kitty pooping

Hi everyone. I jus got a new kitten. He was stray. I am taking to the vet next week for his shots. He's very good. Started using his litter box right away and is very sociable. However, whenever my sister and I leave him alone in the house he will poop in the same spot in the bathroom (the opposite end of the apartment) i am assuming its because he wants to tell us he doesnt want to be left alone but i am not sure how to discipline him and how to stop this. We cant be there all the time. We have school and jobs. Can anyone give me any advice?

thanks

more info please ... how old is the kitten ?? how many litter boxes do you have?? what type of litter used ?? Is food out all the time??

The golden rule with litter boxes is to have one per cat, plus one. So you should have two boxes, and judging by kitties behaviour I'd say the other one needs to go where he's pooping now! Some cats don't like to pee and poop in the same box, they want seperate ones for each function. Maybe there's something around the first box that he doesn't like - loud noise, washing machine, too exposed? Cats like to feel safe when they use the litterbox as in nature they are most vulnerable at this time, make sure that when he uses the box he can get a good view around him, but also it's private enough for him to feel secure. Make sure the box isn't tucked away in a dark corner where he may forget where it is!

Is his litterbox kept clean? Cats are naturally clean creatures and he may poop outside the box as a way of telling you it's not clean enough! Check the litter you're using too, he may not like it.

If you think he may be lonely, have you considered a playmate for him? The devil makes work for idle paws, and two kittens will keep each other out of mischief as well as providing company for each other when you're not there!

Good luck and good on you for adopting a stray baby!

he is about 3 months old.. we have one litter box.. (one kitten) its a brand called cats pride.. food is out all the time.. not much however.. he is really good eating.. he doesnt eat it all at once.. he goes back for more when he's hungry...

he does poop in his litter box while we are home. However whenever one of us leaves the house and he is by himself he will go and poop in the bathroom. Like i said im not sure exactly why but i think its because he is mad because he is being left alone. Unfortunately right now i cant get another kitten.

i appreciate the advice. i will try another litter box to see if that works and ask the vet when we go, but i was wondering if there is anyway to discipline him from doing this. Since we dont see him do it, im not sure how to tell him its not okay. again, im not so sure its a problem with not wanting to use his litter box, but more because he's mad we left.

thanks and let me know what u think!

Hi again

There's no way you can disipline him unless you catch him in the act. Cat's don't associate punishment with the crime, they just think that you're being mean to them. You need to correct the behaviour with positive reinforcement of good behaviour - try making a fuss of him each time he uses the litter box!

I doubt that he's doing it out of spite, maybe he doesn't like the litter box position and only feels safe using it when you're home? You also need to get an enzyme cleaner to clean the bathroom spot, if a kitten can smell a place he's been before then he'll continue to go there again. Maybe the first time was an accident, but now he assumes it's ok because he can still smell himself there?

Leaving food down all day isn't a problem for a 3 month old kitten, they need to eat little and often (although I would recommend dry food, as wet food gets yucky too quickly)!

What's his name by the way?

his name is bently.. thank you for your help

Did you read this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...threadid=19767

Katie