Kitty litter-training help?

[Kaylyn]

Every cat I've ever had in the past has been super-easy to litter train. Just plop them in the box a few times and when you catch them doing anything outside the box, and they get it.

Not this one.

I put her in the box and she immediately jumps out. I try to put her in the box when I catch her in the act...sometimes she'll finish what she's doing and jump out without attempting to cover her mess, and sometimes she'll stop in the middle of it, jump out, and hide under the bed, presumably to finish there.

Anyone have any ideas? I currently have a shallow open pan...could it be she prefers more privacy and I need to get her a covered pan? I also generally leave food and water out for her to eat and drink at will because trying to maintain a feeding schedule would be a little difficult with my work schedule. Though, I will definitely try to adjust to that, if that's what it takes to get her trained. She likes to pee under my desk, and I'm worried she'll try to pee directly into the surge protector eventually.

[Aethian]

try a covered deeper pan.

[Mnemjian]

I babysat a cat once who did not like my cat's litter box and refused to use it at all. The vet told me to try different types of litter and try to make the box a comfortable place for the cat. I changed the litter and he finally started using it Cats can be surprisingly picky about that sort of thing. Maybe it's a problem with the litter? Try using unscented for example, as scented litters sometimes do not smell good to cats. Maybe try a different type or brand of litter altogether? I hope that helps!

[MaggieTheCat]

Do you have other cats that go in the same pan she's going in? Some cats are VERY finicky about where they go and insist on a very clean pan or a pan all to themselves. Make sure it is absolutely as clean as possible -- clean it 1-2 times a day if possible and give her her own pan that the other cats can't get to (even if another cat's mess isn't in a pan, if they've used it, kitten might still smell it and be turned off from it.) Some cats also are very picky about what kind of litter they use. For some cats, they don't like very fine litter, or very coarse litter, or litter that is heavily scented. You might even try using shredded newspaper in a litter pan if she doesn't seem to like actual litter, and gradually "ween" her onto normal litter. You'll just have to experiment to find out what kind of litter she likes. When she does go in the pan, try to gently take her paw and make the digging motion with it to cover the mess, so she starts to get into that habit.

Lastly, and most important, have you seen a vet about this issue? It's possible the kitten has parasites or some other problems (like a UTI) that are causing this issue. What happens is that when a cat has parasites or an infection of some kind and goes in the litter box, if it hurts to go, they will associate going in the litter box with pain and not want to go in that place.

Hope some of this is helpful. Good luck!

[fireheart]

Covered Litter Tray.

Also, change the litter until kitty has one she likes. I don't know if it exists in the US, but Breeder's Choice litter is the one I use-it's recycled materials (not recycled cat poop) and it's not scented.

[Whiskey]

Try putting it someone out of the public areas. my cats box is in the closet with the door propped open. They won't even use the one in the bathroom. 1 box per cats, its good to have an extra box too just in case. They love their closet-box

[Dreamstalker]

The bathroom in our current apartment is tiny, so we had McGriff's litterbox in the back-hall area with a folding screen blocking it off from the main hallway. He hated rectangular boxes; ours was round, deep and large enough that he could turn around in it (for some strange reason he would circle 3x like a dog before deciding to go).

[BookstoreEscapee]

I would try covering the pan or putting it somewhere more private first (cheapest option). If that doesn't help try a different type of litter. My cats were pretty good with the litterbox (though they were trained before we got them), but when they were declawed, they couldn't use the regular litter for a couple weeks until they healed. My mom replaced it with the paper-pellet kind, and even tried plain old shredded newspaper, and girlkitty refused to use it. (Actually I think she peed in it, but she wouldn't poop. She did that in the hallway outside my room. ) She's picky that way. They have two covered pans in the basement, though when my parents went away for a week my mom put an extra makeshift pan out (the lid of a copy paper box lined with a trash bag) that wasn't covered, in case I didn't get over there every day, and they seemed to use that more than the others.

[Kaylyn]

Thanks for the tips. I brought it up at her first vet visit and he suggested keeping her on a feeding schedule to keep track of when it should be time for her to go, then keeping her in a small enclosed area where the litter box is the only place to go. He didn't check her for anything, but she hasn't been exhibiting any signs of pain when she goes; just a disdain for the box. I

I had a kitten before her that died thanks to Hartz flea treatment, which I now refuse to use ever again. I washed the litter box and set it up with clean litter for her when I brought her home, but she seems to hate it. I'll pick up a brand new deep covered tray when I have a chance, so there won't be any other cat smells in it. I use plain coarse clay litter but if she still resists I'll try changing it to something finer, or to sand or paper if that still doesn't work.

[Seshat]

My girl-kitty doesn't like a dirty litter pan at all. Fortunately, if the pan isn't to her standards, she uses tile flooring or the bath, so it's easy to clean up after her.

If she goes somewhere inappropriate, clean it WELL. See the thread in 'off topic' about apartment inspections for a wide variety of suggestions on how to clean away pee and poo scents.


Here's the thread. http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=66285

[BookstoreEscapee]

Kaylyn - is that your kitty in your avatar? She's adorable!

[Der Cute]

Also, try a finer grain litter. Arm and Hammer is what we use, clumping kind.

[Kaylyn]

Yep, that's her in my avatar. I've been on a LotR kick lately, playing the online game and rereading the books, so I named her Arwen.

[Seshat]

If she's still a kitten, don't give her the clumping litter - apparently they clean it off their paws, ingest it, and it clumps inside them. Adult cats can apparently pass it, but kittens are too small. Or some such.

To be sure, check with a vet. I don't recall the details - and this could be me passing on urban legend. But if it is one, it's one I'd check with the vet.