Litter Box Training your Kitten

Litter Box Training

Litter box training your new kitten is really quite simple. Obtain a good commercial litter box (with or without a cover), put in about an inch of kitty litter, and show your kitten where it is. Most kittens will start using the litter box immediately. The best litter is plain, old, generic cat litter with no scent granules, etc. Your kitten’s nose is much more sensitive than yours, and the strong odor of “fancy” litters might offend him/her. Keep the urine and feces scooped once a day and odor usually isn’t a problem. If your kitten is missing the litter box with it’s stool, it may have a parasite called Coccidia which is causing it to feel very urgent with it’s bowel movement. It needs to be seen and be put on an antibiotic to cure it.

Toilet Training

It is possible to train a cat to use a toilet! Cover the toilet bowl with Saran wrap and put some litter on the Saran. As the cat begins to use it, slowly decrease the amount of litter until you eliminate the litter altogether. Obviously, the cat must be old enough and big enough to straddle the toilet seat for this to work. There is a kit available in some cat magazines to help with this process.

Litter box Problems

If your cat stops using the litter box, it is trying to tell you something! A urine sample should be checked for infection, but if that is normal, then it is a behavioral problem. Something is upsetting your cat! A change in cat litter, a new cat outside your cat’s favorite window are all examples of things that can upset your cat.

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