Kitten is litter trained, but keeps going outside his box?

[carlymarie]

I rescued a 10 week old kitten a few days ago. He has been home for 3 days now, and while getting him used to the house I have had his litter and food and water in my room with me. He is litter trained, and the first thing he did when he got home was pee in his litter box. He has done his business there, he knows where it is and its clean, but we've had 3 accidents. Twice he pooped and just recently he peed. I put some aluminim foil where he pooped and he hasnt done it since. He sat in my laundry basket and peed, so I put foil there too but he jumped in and has been playing with the foil since. Any tips? Im a bit worried because its obvious he knows where he is supposed to go.

When I see him do it, I always pick him up and put him in his box, when I did it when he peed, he kept peeing. He is comfortable in the house and around my family, he adjusted really well, so I dont think its stress or anything. He purrs ALL the time. Any tips, tricks or ideas as to why he is doing this would be awesome. Thanks!

 

[dragulescugirl]

Do you have other cats? Sometimes multi-cat homes need multiple boxes. 

 

[carlymarie]

I have 2 cats and 2 litter boxes
 

 

[dragulescugirl]

There are some here with a bit more experience with me, and I'm sure you heard about 1 box per cat... so I'm wondering if he can smell the other cats have used that box and is uncomfortable so he doesn't want to use it. Has the other cat used the box you've given him to use? 

I'm not a great help on this - I've been lucky enough to have 4 cats use 1 box and never complain. 

 

[carlymarie]

Hey, dont put yourself down, anything helps, really. (:

Since he is new and still getting used to the house, I have his litter box upstairs with me, and the other cats litter box downstairs. Although when he is downstairs with us during the day. sometimes he uses the other cats litter box downstairs.

So, the little one, Quinn, has used both litter boxes. My older cat, Bimmer, has only used his own.
 

 

[dragulescugirl]

Hmmm... 

Where he improperly went to the bathroom, is it far from the litter box?

I'm wondering if he was just being playful and then had the urge to go and couldn't make it. 

 

[carlymarie]

He specifically went over twice to poop. I wish that was the case, but I don't think so.

 

[dragulescugirl]

I just don't know! When my two younger ones were kittens they had a couple of accidents but they soon figured it all out. 

I hope one of our more experienced members can chime in. 

EDIT TO ADD: See if there are any related issues in this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/61/litter-box-advice-with-marilyn-krieger

 

[tulosai]

1.  10 weeks is still really young.  Accidents at that age are common even when they know where the box is and usually use it.  Knowing where it is and using it most of the time unfortunately does not equal fully trained.  He may just need some more time.  Also, neutering sometimes helps boys get it fully under control (that more for the pee than for the pooping).  If this is what it is, you are going to be in for a few frustrating weeks, but you just need to be patient and pay close attention.  Pick him up and put him in the box after he eats, after he sleeps, and any time you catch him in the act.  I actually think this is way more likely than you seem to think (that he is just not fully trained, I mean) and that time and a bit of effort may solve the issue. 

2. I also think you discounted the box being too far away too quickly.  I get what you are saying about his having run back to the box before, but each time can be different when they are that little.  It is entirely possible that he was ignoring an urge to go while playing or exploring and by the time he realized he really did have to go, NOW, it really was too late for him to run back even though he has run back at other times.   This is just something he will get better at with experience.  The easy fix for it is to add more boxes.

3.  I would add at least one more box.  The 'rule' is actually number of cats +1, but like all cat 'rules' this is just a guideline.  Some cats will tolerate one (like a poster above said)  other times you will need 4 or 5 boxes for 2 cats.  Yeah, it can be annoying, but adding one more box and seeing what happens  (both so boxes will be closer and to make sure it is not a territorial issue) is something I'd seriously recommend.

4.  If this continues, I also would consider going to the vet and ruling out medical causes.  At this point, I think it is most likely he is a kitten and being a kitten, but if you really think that's not it, medical issues should be examined.

5.  Also, make sure the boxes are clean, but not *too* clean.  Sometimes at that age they still need a hint about where to go, but like all cats they will not want to go if it is too dirty.  With 2 cats I'd be scooping a minimum of twice a day with this issue being present, but also leave a bit in the box each time ( and I do mean just a bit).