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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

How to get a new kitten (11 weeks) to use his litter tray?

12 replies

Anna92 · 03/10/2017 11:34

DP and I got a kitten on Friday from a woman we vaguely know (friend of friend etc..). She had lots of cats and DK had never met another human. He smelled a bit when we got him but has since started cleaning himself. Vet said he was healthy. He was very timid but is slowly coming out of his shell and is incredibly affectionate. The only thing we're struggling the crack is the litter tray! We're not sure he has ever used one before, because he seems to have no clue when we put him in it. The first couple of nights we found little poos and wees around the living room, so we moved his bed/tray/food to the bathroom and shut him in there overnight. This worked but then the gas man came and he panic pooed on his bed this morning. How can we get him to use it all the time? Should we leave him in the bathroom again tonight?

OP posts:
BrokeAndBad · 03/10/2017 17:08

Make sure his litter tray, feed bowl and water bowl are all in seperate locations... i.e. Not all next to each other.

Is he fed wet food or does he have access to dry biscuits all the time?

I'd be inclined to feed at regular intervals, and once he's eaten pop him in the litter tray

Although am sure others will have better advice Smile

Original poster
Anna92 · 03/10/2017 17:23

He's fed a mixture of (mostly) wet and (some) dry kitten food plus water and occasionally kitten milk. I tend to feed him 3 times a day and then plonk him in the litter box but nothing...

In the bathroom, the food is placed in a different spot to the litter, and he didn't seem to mind using it last night... just prefers not to when not in the bathroom. Am REALLY hoping he cottons on soon!!

OP posts:
lizzieoak · 03/10/2017 17:27

He'll be quite anxious, imo, if shut in the loo all night.

Two things I'd suggest - agree with the other person who said to keep his food & water well away from his litter.

Also - even if humans think they've cleaned away the smell and mess of wees and poos, the kitten can still smell it. So now he thinks this is a sanctioned area. You need to ask your vet for cleaning stuff that gets rid of the ammonia smell to a cat's sense of smell.

Cats want to bury their poos and are very clean animals. I think once that's sorted he'll cotton on, it's his instinct to do it nicely.

5rivers7hills · 03/10/2017 17:41

Get an enzyme cleaner to totally clean up the wee/poo so the kitten can't smell it.

I'd also try feeding 3 times a day and popping him into the litter tray. Also not a good idea to keep the kitten and litter tray moving to different locations between kitchen and bathroom.

dementedpixie · 03/10/2017 17:48

I'd stop the kitten milk as it's not required. I'd regularly put him in the litter and swoosh his front paw through it. What sort is it as they can be particular about what litter they like? They normally learn from their mum so i wonder if they never had a litter tray.

wibblywobblyfish · 03/10/2017 18:39

Mum cats actually eat the kittens poo so they are not normally litter trained when they leave home.

I've always popped mine in the litter tray after food and praised them for performing. Swishing their paws through the litter encourages them to hope in and have a go too.

Original poster
Anna92 · 03/10/2017 18:47

Thanks for all of these answers!

I've swooshed his paws in the litter, and mine to show he can dig. I haven't tried the enzyme cleaner so might pop out tomorrow and get some - thanks for that! Although he hasn't done it in the same place twice...

He's half Russian blue but wasn't bred or anything - the other half of him is just a normal domestic (British?) shorthair. We asked the lady and she said she started him on newspapers, so we've put that down by the litter tray in case that takes his fancy.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 03/10/2017 18:54

When i got mine at 8 weeks they knew how to use the litter as they had copied their mum. The mother would eat newborn poo but not once they are weaned and on solids.

dementedpixie · 03/10/2017 18:56

Why not put newspaper as a liner in the tray with a layer of litter on the top.

Original poster
Anna92 · 04/10/2017 14:46

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I put a bit of newspaper in there (which was promptly torn up) and I think he may be cracking it now as he hopped in (albeit from my lap right in front of it) twice this afternoon.

Fingers crossed!!

OP posts:
5rivers7hills · 05/10/2017 20:15

Hope you've got a litter trained cat now!

Original poster
Anna92 · 06/10/2017 09:27

Thanks! I think he's figured it out (fingers crossed) as he's used it the last few nights now :)

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