Confused Kittens

[Bri1976]

I have two kittens that will be 5 or 6 weeks old in 2 days and they don’t seem to use the litter box at all. I’ve put them in it and they sniff around but then try to eat the litter (it’s non-clumping). They know what they’re suppose to do but I think they’re confused on where to potty at and I’m not exactly sure what to do. Any suggestions?

 

[SAKitty]

I had the same problem with kittens I fostered awhile ago. They were just going on the floor still and I thought they would have known where to go by then. Lol.
Is the litter box near by to them? I had to place mine near the nest mom and kittens were still using to sleep in.
I also started to train them myself so after a feeding (they were still nursing but also weaning and eating kitten food) I would place them into the litter box. If they just jumped right back out, I would leave them for a bit (maybe 10 min) and put them back in and sure enough they would go.
I would also catch them when they looked like they were trying to find a spot to go on the floor and place them into the litter box. So if I was sitting there playing with them and one was squatting - into the litter box he'd go!

I did have one who was completely lost and I had to stimulate him a few times to go while I held him in the litter box. But it only took 3 times of me doing that and he caught on.

All of this took about 3-4 days of consistency (no I wasn't able to catch EVERY pee or poo accident) but I did my best. They learned very fast.

Plus they started watching mom more once I moved the box closer!

 

[kashmir64]

It also helps if when you put them in the box, take the front paws and show them how to 'dig' in the box.
With my two brats (they didn't have a mom to teach them) I kept them in an animal playpen with the litter box in it. Once they learned this is where they need to go, then I moved them out, but kept the box in sight of them. You know the saying "out of sight, out of mind". It's literal with kittens.

 

[lacy2000]

Sometimes I’ll put the kittens in the box and pretend to dig in it. Other times I will grab their little paws if they'll allow it and make them dig it themselves.

I’ve also seen other foster moms that sit and watch their kittens and as soon as they look like they are going to use the bathroom, pick them up and put them in the box.