Litter training kittens

sparkle_23

I'm getting 2 kittens in a couple of weeks and I was wondering about litter training them. Is there special litter for kittens that I need to get? That would encourage them to go in the tray?

Any other necessities I need for new kitties?

mymo

Any litter will do, ask the breeder what litter they are using and use the same to start. Finding the one that suits can be trial and error, you may have to try loads.
The first while I would put the litter tray and a bed and water in a bathroom or utility room overnight, somewhere its easy to clean up. The smaller the area, the more likely they are to use the tray.
Likewise restrict access to a couple of rooms to start, and have 2 or 3 trays (the recommended amount is 1 per cat +1), to increase the chances of using them. If kitty has to go looking, they may not be able to hold it.

Other necessities?
Cardboard box with something soft to sleep in (fancy beds will not be used, but fresh piles of washing or newly ironed clothes will), and a scratching post or cat tree, more boxes to play in, and couple of toys(don't go mad, kittens find stuff to play with).

Good quality food is also a must, less waste and stink. No milk, just fresh water.

Oh and a camera for taking lots of pic's!

angeline

It comes naturally to kittens to use the litter tray. Just pick the kitten up and place it gently in the litter tray and maybe use your own hands to dig at the litter to show them and it will come naturally. I always use clumping litter as it is much easier to clean out. You just scoop the lump out.

Justask

Training a kitten and puppy are soooo different a puppy will wee on you :eek:

Kittens are so clean they will look for their litter tray so just keep it visable to them until they find their feet.

Best of luck with them

MaryK666

Assuming that these kittens are over the age of eight weeks, they should have a head start on litter training from their mother or the person who you got them from. Kittens are almost self-training as cats are very clean animals and like to bury anything they do in the tray.

If your kitten is younger that eight weeks, they'll need more care and help with the toilet training. After feeding it's a good idea to take come cotton wool, soak in lukewarm water, wring out and use to wipe their rear end gently when you put them in the litter tray to mimic what their mother does to encourage them to go. Also, mimic the digging motion with your fingers in the litter to show them what to do (you may want to use disposable gloves for this part) and they quickly learn to copy you.

Litter choice is an individual thing but you need to make sure that it something low-dust, something that's not too sharp on delicate little paws and something that you can afford to fill a tray deeply. Litter has to be deep enough for your cat to dig and bury comfortably or they may not want to use it. I've known cats to go on the floor beside a litter tray if theres not enough litter or if they tray has not been cleaned out to their satisfaction.

Some cats will refuse to go in a covered litter tray and some cats hate to be watched when they use the tray. Make sure it's placed somewhere away from regular footfall traffic and away from draughts. Cats are at their most vulnerable when using a litter tray and if they feel under any threat, they will often not use the tray.

Hopefully your new arrival will take to it like a duck to water and I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I can't wait to see a pic of the new arrival.

Kash

angeline wrote: »

It comes naturally to kittens to use the litter tray. Just pick the kitten up and place it gently in the litter tray and maybe use your own hands to dig at the litter to show them and it will come naturally. I always use clumping litter as it is much easier to clean out. You just scoop the lump out.

I wouldn't use clumping litter with a young kitten - there is a concern that the kitten inhales or ingests the clumping agent in the litter and that it can cause respiratory issues or intestinal blockages.

The debate is out on whether this is true or not, but the argument seems logical enough to me, so I thought I would mention it to you so you can make an informed decision. There's a nice breakdown of for/against here: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=286497

Whatever you decide, I've never met a kitten that didn't pick up litter training almost instantly. Just pop them in it if you see them start to go. If they do go on something else, mop it up on kitchen towel and move the kitchen towel to the litter tray.

Some toys i would recommend would be boxes/tubes and a couple of ping pong balls.

My cat loved bubbles, it took him about 6 months to figure out the 'up' concept, and even 8 years later, he still comes running if he hears the bubble container being opened.