a second litter box for the bedroom. It is 8am here and I woke up to a wet bed.

They're little darlings, but I can't be changing the bed every day, and I don't want them to learn bad habits early. It's a shame, because I like falling to sleep with the by me, but I look at it as a short term investment for long term rewards.
 

spirit

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yep, keep on keepin on! I Understand your frustration, COMPLETELY...

I have a 7 yr old female cat that pees on the couch if she gets locked in the house with no way out... grrr... LOL but I love her!

I would bring a litter box in the bedroom before locking them in the bathroom all night... Just my personal opinion...
OR, you could get a plastic sheet so it doesnt ruin your mattress, while they are still learning... heheh

I cant wait to try the silica litter! I had no idea it was so great til recently...

anyways, GOOD LUCK!
 
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crazycatnipper

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Actually, I decided to keep them in the kitchen tonight, and not the bathroom. They have their litter box there, and a shelf stacked with placemats that they have made into a little nest, so I think they will be happy enough there for the night. And it will be nice to sleep through the night tonight
They seem to think 3am is the PERFECT time to play with my hair and bite my ears.

Also, and maybe I am paraniod, but they are so small I am afraid I or my partner may roll over on them in the night. Kitty pancake is not on my wish list.

They are learning, slowly but surely. I got home from work this evening and checked the catbox: sure enough there were a few odorous treats for me to clean away. I had been getting worried at not seeing anything in the box, so now I can sleep easier.

But even with the setbacks and sleep deprivation, I am so happy we got them! They have already added so much to our lives, and it is the first week, still.
 
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