Need kitten help please

bonsai_73

I could really use some kitten help please. We got a kitten 3 weeks ago at 8 wks. He has settled in great, and we decided to get another kitten for company. A neighbour of a friend had kittens and we were told they'd be ready this week. So friend arrived this week with kitten. As soon as I looked at her I asked if she was ready to go, and he said yes, she's 6 wks. I said she really should have been 8wks+, but anyway, he was only delivering her so we didn't get into it too much.

So I have two issues now. She was delivered with a bag of wood shavings and a bag of food and I was told she was eating and using the litter box. Food is no problem, but she definitely has not been litter trained. She's peeing everywhere and anywhere. If I see her intention in time and pop her into the litter, she'll go in there, but won't make her way to the litter tray of her own accord. And when she does stumble in there by accident, she's either eating the litter or settling down to sleep! I will obviously keep persevering and putting her in there, but is there anything specific I should be doing to speed things along. Am I wrong in assuming that if my first guy was litter trained when he arrived at 8weeks, that she should be trained fairly quickly? I'm worn out from following her around and cleaning up after her!

Secondly, I've been keeping them separately for sleeping at night, and during the day letting them play together for a few mins at a time (supervised). Other than that they're in separate rooms (and I feel guilty for being with one while the other is alone). When they are playing, the bigger one seems so rough with her. I don't think he's intentionally trying to hurt her, it seems more like very rough play, but he's nearly double the size of her. She's fine with it for the most part, but let's out the odd squeal. I don't know if I should be letting them play together until she's big enough to handle him. Or will she ever be big enough, as obviously he'll always be bigger.

Sorry that was so long. Any advice welcome. Thanks.

Ms Doubtfire1

1)
you were right, 6 weeks is WAY too early - they are still learning the litter tray routine - this will improve but she is not yet at an age that she can control her bladder allllll the way to the litter tray. it can be countered with having a few litter trays around but there will be some accidents.Should be ok at about 8 weeks.:rolleyes:
2) Keep them separate for a few weeks until the younger one has caught up in size and weight
3) make sure both are dewormed at the same time
4) enjoy!!:D

bonsai_73

Thanks for your reply. When you say keep then separate, do you mean completely separate with no contact?

Ms Doubtfire1

completely separate when you're not there to supervise..

TresGats

Hi, I got one of my cats at 4-5 weeks, as she was so tiny (and god knows what would have happened to her if i hadn't taken her, someone called at my door with her as the heard I 'liked cats')
I kept her in my room and carried her around in a large pocket I found making little 'litter trays' out of the tops of shoeboxes etc, and leaving about 6 of them around the place- she got the idea fast even tho' she was semi-feral. I would take a tiny bit of clean litter from the big cats tray, and mix it in with new for her mini litter trays.
Another issue with very young kitties is that their mum & siblings aren't there to 'discipline' them for scratching & biting. I learnt not to play 'tiddle kitty' with my hands, lots of homemade toys and ping pong balls etc will stop kitty scratching / biting.
She is 6 now and still a tad feisty and bossy, but I love her to bits.

bonsai_73

Thanks for the replies and help, I really appreciate it. Well since I last posted, things have been better with the two kittens, they're playing great together now (so fun to watch!). And up to yesterday I would have said the litter training was going well too. I've been leading her to and putting her into the litter tray at regular times, and she has been using it some of those time. She had also been getting in by herself too. But just today alone we've had three "accidents". They've all been so random, she's not going back to the same place. Once was on a shopping bag, once inside a cardboard box that they had been playing with, and once on a wooden floor.

One of those times I even saw her walk right past her litter tray to pee on the bag two feet away. So I really don't think it's that she's getting caught out and can't make it to the tray on time, it's like she doesn't even care and will pee wherever she stands. I just don't know if there's anything else I can do to deal with this. I've never experienced this before. In all my years of having cats/kittens, I've never had trouble with them using (or not using) the litter tray. Is there a magic age that it clicks with them? The other guy came to us at 8 weeks and once he knew where the tray was, I never had to keep bringing him back to it, he will just go himself when he needs to. She's 7 weeks now.

Ms Doubtfire1

just give it time...she was way too young taken away from Mum.

kathleen37

I wonder if she may have a uti? She's defo been taken from her Mum too early so it could be linked to that.

If she keeps peeing though, even a few drips, could mean she has UTI and will need a vets visit.

Hopefully she'll be grand

Meeeee79

As she was taken away from her Mum a little too early she may take a bit longer but she will get there. Just have patience (easier said than done I know!) and persevere.

I would definitely let them play and sleep together though. Animals teach each other bite inhibitions and what level of roughness etc is acceptable, something that takes humans alot longer to teach them.

Narsil

I second the visit to the vet for a UTI. I've fostered kittens as young as 5 weeks and the instinct for the litter tray even at that age is amazing!

bonsai_73

Thanks for all the replies and help. Just to update... things have been going well since I last posted. Kittens are both now playing and sleeping and pretty much doing everything together, which is great.

We haven't had an accident in over a week now, so she seems to have got the hang of it, just a bit slower than normal I guess. She was vet checked and vaccinated, so there were no medical issues causing it, so it probably was related to leaving her mother early. Unfortunately though, as I said, they weren't going to take her back to her mum. If I hadn't taken her, someone else would have been getting her. Thankfully though, she seems to be learning from her big "brother", who helps her groom herself and gets into the litter tray after her to cover her pee, as she never bothers :rolleyes: