Training my 8 week old kitten?

Question

I have recently got an 8 week old kitten. I was told that she was toilet trained before we brought her home, but since we have got her she isn't using the litter tray. I have followed the advice that I have seen on here before, picked her up and put her in the tray whilst scratching the litter with her paws. We have repeated this quite a few times but as soon as we let her go she walks away. We are also doing this after she has eaten, and repeating it every few minutes or as soon as we see her squating somewhere.
She isn't really using another particular place to go to the toilet - anywhere but the litter tray.
I'm now worried that she is holding it in and not going to the toilet at all making her unwell.
Has anyone got any ideas?

Answer 1

Since she is still young, it may be a couple of things. First off, I would replace the litter with dirt. Dirt is natural and instinct will help your kitten realize where she is supposed to be using the bathroom. I've used this method several times and it has worked. It could also be that she's not used to the house and may forget her way to the litter box. Along with the dirt, try to confine her to a certain part of the house with the box, such as a bedroom. This way you can rule out that possibility. Once you have her going potty in the dirt for about a week or so, slowly switch it to litter by mixing it with the dirt. I'm going to be honest, dirt doesn't cover any smells and has to be clean more often, but it almost always works. You must also understand that this is a new environment for her and it's going to take some getting used to.

Congradulations on your new kitty!

Answer 2

do NOT "borrow" other cat stools unless you know 100% that it is not infectious. you can use her own stool to put into the pan.

i also wouldn't worry about a cat holding it in. they won't hold it to the point of discomfort unless something is already wrong. so if she's going in other parts of the house then obviously she's working well in that area.

another thing you might try is putting the kitten and litter pan in a large bird cage until you notice her using the pan consistently. then move her to a closed in room like a bedroom or the bathroom with the pan and when she's using that consistently start letting her out of the room. if you noticed a relapse then go back a step.

i have an old cage that i put together myself from an old rabbit cage. this system has worked great for all the cats and kittens i have fostered as well as the ones i own. that's the first place all new foster cats and kittens go when i recieve them. it also keeps them separated from my other two cats until they are tested for diseases. i use a small utlity room for cats to large for the cage. the last set of kittens were four weeks old and used the litter immediatly.

which ever method you use you need to be consistant. kittens as well as adult cats can get lost between the pan and the rest of the house when it's new to them so try to keep them in close proximity. aslo if you plan on moving the pan after a cat has gotten used to it being in one place, then do it gradually.

keep up with what you are doing now as well. every time i replace the cat litter i bring all the cats to the box and set them in it. i don't know if this is nessacary but i've never had a mess in the house so i stick to it. lol.
good luck and enjoy your new kitten.

Answer 3

I agree. I just got a kitten, too. I kept him in one room with toys, a box, food and water for about 3 days (a room I use a lot so I could hang out with him). Once he got used to the room, we let him roam but only when we were home and awake. It really helped him adjust and feel confident enough to not act out. It seems strange, but confining a pet can sometimes make them settle down if they're acting out because they're overwhelmed. We do have a bunch of other cats, which changes the whole game. Do you have other animals that might be distressing her some? Try non-punishing confinement along with the other suggestions. My kitten had trouble with being separated from his litter mates. Is she acting lonely? Crying for attention?

Answer 4

It could be the litter you are using or the kind of litter box. Contact the person you got her from and find out what kind of litter they used and if it was a covered or open box. She is a baby and any kind of change confuses her. Good luck.

Answer 5

The only other thing I can think to do besides what you have already tried is "borrowing" some poop and a clump of pee out of a friends kitty litter box. Then she will smell it in there are get the idea. It works. Good luck!

Answer 6

Well they don't like to be watched while they go potty so put the litter box somewhere kinda private. Keep setting her in the tray the and sometimes if you see her squatting tell her no. Don't get too angry with her, she really doesn't know.

Answer 7

Try changing the type of litter. Some cats HATE scented litter. Maybe the litte box is not privte enough!

Answer 8

I consider the different suggestion approximately having a great number of "cat fixtures" for the kitten to scratch. Plan on clipping his nails weekly. he will combat you in the commencing up, whether that is mandatory to do this whilst he's youthful or you may have a wrestling tournament on your palms later. Carpet tape (interior of sight ironmongery shop) is two-sided. Cats HATE this. it works great on the fixtures that he merely won't bypass away on my own. The squirt bottle is the perfect self-discipline gadget. probability unfastened, yet frightening. If the kitten does something you do not plan to permit, scold first. If he does not end, squirt him. consistently surprising undesirable behaviors. in case you enable him to do something as quickly as in front of you he will think of that is okay. employing a muddle field is cat instinct. If he does not, there are different components you're able to desire to work out your vet approximately. as quickly as you rule out well-being isssues as a reason for "injuries" then it extremely is a controversy of psychology (like territory, lack of self belief, interest, and so on.). look for a e book to help with that. Cats spray as quickly as they're in a position (instinctive). Get him fastened ASAP. some vets try this early on now with few element outcomes. examine with your vet to get this completed quickly. finally, on no account play with the kitten with your bare palms. They do chunk, that is component to transforming into up. yet, your hand isn't a toy. consistently use a toy or a glove (at puppy save, they have long hands and in many situations pom poms on the tip). as quickly as your kitten thinks that is okay to chunk human flesh, that is extremely perplexing to end him. undergo in strategies, he will have far extra capability then you definately, and probable than your different cats. Play with him quite a few situations in keeping with day so he does not develop into difficulty.