They know where the box is, and how to use it, but...

[sparkyyy]

Hello~
My 2 little 8 week old kittens are recovering from a parasite issue.
I took them to the vet on Monday where they were given more dewormer and the one particularly sickly kitten was given antibiotics.
This guy had been having soft poops up until the vet, and now it's kind of 50/50... (I wonder if he's not improving... hmm) however his mood and lack of throwing up suggests he's on the mend.

Anyways, at night time I keep the two boys in my bedroom with me.
My reasoning is that I worry about letting them roam the whole apartment as they may get lost, scared, and have accidents since it's so big to them. I can tell they're not familiar with the layout of the house yet, because if I leave the room they begin to cry as if I've completely disappeared from the face of the earth, lol. 

That being said, my bedroom is small. I keep the litter box, food dishes and a small bed for them all on one side of the room (no the box is not in super close proximity to the food.) They have used the box many times now and we hadn't had any accidents in a few days. I was really happy with their progress. Well last night, despite a crystal clean uncovered litter box (in the spot it's always in) one of the boys ventured to the other side of the room and pooped in the corner. I awoke to the smell at about 2am, got up, cleaned it, and when I woke up again this morning at 6- he had pooped there again, but this time twice! I hate to blame just one kitty but the piles were soft, which is kind of a dead giveaway. 

My question is:
1) They've gone whole nights with no accidents and I always keep the box in the same spot and meticulously clean... They know where it is and have used it many times. WHY the sudden change?
2) Are the accidents a form of "acting out", or would you chalk it up to him being sick and having emergencies?

I'm worried that he's maybe not learning the box is the only place he should be going... and that he views it as an option rather than a rule!
 

 

[Willowy]

At this age, add more boxes. They're just babies and you want to encourage a lifetime of good litterbox habits. You can use anything that will hold litter--dispoable roasting pans, cheap storage totes, even cardboard boxes (if you change them often). You want it to solidify in their little baby minds that litter is the only substance to go potty on. And so the more boxes, the better! At this age, if they can't see a litterbox, they might not have the attention span to go looking for one. You can remove the extras as they get older.

Alos, try Kitten Attract litter. Good stuff. Petsmart has it, and you can check their website for other locations in your area.

 

[sparkyyy]

Hmm, the reason I haven't is because I've noticed that when a litter box is in a certain spot and gets removed or placed elsewhere, the cat may still pee in that spot. Have you experienced this?

The first day I had the box in the living room and the boys used it a few times. After that it's been in the bedroom spot the whole time. I find that they still scratch around the area it used to be in, and sometimes even squat there- but I've always been able to pick them up and put them in the litter before they go.

 

[vball91]

I do think that's due to them being young kittens. I have moved the litter box a few times, making sure she watched me doing it, and I've never had a problem.

I would second more boxes and using Kitten Attract litter.

 

[sparkyyy]

Hey guys,

Last night I hit up the pet store and talked to the clerk. She asked me if I was scooping every day, and I said "yes, virtually every time they go." She said "don't. If you can handle the smell, try leaving some in the box." The pheromones bring the kitten back to the box in the same way that a pet may urinate on your couch because they smell pheromones from their own or another pet's urine on it from a previous accident.

I've been using nature's miracle on all the accidents outside of the box and scrubbing them meticulously. I bought a natural clay litter with a 7 day odour guarantee. Now I don't think I can leave the box for 7 days because I personally think that's a little cruel (they'd practically be swimming in it). But I poured some of the clay litter over the existing natural (unscented) litter they had used all day, and I awoke to a clean bedroom with no accidents and the litter box getting lots of use. Plus! The smell didn't make me gag. What's great about this litter is that I can't smell the scents but they still can. Here's hoping the problem is solved and in a month or so, I can go back to scooping more frequently without worry.

 

[Willowy]

Oh, yeah, that is one thing that can work for young kittens, I always forget to mention it. You can (and should) still scoop, maybe once a day or once every other day (I wouldn't recommend going longer than that!), because you don't want a dirty box, but always leave a piece of poop or a little wet litter for the scent. And whenever you change it, put a little dirty litter in the fresh stuff. Just enough so the kitties can smell it.

 

[catspaw66]

You should also get an enzyme cleaner, like Nature's Miracle or NokOut and clean the area where he pooped with that.  Until you use enzymes, they will still be able to smell it.

The 7-day odor guarantee is evidently from highly scenting the litter.  I bought some once that made ME gag. The unused part went on the driveway when it iced over that winter.