Will Kitten know where to pee?

[sleepzombie]

Me again!

Just brought home a 8 week old kitten today. She had a long day, playing with her new big brother, exploring, napping, doing it all over again.

We went to bed down for the night and decided to bring kitten in the bedroom with us since big brother is 1 year old and we wanted to be sure she wouldn't get over powered by him by accident... AND we were worried she might not know where to pee and wanted to confine her to one place so we'd be able to look for any spots in the morning.

We set up a bag with some litter on it for her to use. Straight away she went for the kibble that had been left over from earlier and ate some of that. Then she jumped up on the bed, played with our feet a little...

...then peed.

She's in the bathroom now with the litter and we hope that'll help things but please help! Will she learn where to go eventually? Like I said she's 8 weeks old and lived in a garage with her mom until we took her home today.

 

[minka]

When I took in a stray kitten, the first thing she did was pee on the bed as well, but she was super skinny and probably didn't feel good.

What do you mean by you put the litter on a bag though? It should be in a small litter box and not be clay. I would put her in a bathroom with food and litter and only take her out after she's done her business in the litter box. Cats usually dont need any training to know to go in one.

 

[taryn]

If all else fail use Kitten Attract litter. I litterbox trained 9 outdoor kittens using it. Attitude and Nuts were in that litter and as far as I know they never used anything but the box indoors(except for Attitude once and that was because she had the runs, which wasn't her fault.)

Taryn

 

[ducman69]

Its instinctual and litterbox use is also observed from mom and siblings.

8 weeks is still very young though so they are still learning like a little child, so confining to a single safe room for now, w/ a nearby litterbox would be smart.

IMO, the safest good clumping litter for such very young kittens (and great for adults too) is Swheat Scoop Multicat. You can buy it at Petsmart cheapest in the giant 40lb bags, and the litter lasts a very long time.

For a litterbox, just about anything will do, but make sure the litter is at least 2" deep. Just placing kitty in there should be enough so she recognizes what it is, and when she uses it you can softly praise her like she's pooping diamonds for you. Personally, I'm a fan of the Omega Paw rolling litterbox, because I hate scooping, so that one you just roll and it sifts the poo/pee for you. Its the top selling litterbox on amazon.com.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/...8c279acc_o.jpg

Its recommended to have as many litterboxes as you have cats + 1. So two cats = three litterboxes ideally. You probably know all this, but figured it might help lurkers w/ new kittens reading the thread.

GRATS on your new furbaby!!!

 

[mrblanche]

At that age, kittens have the bathroom habits of a 3-year-old human, which is to say, if the toilet isn't convenient, they might not find it.

Put the kitten in a small room, perhaps a bathroom, with a tile floor, a low-sided litter box (we frequently use a cake pan), food, and water. After a night or two, you shouldn't have a problem.

Now, the bad news. You need to clean the bedding very thoroughly, and if the urine made it to the mattress, you need to clean it with an enzymatic cleaner.

 

[sleepzombie]

Thanks everyone for the advice!

By bag I mean just that... a shopping back with the litter on it. We wanted to be sure the older cat still had access to the potty so we left him with the real deal and gave her a makeshift until we could get a second litter.

Sadly we have a small apartment so we can't get more than two.

Any suggestions on a good enzyme cleaner? We have some from the pet isle at wal-mart but I'm not sure that that'll be good enough.

 

[just mike]

Originally Posted by sleepZombie

Thanks everyone for the advice!

By bag I mean just that... a shopping back with the litter on it. We wanted to be sure the older cat still had access to the potty so we left him with the real deal and gave her a makeshift until we could get a second litter.

Sadly we have a small apartment so we can't get more than two.

Any suggestions on a good enzyme cleaner? We have some from the pet isle at wal-mart but I'm not sure that that'll be good enough.

I've always had good luck with Nature's Miracle. I've not cared much for the Oxy stuff in the orange bottle. Those are the 2 I've had experience with. Looks like everyone else gave you the best advice possible on litter training. Don't worry, the kitty will use the potty. It is a natural thing for them to do and usually catch onto it pretty quickly.

 

[sleepzombie]

Gaah, I'm so worried.

This kitten hasn't gone potty for a full day. I feel like I've got a kitten pee bomb walking around the house. Tried the putting her in the bathroom with food and litter trick to encourage her to go but she just ended up SLEEPING in it. It's even the Kitten Attract stuff.

By the time we get up in the morning she's crying her little eyes out and is so desperate for company that all she'll do is cuddle the person who came in to free her to death.

So... everyone says it's just natural so I guess I'll just trust that knowledge and cross my fingers.

Edit: Oh my gosh I just followed her into the bathroom where she had her first tinkle in the litter. I almost cried it was so amazing.

THANK YOU to everyone who suggested the litter to me and encouraged me that it would come naturally to her!!