my kitten is not using the litter box. i can not seem to catch her going to the bathroom to put her in the box. what can i do to teach this 9 week old kitten?
I am no expert for sure but from what I have learned here you should keep your kitten in one room with the litter box and her food and water but not too close to the litter box. After she starts using it regulary you can let her out. But the box should not be so far away that she might not get back to it in time and have an accident. You will here from others here who have more experience. Good luck with your baby.
I had to put my kitten in the bathroom with the litterbox. It took a few days and then things were fine. You also might want to buy another litterbox if you think she can not get to it in time. Also you may want to take her to the vet to see if she has a UTI. Good Luck!!
Remember that the bladder of a nine week old cat is veeeeery small. And, kittens have so much fun exploring and playing that they realize way too late that their tiny bladders are too full. Even if they want to make it to the litter box, they just can't hold it and they have an accident.
So, carry the kitten to the litter box every other hour, but don't force it to get in. Just carry it in and put it down near the box so it will remember to go if it needs to (and it may not need to).
When you're not home, confine the kitten to the room with the litter box as the others suggested.
Once the kitten is a little older, you'll find that the problem will go away.
Remember to clean all of the old accidents with an enzymatic cleanser so she won't think of the old dirty spots as appropriate places to pee.
The kitten is too young to know where the litter box is - it is like expecting a baby to be potty trained. As it is kittens are amazingly smart and it does not take long. Your kitten needs to go into a small room or a cage for at least a week - he must consistently use the litter before you give him the run of the house. My personal kittens stay in a room until they are at least twelve weeks old and then they are old enough to find their litter themselves and are given the run of the house - if they have a relapse they go back into the room. You can bring the kitten out of the room with you as long as you are giving it attention - otherwise have a bed, litter, food, toys and if you have another cat, let that cat keep the kitten company a couple of hours a day.
Confining the kitten to one room (eg. bathroom) when you aren't actually cuddling or playing with it sounds like a good idea. One thing that I have always done is to place the kitty in the litter tray after every meal, and gently scratch its paws in the litter. It's always worked for me.
Alex was confined to one room at first, too. I picked up Alex's little poops the second time he had an accident and put them in the box, then showed him. You could see the light go on in his head, "Oh, so that's where they go! What a great idea!"
I HAVE WRITTEN BEFORE ABOUT MY KITTENS PROBLEM WITHH GOING TO THE BATHHROOMM IIN THE LITTER BOX. SHE STILL WIILL NOT DO IT. I CAUGHT HER THIS MORNING AND PUT HER IN THE BOX TO POOP, BUT AFTER SHE DID THAT SHE WENT TO POOP IN ANOTHER PART OF THE ROOM. IT IS STARTING TO RIVE ME CRAZY. HELP!