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The litter tray

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Litter training regression

4 replies

nilsmousehammer · 09/05/2023 21:38

My two little thugs are sisters and came home at 8 weeks. They were 10 weeks last Friday and up to this point have been perfect ladies about the litter tray. Today we've suddenly had four accidents in a row. Its been some years since I last had kittens and would love some advice!

Some things I think are contributing:

they are insane climbers and escapers and have been very difficult to contain to one room or space as I've always previously done with kittens until about 12 weeks. They're all over the house and don't yet know about finding the tray. They are confined in the bathroom overnight or when I go out as this is the one room they haven't yet worked out how to escape from.

this morning I had a terrible headache and went to have a bath first thing to try and stop it. The kittens exploded out of the room and I couldn't at that point chase them, so gave them the run of the house with their litter tray still in the bathroom - I should have taken it downstairs, kicking myself I didn't but I felt awful. This led to one having an accident downstairs in the room where the litter tray usually is when downstairs - and three more accidents at varying places in that room as apparently now they've associated the floor as where to go. The tray has been there and immaculately clean for them at the time of the other three accidents.

I have had to change litter (a few days ago) due to the first brand I got immediately becoming unavailable anywhere as we finished the first bag. However they've seemed to cope with the change over ok.

We are introducing the dog slowly, possibly this is too much stress too fast.

I'm thinking I need more trays around, and to go back to confining them in one small space with a tray to get the habit back, don't I? I've thoroughly cleaned all the accident spots with odour remover.

They had this absolutely nailed until today, I feel awful to have confused them!

OP posts:
YarnySocksKnitter · 09/05/2023 22:14

Yeah, definitely more trays, usual advice is one per cat plus one.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 09/05/2023 23:45

How many litter trays do you have? You need at least three and they need to stay in the same place all the time - don't keep moving them around the house or put them in places they're not accessible 24/7.

nilsmousehammer · 10/05/2023 16:06

Thank you for the advice. We're now up to four trays, one considerably bigger in case that's the issue, and two different kinds of litter as I wonder if the issue is not liking the litter we had. You're right about not moving the trays, up to this point because they're so tiny the tray has travelled with them if they're in the bathroom or downstairs if they're down with me. Trays now in fixed set positions.

OP posts:
coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 10/05/2023 18:46

I'm sure they'll settle down soon - keeping the trays in the same place should definitely help, as you don't want them going to the "tray spot", finding no tray, and peeing because they can't hold it long enough to find where the actual tray is, iyswim :)

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