Litter Train

Hi everyone! I'm new here.
3 days ago I adopted an 8 week old black female kitten. I love watching her learn and grow. I'm not sure if it was her first time, but last night I heard her purr for the first time, and now she's learning to jump and pounce. As it is her fist time in a lot of things, I had a lot of first experiences with her myself. Like last night, A kitten peed on me for the first time. All I know was that I felt something hot touching my stomach... Ewwww.
She would also pee on my bed, and poo on my carpet. I've been trying to train her, but she will not stay in the litter box. Can anyone please give me some tips. Thank you!

Well, if you're using a 'scented' litter, I know a lot of cats don't like that. If you're using whatever litter, try one with a different texture as some can irritate their feet, or they just don't like it. Leave a little piece of poo or even pee in the box so she gets the idea, and don't have the box (for now) so far away she forgets it. Put her in the box and 'walk' her forepaws a couple of times so she really gets it, and if all of those don't work... well, she's still a baby!

I could be totally wrong here, but from some things I've learned here on the site, I think 8 weeks may have been a little young for her to be away from her mom. Of course I don't know the story, if you got her from a shelter, if she was even with her mom, etc. Maybe she was never around a mom cat to show her how to do it? I'm sure people with more knowledge can answer better!

Originally Posted by AshleyNicole

I could be totally wrong here, but from some things I've learned here on the site, I think 8 weeks may have been a little young for her to be away from her mom. Of course I don't know the story, if you got her from a shelter, if she was even with her mom, etc. Maybe she was never around a mom cat to show her how to do it? I'm sure people with more knowledge can answer better!

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Actually, six weeks is about the perfect age for a kitten to leave it's mother. We brought home our babies at about four weeks, and have had absolutely no problem. They're now almost two, and didn't have any difficulty learning. They were already weaned from nursing and had been eating solid food for about a week when we brought them home (which is really the important thing, and happens about then). Usually four weeks is a bit early, but I was watching, and they were ready.

As far as her learning, don't worry, KittenBella, she'll learn. Like Larke said, you might try not using a scented litter (if you are), and when she goes somewhere undesired, soak up some of the pee with toilet paper, and put the paper in the litterbox. She'll smell it, and get the idea. Also be sure to put poop that strays from the box in it as well. Cats aren't difficult to train. It's a natural inclination to go somewhere that they can cover the spots they've gone in...to cover their tracks in the wild.

Yes, she's young, but when she smells her "stuff" in the box, she'll get the idea. If her peeing around continues for another couple weeks, I would consider taking her in (as it might be a health issue), but it sounds like she's just learning.

Another thing...put her litterbox in the area she's peeing most frequently. Then she'll see it, and like I said, would rather use IT than the floor that doesn't have anything loose she can cover it with.

Let us know how it goes, ok?

Kittens shouldn't leave their mum before 8 weeks, although 12 is preferable. Kittens may be weaned at 6 weeks, but between 6 and 8 weeks they learn a lot of socialisation skills from their mum and siblings. 4 weeks is just way to young, I have only fostered one lot of kittens, they were 5 weeks old and not eating properly on their own.

You could try wiping the rim of the litter tray with her urine, this should help her associate it with the smell. If she uses it, it might be worth leaving the contents in so she can smell that is her toilet. Are you using the same litter as the place you got her from?

Originally Posted by booktigger

Kittens shouldn't leave their mum before 8 weeks, although 12 is preferable. Kittens may be weaned at 6 weeks, but between 6 and 8 weeks they learn a lot of socialisation skills from their mum and siblings. 4 weeks is just way to young, I have only fostered one lot of kittens, they were 5 weeks old and not eating properly on their own.

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Wow...ok. Everything I've read said between six and eight weeks is preferable. I'm not recommending taking a kitten home at such a young age as four weeks...I was more stating that if the kitty is eating solid food and has been weaned, she should be fine. Ours had a mama that did not feed them properly, and they weaned themselves on their own. Granted, if they had been in my home at the time, things would have gone differently, but as their mama was owned by someone else, I really didn't have much control over the situation. Needless to say, they ate wet Iams Kitten food for a while after coming home with us, and since then have had regular food (of course, the kitten food was per the correct schedule...which I cannot think of exactly off the top of my head), and we've never had any real problems with them eating (the only thing we've ever encountered is that Sunny will ONLY eat that kitten wet food...not ANY other kind of wet food).

Bottom line, I don't profess to be a kitten weaning expert, but I would think that if the kitty has been eating food regularly and successfully for a week, they're weaned and ok to take home.

I think also in our case, it was a bit of a special circumstance (which I probably should have added), as their mama didn't want to feed them (we had to hold her down for them to be able to nurse), and her "sister" had to step in and give them milk. Another thing that might have made the difference was the fact that their mama didn't spend any time with them...they had to learn social graces on their own anyway. Another thing...they are VERY close...and I think that made quite a difference.

I apologize for not having specified these things earlier.

One thing I have to state though, is that I think it depends also on the mom and the kittens themselves. If the mom doesn't LET them learn, it will take them longer. Whereas, if the mom doesn't care, they will at times either learn faster, or MUCH slower. Depends.

Congratulations on rescuing your new family member!!
She is still young yet, and may have had trouble locating the litter box. I have only let a kitten leave as early as 10 weeks old a couple of times, but most of the time it is at least 12 weeks old, and has been up to 14 weeks old. Kittens are still learning many social skills from the mother at that time.
I would suggest putting her in a smaller room, with her food, water, and litter box, when she can't be supervised. She learn where her things are, and in a couple of days, you can give her a little more room, but help her to find her litter box again. Another thing, is if she does eliminate outside the box again, clean it up with a paper towel and put the waste in the litterbox. Clean the area with an enzyme cleaner to remove the smell completely, you might also try a product called Feliway, (although I am unsure if it works the same on young kittens?)
Good luck, things will get easier with time.

Here is a link that will help others to understand why kittens shouldn't leave the mother until at least 12 weeks. http://www.breedlist.com/faq/young.html

Originally Posted by FamilytimeRags

Here is a link that will help others to understand why kittens shouldn't leave the mother until at least 12 weeks. http://www.breedlist.com/faq/young.html

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Wow...ok. I didn't realize I would get such a strong response to what I said, when I was just voicing my opinion, and I thought that's what we're here for. I understand cats very well, but thank you for providing the article.

I strongly believe that each cat is different, and wouldn't suggest any one specific path to take for every cat. Of course I wouldn't suggest to take a kitten away from his/her mother before the kitten is ready and/or weaned properly or completely. What I was stating is that each kitty is different, and that should be taken into account. Sorry I was so misunderstood.

Anyway, there you go...again, thank you for providing the article. I'm sure it'll be helpful to the original poster.

Edit: I'd like to also put in my response the fact that our kitties had completely stopped nursing by the time we brought them home...due to what I've said above about their mother not wanting to nurse them. They have always been perfectly healthy, and we've never had any problems other than Sunny's unwillingness to eat wet food (which is just a preference thing), as I am completely aware and compitant in taking care of a young kitten. As I've also said, theirs was a very special circumstance.

I've seen many kittens go home between six and eight weeks with absolutely none of the problems the article you provided suggests, so I honestly wouldn't worry about it. I've seen a lot of articles that provide unnecessary worries and problems, to make it a blanket statement so the people that take home kitties that are completely unaware of how to take care of a kitten that young won't have any problems. If the owner is aware of how to provide for and take care of a young kitten, there won't be a problem. Yes, the longer a kitten is with her mother, the better your situation will be, and the less you'll have to do in providing differently for that kitten than you would an older kitty. But that does not mean you cannot take them home at six to eight weeks of age. It just means if you choose younger, you have more work cut out for you, and have more to teach that kitten. I guarantee you that the people that had kittens that wound up having the problems listed in the article were either completely unaware of what it took to have a kitty that young, or were special circumstances...and NOT the norm. If you are educated in what to do, and are sure to take the kitten home completely weaned, there won't be a problem.

I'd also like to point out that when I posted originally about my kitties, and what age they were when they were brought home, NO ONE had a problem with it. No one posted I brought them home at too young an age. There will be people that agree with me, and people who won't. It's a fact of life. It doesn't mean that ONE opinion is correct and has to be pushed. It just means that different people (including the person that wrote the article) have different ideas and opinions.

My post or link provided, was not made directly at you. Everyone is entitled to thier opinion, and you are right not every kitten that leaves its mother before the articles suggested time, is going to have problems. This forum is here to provide help and education to others.
It isn't just kittens I feel that way about, I also believe puppies should stay with their Mother and littermates longer than the typical 8 weeks. This is just my opinion based on the research and experience I have had with cats and kittens.
I feel a kitten going into a new home at 12 weeks has a better advantage than one going at 6-8 weeks, because of the certain social skills they learn from Mom and littermates, the adoptive parents can bring home their kitten, and it is completely litter trained, eating dry kibble, a nice grasp on what surfaces are acceptable for scratching. It also gives the kitten a chance to be vaccinated properly before bringing it into a new enviroment.
There are many kittens out there living in foster homes that are hand reared, that turn out to be wonderful pets, the foster families put in a lot of work to feed, socialize, and train. Of course, there are kittens that will continue going home between 6-8 weeks old, and some (if not most will do just fine), but the fact remains as you said, "Yes, the longer a kitten is with her mother, the better your situation will be, and the less you'll have to do in providing differently for that kitten than you would an older kitty." That is only the point I am trying to make, that if the kitten stays a little longer, the less the adoptive parent has to do.
I haven't ever had a kitten wean as young as 4 weeks old, ours typically start becoming introduced to solids at 4 weeks old, and they have a strong grasp on eating the mush at 6 weeks old. We don't begin adding dry kibble until 8 weeks of age, but it is left down and provided at all times, if they choose to start dry kibble before 8 weeks old.
I apologize if I offended you, that was not my intention at all. This is just my opinion, and the link provided, is what I have referred others to, in the past.
I am very glad that the 4 week old kittens that you adopted turned out to be wonderful, healthy adults.
Sincerely,
Stormi

Stormi,

Thank you so much for clarifying. Yes, four weeks was VERY young, but I made sure they were able to actually survive on their own before bringing them home. The owner of their mother didn't know much of anything about kitten litters and what to do for them, so he introduced solid (and I mean kibble, mind you) WAY too early (at 3.5 weeks). By the time I brought them home, they were totally capable to eat the wet Iams kitten food we gave them, as I had taken it over to his place for our two as soon as I knew he wasn't bothering to force their mother to let them nurse anymore.

As I've mentioned, the good thing was the fact that the two of them (Sunny and Hobbes) are totally inseparable, and really helped each other learn and grow when they were so young. Of course, their humans did a lot, too. I was working at home at the time, so I was able to give them the attention, time, and teaching-of-social-graces, etc. that they needed.

At any rate, I posted what I did because I didn't want KittenBella to worry about having brought home an eight week old kitten. I didn't mean in my post that four weeks is ok...more that eight should be just fine if I was able to raise mine the way that I did, and have them turn out perfectly healthy and great in the social department.

I hope that makes sense. Sorry to jump all over ya! I've actually received a couple snarky replies today, so I think I was just a bit on edge. I'm sorry...

Friends?