How the jeff can I get this kitten litter trained?

[CharleyDavidson]

We were told he was mostly there with litter training.

Well, he's not.

He's put in the tray when he wakes after a long nap, after he's eaten and when he seems to be mooching in corners.

But it's just not doing the trick. We have 2 trays in the living/dining room in the areas where he was mostly going. And another tray on the landing upstairs.

Still he poops in the corners, sometimes just next to the tray. Or on DH's shirts. Or in his wardrobe. Or under DD1's bed.

How old is he? And is he peeing in the tray? (Your post makes reference only to poo problems.)

He's 13 weeks old and we got him at 10 weeks.

We have the wooden litter that he was (allegedly) using in the home he came from, and which I prefer anyway. He has peed in the tray a few times as you can see the wood pellets break up into sawdust.

It's not consistent though. We found today that he's been weeing on one of his scratch pads too.

He goes to the vets for his next set of vaccinations and then could start going out in the garden, but he still seems a bit little for that.

how about confining him to a small space, he will probably then use the tray, then once this is quite established, allow him more and more space in the hope that the habit of using the tray continues. If he is forced to use the same place several times, he is more likely to return there.

He might not like the litter. Try a different type.

Are there any other cats around?

I agree with trying a different type. Also (though it's rank), try not to clean the tray too often for the next few days. If you change / scoop it asap, he won't know that that's where he's supposed to go.

If he's peed there, he knows what they're for - so I'd be guessing also that he doesn't lke the type of litter.

(I remember, when I brought Oneago home, we were staying at this house as an interim stop - I was living further on at the time - and I had a bag of wood pellet litter which a friend had given me to use up. Oneago walked over to it, gave it a desultory poke with his paw, came back to the bed and proceeded to pee copiously all over the new duvet which had been put on the bed.

I got the message and went down to the supermarket first thing for the traditional clumping that all our cats have used. He pood in that with great satisfaction and covered his poo up well.)

I think I'd try cleaning up the spots where he's poo'd very carefully and then changing the type of litter in all the trays.

PS - it sounds as if you may just have a fusspot there so I'd be keeping the trays (probably only two though) even if he does go outside. Some cats prefer to do their duty inside the house rather than outside even if they go out.

How often are you changing the litter?

Have you cleaned his other "pee areas" with biological washing powder?

do you feed him near his tray?

Great replies. Thanks.

We've left the litter well alone after he used it once as we read that leaving a bit in there reminds them what it's for.

Will buy a bag of clumping and try that, although it's not what I'd prefer to have him use.

We have carpet washed where he's gone.

No other cats in the house and he's still a house kitten for now.

And I've confined him as much as I can to one space today. We have a through living/dining room but the door to the upstairs has been blocked off.

If you're using clumping, try to remove the poo and pee balls (it clumps into a sort of ball) as soon as you know they're there and smooth it over. (I use a double sheet of old newspaper to make a quick little parcel for disposal.) I also announce to Seniorboy that his tray has been cleaned by yelling using a standard phrase - which in his case, can also be used neatly as a reminder to go prior to bed. (He's very old and pretty arthritic so I don't take chances.)

Can you tell I'm trained?

We've been out and bought clumping. We have degradable nappy bags for scooping the poop etc and disposing of.

I put the cat on the newly filled tray and instead of hopping straight out, he stepped in and out for a bit and then did his business. There is hope.

Although the other day he did come down specially to use the wooden litter, so you never know.

Time will tell.

www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/simple-solution-stain-and-odour-remover-for-dogs

If you have pee and poo stains most cleaning products smell like pee and poop to the cats due to chemicals in them. The above is an enzymic cleaner which is great for getting rid of the smell of cat urine and poo for the cat too (otherwise they will still think your carpet smells of toilet).

When we got our kits we restricted them to one room until we were absolutely sure they were trained. Also covered vs uncovered and the size of the tray can be an issue (we have Maine Coon sized trays, XXL, as our cats don't like small trays)

Well that's at least hopeful, eh? Clean it and smooth it quickly and tell him you've done it in case you have a fusspot.

Good luck.

I'd confine him too so it's easy for him to find the tray. Make sure you remove his scent from anywhere he's been before. They don't usually like citrus so use lemon scented cleaners if poss.

When we got our kitten I put one of his poos in the tray so he got the idea.

Another idea is to ask the person you get the kitten from for a very small amount of the (clean) litter from their existing tray - if they have one - and spinkle it on top of the new litter tray. It may be clean but it should still have a faint odour to their sensitive noses.

Hmm mm. ... the new litter is going down well. The idiot likes to pounce in the stuff, spray it everywhere and generally be a bit of a knob with it. But he did use the tray again today.

Nothing like a good dig though is there?.

That's a fair point, actually - he may be enjoying the dig!

(Alternatively, he may just be a messy so and so who - in the fullness of time - might benefit from a closed litter tray. I'm reluctant to suggest that when his new habits aren't properly established - or even established at all - so at the moment, I'd suggest only an opened newspaper under the tray if it's really messy (eg an opened broadsheet if you have one around.)

And a dustpan and brush placed strategically.

He's very much enjoying the digging! DH's theory is that he's going to cover the carpet with litter, then take a dump on the litter covered carpet, thereby getting his own way after all. :)

He's a messy thing and does seem to just enjoy spreading it far and wide and digging in it. Perhaps he was a chinchilla in a former life.

I think there's still room for (guarded) optimism. They don't have heavy musculature at his age and he may still be learning his craft so he might well improve. Probably important to clean up as soon as you see he's used it - including dustpan and brush use - and see how it goes over the next few days.

Good luck and let us know how he gets on.

Mine arrived with woodchip from their breeder. Obie proceeded to poo cheerfully on the spare bed.. chirping at me to tell me !

I switched to fine clumping..and he stopped. I get the fine clumping from Pets at Home now.. it is amazing stuff.. every wee forms a small solid ball that can be scooped out intact like a small sculpture..it's really good stuff!

Thanks Medusa. We've got fine non-clumping at the moment and do intend to give the clumping stuff a go if he gets on with the fine stuff better than the wood pellets.

DD2's rabbits happily use the wood stuff so at least it's not wasted.

Good news. Or good poos.