Kitten piss is not cute

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

We adopted two kittens at the beginning of July, and they’re now 6 or 7 months old. I tried to wean them off the litter tray (they were neutered at 5 months and now get to go outside) but I keep finding piss in random places - usually on an item of clothing or the bath mat.

We tried: litter tray only at night, plenty of opportunity to go in and out during the day. Girl kitten in particular but I think both of them held poo all day and pooed in the tray as soon as it was put down.

Tray outside: they used it outside, but it gets waterlogged in the rain.

Emptying tray behind a bush in the garden to encourage them to go there: can’t tell if they have.

No tray at all: pee in random places.

Leaving kittens outside at night (garage door open - old sofa in garage): garage smells of pee. I don’t really care about this but boy kitten climbs onto the conservatory roof and cries right outside our bedroom window when he’s left outside.

We haven’t got a cat flap as both doors at the back are glass and although you can put cat flaps in glass doors, it’s harder to organise. We have an older cat and when we moved to this house he was perfectly happy to just ask out and never went in the house, so we didn’t bother with a flap. There are also heaps of neighbourhood cats here so it would need to be a microchip flap to stop the other cats getting in.

My question is: if I go to the bother and expense of getting a microchip cat flap installed in a glass/PVC door, will the little feckers actually use it?

The only place for the litter tray is next to the dining table as the kitchen is tiny and a tray would take up too much floor space. Kittens wait until we sit down to eat (or have people over) and do massive stinky poos in it. This is why I’m desperate to get rid of it! Any advice?

[HuggedTheRedwoods]

No guarantees they will do their business outside even if you have a catflap as some will always prefer to use a tray indoors.

I feel really sorry for them actually - holding poo in all day waiting till the tray was given back? Leaving kittens outside at night with one crying wanting to come in? You are lucky they're still wanting to use a litter tray and not becoming completely stressed and using the house as their toilet.

[dementedpixie]

Just keep the damn litter tray. We still have ours even though ours generally do the toilet outside. If the weather's bad or they dont feel like going out the tray is there for them.

[dementedpixie]

And i cant believe you left kittens of that age outside all night - that was needlessly cruel

[eurochick]

Poor kitties. No litter tray and shut outside at night crying. Why did you bother to get kittens if you are going to treat them like this? They are probably peeing because they are stressed.

We have two kittens the same age and I just couldn't imagine shutting them out at night.

[Fluffycloudland77]

I’d cry if you locked me out at night as well, this is like something out of the 1950’s.

You need to commit to a tray and keep them in overnight. Cats like to be warm not left out in the cold, they must have been so confused when you did that.

[Vinorosso74]

If you have cats you need a litter tray regardless of whether they go outside of not! You need to keep the toilet facilities consistent for them.
Make sure the soil is loose enough in the garden for them to dig in. I keep the soil in a corner of our garden well hoed. You could put some used litter where you would like them to go but they may choose not too!! As they get older they may get used to the idea of using the garden but do still keep the tray. Also keep the cats in overnight as it's much safer for them.

[Ninkaninus]

Kitten tray in the bathroom instead?

[swampytiggaa]

I have 3 6 month old kittens. They don’t go outside at all yet. I’m happy to deal with the litter tray tbh as I’m nervous about them going outside.

Could you keep the tray in the garage for them to use during the day? Mine are reliable overnight as I found out when I had to cage them after they were spayed...

[Ninkaninus]

Sigh. *litter tray

[FlyingFlamingo]

Ours actually come back inside to use their trays and then go back out again, they just prefer to do it inside! Having litter trays is just part of having cats surely?

One of them will also walk past several trees and fence posts as well as a scratching post on the way through the house to come inside and scratch the dining room door. I’ve just accepted that cats don’t do what you want them to do!

[GoldLeafTree]

Please don't lock a kitten outside all night or make them hold it in all day :(

Just let them be inside and find somewhere suitable for the litter tray.

[WelshCake2019]

What?! Tray is always required....do your research! Poor things 🙁

[Bargebill19]

I agree with previous poster. - little tray in the bathroom. Game changer and easy to clean. Some cats just do not want to go outside. Plus so young to be left out or in the cold.

[Keepaddingpets]

We've got a microchip cat flap in a glass door (cost about £200) and a proper outdoor litter tray (not very common but definitely available) All works brilliantly. Just have to make sure we clear out the tray every few days.

[LizB62A]

You probably shouldn't have got the kittens if you can't be bothered to give them what they need....

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

Bathroom is also tiny, but might try covered tray in there. I think it might just fit behind the door.

When boy kitten cried, I did go down and spent half an hour in my dressing gown coaxing him off the roof, only for both kittens to take off into the darkness and refuse to come back.

I grew up with cats on a farm and we never had a litter tray or cat flap - they just went out as required. If they happened to be out at bedtime they either made a fuss and someone went to let them in or they snuggled down in the horse shed and were perfectly happy.

I didn’t expect kittens to hold poo all day! I thought they would poo outside! Tray was reinstated and is currently in usual place.

I thought the kittens would be like my older cat, who spurns any suggestion of using a tray in favour of wild shitting. When we got him we lived in a v rural farm cottage with a cat flap, he stayed inside for the prescribed amount of time after being adopted and once allowed out, never set foot in the tray again.

[carolina21]

Poor kittens why don't u find therm loving home ?

[ScreamingCosArgosHaveNoRavens]

I thought the kittens would be like my older cat, who spurns any suggestion of using a tray in favour of wild shitting. When we got him we lived in a v rural farm cottage with a cat flap

All cats are different, and a rural farm upbringing suggests a more outdoorsy cat.

This isn't a great time of year for them to form the habit of going outside. Come summer, they'll want to be outside more, basking in the sun, so they may get more used to toileting outdoors.

A tray in the bathroom will be fine - I did that for years when I had a house where there was nowhere else to put it. Covered trays aren't ideal when you are still training them to go in the right place - take the cover off the tray to begin with, and reattach it once they are using the tray reliably.

[viccat]

The charity I used to volunteer for recommends not even letting kittens out unsupervised until they are at least 10 months old. The risk of RTAs is biggest during the first year of life - 6 month old kittens are basically really daft still and have no sense of danger. Almost every cat charity I know of also recommends keeping cats indoors dusk til dawn for their safety.

Cats who don't have easy access to their own home (cat flap, open window or someone willing to let them in whenever) are also much, much more likely to wander off and find somewhere else to live. They have no incentive to hang around outside your house in the cold if they can get in someone else's house round the corner...

The gold standard is also a litter tray per cat + 1 extra in the house, to prevent any problems with litter tray use. You really need at least one good sized tray with constant access to it, kept clean. Your neighbours will also thank you if you don't encourage your cats to use their gardens instead of a litter tray...

There must be somewhere in the house for litter trays?

It sounds like you're used to farm cats and now live in a more urban environment - two completely different scenarios.

[BovaryX]

TooExtra, why did you get two kittens? I ask this because you don’t seem prepared to put in any effort or work to look after them. You don’t have a cat flap, you won’t give them unlimited access to a litter tray and you lock them out at night in cold weather. That’s pretty cruel behavior. I think you should give them to a shelter who can hopefully find them a loving home.

[carolina21]

Keep thinking about these poor two kittens ? Please make sure you take them to shelter to find loving home .