Kitten help?

[Fudgethatkay]

If wrong area, I apologize.

My cat gave birth to kittens. Tomorrow they will be 6 weeks old, and I can't get them to use the litterbox. How do I get cat urine out of couch and get them to go towards the box more? Its driving me crazy...

[fireheart]

OK, let's break these all down:

-Momma cat should've been teaching kittens to use the box. Otherwise, just place them in the litterbox after every feed (they should've been weaned by now) and keep rewarding them when they use the box.

-In terms of getting cat urine out of the couch, you need to find a product that will also get rid of the smell. Feli-Away or something like that is good as it gets rid of not only the cat urine, but also the smell. If it's just on the cushions, wash the cushions, THEN give them a spray.

[Andara Bledin]

We always kept our kittens in a smaller enclosed space, like a bathroom, with the undersink cabinet cleared and open or a carrier available for their nest and a small litter box on the opposite side of the room than their food dish (no water unsupervised until they're fully weaned and able to reliably not drown themselves in it). If they were outside of their little world, it was only supervised and with towels or similar to protect any furniture they might be over - we figure it's easier to prevent there being cat urine in the couch cushions than it is to clean it out.

When checking on them - which would be very often because, well, kittens! - we'd wait till one of them started to do his thing, then quickly drop them into the litter box. Every kitten I've had has gotten the hang of it really quickly.

^-.-^

[Fudgethatkay]

OK, let's break these all down:

-Momma cat should've been teaching kittens to use the box. Otherwise, just place them in the litterbox after every feed (they should've been weaned by now) and keep rewarding them when they use the box.

Problem is...momma doesn't use the box. She goes to the door and meows. I only seen her attempt to use it a few times, but by then she gets up and goes to the door.

[AriGriffin]

Try Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Cat Litter, (found at Petsmart.com for $14.99 for 20 lbs) or another cat attract litter.
Keep Momma and babies secluded in the bathroom, mud room, or spare bedroom until they are used to going in the box.

[Fudgethatkay]

Try Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Cat Litter, (found at Petsmart.com for $14.99 for 20 lbs) or another cat attract litter.
Keep Momma and babies secluded in the bathroom, mud room, or spare bedroom until they are used to going in the box.

Bathroom would be only choice since I live in an apartment.

I'm trying to get a child gate so i can put them in the kitchen..but...

But thanks about the tip for the cat litter

[auntiem]

Is momma cat declawed by chance?
Other than that - every time you see the kittens start to pee - plunk them in the litter box. They will figure it out.
Oh, and pictures please!

[Crossbow]

Good advice for getting them to use the box.

As for getting the smell out, Nature's Miracle. It's the best stuff I've ever found, and my old vet swore by it. Most good pet stores should carry it.

[PepperElf]

I saw this in some pet books before...

the recommendation was to place the kittens in a small confined space with a food dish and a litter box.


The theory is that the kittens with figure out "Gee I don't want to pee in my food, I'll use this sand stuff!"

[lupo pazzesco]

I second the Nature's Miracle stuff. Another product is Odo-Ban. When we rent the Rug Doctor machines every few months, we use a mixture of the Odo-ban or the Nature's Miracle in with the soap and hot water. Great stuff!

As for the litter box issue...I am not an expert, but I am a feline foster parent. I raised a litter a few months back, and I found that when we put the litter box down, it was easy and helpful to pick up the kittens, one at a time, and put them in the litter box, then take their two front paws gently and scrape at the litter, teaching them how to dig. Barring one or two incidents, they all took to the box without a hitch.

The same might work for mama cat. She may not KNOW that it's a safe place to go, so put her in the box and do the paw digging trick. It's worked for pretty much every cat/kitten I've taken in and raised over the years.

Another thing you might want to consider is multiple boxes. If you have one box for mama AND the litter, it can get ripe quickly, and cats are sensitive to that. If they can't dig out a "clean" place to go, they'll forgo the box altogether. We have a cat who, if we don't scoop the boxes regularly, will hang her butt outside the box and pee/poo on the rug in protest of the dirty box.

Hope this helps!!!

[fireheart]

Another thing you might want to consider is multiple boxes. If you have one box for mama AND the litter, it can get ripe quickly, and cats are sensitive to that. If they can't dig out a "clean" place to go, they'll forgo the box altogether. We have a cat who, if we don't scoop the boxes regularly, will hang her butt outside the box and pee/poo on the rug in protest of the dirty box.

Hope this helps!!!

In our case, even though we have TWO boxes, Older Cat uses both, while Younger Cat just goes outside. (we've taken to letting them out for an hour or two unsupervised, but periodically checking on them) Although older cat has also occasionally taken to weeing on the wall behind the box (both of ours are flush to the wall and also have a "lip" on the edge so they can't hang their butts over the box)

If you are using litter, don't get the clumping stuff. There's a brand called Breeder's Choice which we use that resembles rabbit pellets. (and it's recycled too )

[MoonCat]

I'll second what Lupo said. The pawing thing really gets the point across. They'll pull away but they get it.

Also the part about multiple boxes. Sorry, but that's just the way cats are...I only have two now, and two litter boxes. They pee in one box and poop in the other! Cats are very particular about where they go....not by human standards, but by their own. They don't like dirty boxes, and they don't like boxes that have too much traffic around them. A cat is vulnerable when they are doing their business, so they want a quiet, out of the way spot to do their thing. Unless they're making a point about something (contrary to what 'experts' say, I fully believe that cats will pee or poop in certain places to express their feelings about things...jealousy, fear, etc.)

[Der Cute]

It's a good idea to have 2 boxes for kitties, but I have always gotten away with just one box shared between 2. Honestly, it depends on how easy going the cats are. That would be my first signal. Also take into consideration how old they are/accessibility for kitty to the box. There aren't any ADA stats for this, but I try to keep that in mind.

Definitely give hints about pawing, digging, "poo here" to the kitties. Mom just hasn't realized THEY need to stay inside for their business.