using a covered litterbox

how do you train a kitten to use the covered litterbox? we always used the open ones before, but since the smell got kinda bad in my small apartment i bought a booda dome. i've left it open for about three days, but yesterday i put on the cover. both my kitties came up and looked at it, the boy meowed at me (like "where is my litter box!") and they didn't go in there. in the end i had to uncover it again.

any ideas on how to help them use the covered box?

Good advice, though I had a hard time deciphering the chatspeak. Give it a try. But you should realize some cats just won't use a covered box, so you may have no option but to go back to the open box. Remember, if it smelled bad to you, a cat's sense of smell is much more acute than ours, and covering it confines the smell in a small space.

I bought Oliver a covered box, but I had to take off the door... no amount of training got him to go even near the box when the door was on... so I took the door off and he jumped right in - it still helps to contain the smell in my small apartment (as well as contain the litter), but he can (and usually does) stick his head out the front once he's gone in and circled a few times and does the "pee face" out the front of the box while he's goin... try takin the door off and see if theyre better with it

Oliver & Dara,

But I think is only depend on your need , Coz if you whole point of getting a cover litter box before you don't want the sand to be so messy in the house the the answer is YES you can remover the FLAP door.

But if your concern if about less odor smell then you might wanna used the method like Horatio is teaching that you should teach your cat how to go into the litter box...

P/s : Just a pcs of opinion if i am wrong please correct me hehehe...

if it has a door, take the door off.

Or a string or toy. I know you don't want your cat to think that the litter box is a fun house, but the point is to get them accustomed to the box after they start use it remove the toy

I didn't even have to take the door off -- Clyde and Pearl took one look and, in a stunning display of cooperative dexterity, tore the door from its flimsy plastic hinges and kited it down the stairs. :-)

I have the booda dome for my kitty, it didn't come with a door so it didn't pose any problems. I think she thought of the cover litter box as a game. See how fast she could run at it and jump through the hole. She doesn't do that anymore, but it was amazing to watch.

Beth

My cat was afraid at first also. I took the door off in the beginning and it took him a few days to get used to that. After about 2 weeks, I put the door back on and just kept putting him in it. It took a while but he finally did it. It's soooo much better. There's no smell at all now!

i was going to mention what others have mentioned, that some cats don't like covered boxes.

mine are ok with them. i have 2 of the old-style extra-giant covered van ness boxes & 2 tidy cats covered boxes. but neither came with a door. i think mine would be thoroughly offended at a door & my "special" one probably wouldn't be able to work it.

If the smell is that bad you should change their diet to a higher quality food. Or clean the box more often.

When I first got a covered litterbox, he wouldn't go in there either, well not on his own anyway. I just put him in front of the entrance, and gave him a gentle push into it. Next thing I new he was peeing away