kitten help

babykitten

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I have a 6 1/2 week old kitten who just doesn't understand the concept of using the litter box. When she has to go she always runs to the same places, meows and looks at me for help. I've been ready with the litter box in hands to run to where she is then put her in it. She will meow then get out and sniff the floor. I put her back in it and she does the same thing. Finally, I put her in it one last time and she does her business then covers it up. She is kind of on a schedule. She sleeps when I sleep. When I wake up and call for her she wakes up. I carry her in the kitchen and get her some warm milk. Soon after she eats she has to go to the bathroom, that is when I have to do what I described. Then she plays with me and her toys. She soon gets worn out then climbs up on the couch and falls asleep on me. Then this repeats until I go to bed. As far as I can see she doesn't use the bathroom anywhere when I'm not there with her. So, I'm afraid to be gone too long, because I'm afraid she won't go to the bathroom. I'm also pregnant, and could go into labor anytime, so I'm extremely worried about going to the hospital. Any advice about any of this please help! ASAP.
 

catnipwhiskers

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Woah!

Pregnant women should not be around feces, period.

Are you the only one in the house? You may need to hire help, because chemicals in animal feces can seriously harm a baby. This is a major concern that a doctor or animal shelter should have warned you about.

As for kitty going to the bathroom in the litterbox, maybe it's the box she doesn't like. Try different kinds. It may also be the litter. I believe there are litters out there that "attract" cats to want to go to the bathroom in the box.
 

momof3rugratz

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Do you give KMR or regular milk. Regular milk will give he a tummy ache. KMR is ok. Have you put the box where you say she always goes to. I know it is alot but use a few boxes maybe.
 
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babykitten

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my boyfriend is always at work so i'm really the only one in the house with the kitten. i have got her to the point where i can walk away from her and she can still go in the litter box even though i walked away. but i do have to pick the litter box up and carry it back to where i got it. i would try putting a litter box everywhere she likes to go because she goes nowhere else but the places are inconvenient she goes behind my loveseat i'm luck it is a fairly light loveseat because i have to pull it out. she also goes in the hallway. Yesterday, I left for about 5 or 6 hours i put her in the bathroom made sure there were no dirty clothes on the floor put her house food water and toys in there along with her litter box and she still didn't go
 
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babykitten

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basically but most of the time i make it to her with the box so she cant do anything on the floor. but she always makes sure that i am there with her. is it a security problem maybe. i have only had her for like five days and she is very attached already. my boyfriend said that she has to go if i cant teach her right now she is sitting on my shoulder watching me type. lol
 
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babykitten

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nope i was gonna wait a couple of weeks because my boyfriend is the only one working. but i thought that it is better for her to go soon she seems altogether healthy though she eats alot plays alot very hyper goes to the bathroom like two times or three a day. she is much like a baby she even wakes up looks at me and cries herself back to sleep she was with her mother until she was exactly 6 wks. but seems like she went through seperation well even she just acted like it was nothing.
 

missymotus

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6 1/2 weeks is too young to be away from momma, she's still a little baby so you'll have to give her some time to learn about litterboxes.
 
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babykitten

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do you think i have the right approach she watches me clean up her messes i even dropped some in the box i still think she is confused but overall she is a very smart energetic kitten how long should i wait before trying something else
 

zak&rocky

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Give her plenty of litter boxes. Your boyfriend should pick up whenever possible.
I would use gloves to pick up anything- there is a rare thing called toxoplasmosis, and pregnant women really aren't supposed to clean up after cats, though several people on this site have gone through pregnancies and used gloves with no problems.
 

arlyn

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Yes, please, please, please wear rubber gloves and a dust mask if you absolutely have to clean up after her.
 
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babykitten

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do you think that she will cope well when i have to stay in the hospital to have my baby. should she have access to the whole house or only the bathroom. i fell very badly about leaving her in the bathroom it makes me sad. also when i leave she goes behind the couch and dont come out i dont even know if she eats, because she is starving when i come home.
my boyfriend does change it because i try to avoid the litter box altogether, but i feel that it is better to run to her with the litterbox and catch her in the process and put her in it than have to scrub it on the floor.
 

momof3rugratz

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If she is like that I would put everything she needs in the bathroom and something with your smell so she feels more at home and comfortable.
 
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babykitten

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do you think that her feeling will be hurt? does she know that i'm not being mean? do you think that she will still like the bathroom after that?
 

catsallover

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She may be confused and maybe act like you've hurt her feelings, but learning new things can be hard on all children
and she will probably not think a thing about it once she learns. You might try a cat carrier, and put a small tupperware type bowl that covers about 1/3 to 1/2 of the carrier bottom with her litter in it, and let her out into the bathroom to eat and play, and then back in to go potty with you there with her to reassure her. Then work her up to going without you when she masters that, then just the litter box in the bathroom, etc. Then she'll learn to go find the box herself, or she will have to be with it uncovered (when she is starting in the cat carrier). But she is quite young and still learning- you just don't want her to learn to holler for you to come running with the box when she needs to go
-when she's 3, it won't be cute.
 
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babykitten

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do i put her in the bathroom after she is used to the rest of the house already? Should she go in when i am home or gone?
 

charmed654321

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First, you shouldn't give her milk. It not only will give her a tummy ache, it can give her diarrhea. I assume you're feeding her cat food the rest of the time.

She was taken from the mother a little too early, and that's probably why she's having a hard time emotionally. They learn these things from the mother. In fact, if the people who had her still have the mother and other kittens, since having a cat is not good for a pregnant woman, perhaps they could take the kitten back temporarily until you give birth and return home.

Taking back the kitten then would not only be safer for you and your baby, but it would give the kitten a chance to learn better habits from the mother.

In the meantime, or if that is not possible, moving the litterbox around is not a good idea. They need to get used to doing their business in one place, and by moving it, it might be confusing her more.

What I would suggest is getting a few small litterboxes, leaving one in the bathroom where you eventually want her to go, one behind the loveseat, and one in each place she is tending to go now. Once she begins to get the hang of it, you can try removing one at a time for a while each and see if she goes to one of the other litterboxes. And yes, leaving something like clump in the litterbox is a good idea, because it will remind her what it's for.

Also, an alternative to locking her in the bathroom is perhaps getting a large cage and keeping her in there with a bed, a litterbox, and some toys, and keeping that in the room with you so she's not alone.

Good luck!
 
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