posted on October 9, 2000 07:29:52 AM new
Some of you may recall that I mentioned adopting two kittens over the weekend. Well, they're here and they're little cuties! The big cat is not happy about the situation and she has been largely in hiding whenever they're out, but I know it will take a while for her to adjust.
The problem is that these cats are pooping all over the house! We began by confining the kittens to the guest room for about a day and a half, with their food and their litter box in there. They used the litter box with no problems. Yesterday we moved their litter box downstairs and showed them where it is, and we can see that they've peed there, but after going out to dinner last night we found two piles of poop in the guest room (the stink hit us as we walked in the door).
We shut the guest room door last night, so while we were sleeping they pooped in the living room -- though I have to give them credit for aiming for the general vicinity of a pile of papers. Right now they're down in the basement in a room with their litter box, in its permanent location. I'm figuring they'll have to stay there while we're at work and at night until they figure out that this is where we go.
Our big cat has never had a problem with using her litter box in the basement. Are the (11 week old) kittens too young to know to go downstairs? Will keeping them down there for a while work? Obviously we don't want the whole house to be their own personal latrine.
posted on October 9, 2000 08:08:27 AM new
Hi rainybear, you definitely want to confine the kittens to a small area with their litterbox. Have you had these kittens vet checked. The majority of kittens have worms or other parisites which can affect bathroom habits. You might want to run a fecal to your Vets and see if this is the case. This very much can affect their bathroom habits. If you put the litter box and the kittens in the basement and they are still not using the box all the time you need to go to a smaller space until they do use the litter box only. Now is the time to make sure they only use it or there will be trouble later. Good luck!
posted on October 9, 2000 08:26:24 AM new
Rainybear,
What katthree3 said about a checkup. In addition, I think I've read that there should be one litter box for every cat in the household. They may wind up using the same one, but they should have the option. For the moment, I'd suggest making up several temporary litter boxes and putting them in the rooms the kittens are allowed to frequent. You can get disposable litter boxes from pet supply stores, or rig them up from regular packing boxes of the right size that are lined with plastic. The idea is to make it easy for them to get to the box and do the right thing. Scoopable litter makes this a more easily maintained propostion than the regular variety, if you're not ardently opposed to scoopable litter (some are).
posted on October 9, 2000 10:22:53 AM new
Thanks katthree3 and pareau - I'll see if I can get them in to see the vet this week. An assortment of disposable litter boxes sounds good, but I'm afraid if I do that they'll keep on going there even after the litter boxes are gone.
posted on October 10, 2000 08:21:11 PM new
Yep, agree with the small space training; worked for the last two of ours; try shutting them in the bathroom with the box when you're not home for a couple of days; preferably with NO carpet(s) on the floor; and scoop a bit of their "missed mess" in there so they'll smell it and hopefully go there time & time again. Also, heard that rubbing bits of citrus peel on the stained areas keeps them away; or was it keeping bits of citrus peel in plants to keep them out of there? Something to do with the acidic smell.. keeps them away.
posted on October 10, 2000 08:40:41 PM new
When I move litter boxes I do it a little distance at a time since their natural habit is to go back to the same place. I had the litter box in the second bathroom but it is now in the garage, but I took about a week to get it there, moving it a couple of feet per day. It worked beautifully! You might want to put the box back where it was, where they're going anyway, and then gradually move it downstairs a few feet at a time.
posted on October 13, 2000 12:15:16 AM new
As a "mother" to seven cats, I know all about that!!
All the advice is excellent, but let me add one more thing: make sure that the food is not too close to the litter box. Cats don't poop where they eat. This fact is quite useful if it turns out that the kittens are having more litter training problems. Just put a small bowl of dry food where they've been pooping, and they'll stop.
Sometimes cats can be quite hard to make behave. I have a hybrid F1 Bengal, a first generation cross between an Asian Leopard Cat (one of the most feral of all the small wild cats) and a Bengal. Woden was a TERROR to try to train...he was beyond recalcitrant, actually. He had to grow out of it...but it took over two months of finding "gifts" all over the house. I had to block up corners and little cubbyholes with books (yet another reason to have thousands of books at home ), in order to "force" him to use a litter box. He is an amazing creature, but he is not a pussy cat, and doesn't act like a domestic at all!
OH!! Perhaps a covered litter box might be of help, too. Sometimes cats in somewhat unfamiliar territory need to feel secure, and an enclosed box can help.
Sorry if I sound somewhat dopey right now...It's quite late, but I wanted to respond.
posted on October 13, 2000 02:22:17 AM new
How old are your kittens? Did you get them from the animal shelter or from someone who also owns the mother cat?
I've had cats all my life. I've noticed that kittens that are separated from their mother before 6 weeks never learn certain grooming, hunting and other cat habits. One of my cats is really sweet, but he was never taught to clean himself and he doesn't have the hunter instinct. My other cat hunts, grooms herself and the other cat, and uses the scratch pole religiously. The second cat was raised by her mother until she was 8-weeks old.
I won't say that you'll never be able to teach your kittens to use their box, but it will be much more difficult if the mother didn't have a chance to finish teaching them herself before the kittens were taken from her.
posted on October 14, 2000 11:11:55 AM new
Hi Rainybear just curious if the suggestions helped. Hope the kitties have started using their litter box.
Kat
posted on October 14, 2000 12:06:14 PM new
Have to put my advice here, hope it helps. I used to show cats and know some of the ins and outs of your problem. Firstly, get their stools checked for coccidia or worms so you know that is not their problem. But most importantly which this might sound cruel if you want them house broken you must try this. You need to put each cat in a small cage which floor space is no bigger than the litter box you put in, room for the water and food bowl and a very small place for them to lay. They must remain in this area ONLY for at least a week no shorter, some will tell you about 10 days. This is the only way they will get the idea where to go to the bathroom and make them want to scratch the kitty litter to go in. They will not poop or urinate where they sleep (neither will puppies although you take them out every once in awhile instead of the room for the litter pan) so they WILL use the box in this cage. When you take them out put the litter box near to where you had their cage so they know where it still is. After awhile moving the litter box is okay if at first you have the two available so they can use the first area until they start using the second. These kittens will know then what the litter box is used for instead of any corner in your house. Anything peed on in your house now should be Thrown out! They will go back there and be totally untrainable if you try washing the smell out no matter what you use they will smell it. This includes carpet. If your older cat has sprayed even years ago anywhere in your house these new kittens will think that is the place to go so make sure everything peed on is removed. This will definitely work, the cages cost about 30 dollars or more or get one at a yard sale I see them all the time. But make sure you go to the Vet first. All cats will go anywhere in your house if they have any sickness, worms or what ever. Get their stool samples checked before you begin to rule out that.
posted on October 14, 2000 09:22:42 PM new
Thanks everyone! Your suggestions were good ones, and I haven't found any little "gifts" around the house during the past few days... well, not the solid kind at least.
We've been keeping the kitties downstairs in a large, unfinished area of the basement at night and when we're not at home. They're very good about using their litter box down there. The only problems occur when they're upstairs and they need to go -- I think they're still too little to know that they need to walk all the way down the stairs to get to their litter box. Now when we have them upstairs for a long time we take them down for "potty breaks," which seems to help a lot, and I think at least one of them is getting the idea.
We did find a puddle on the couch the other day, though, when they'd been upstairs for quite a while. I figured that's our fault for not taking them downstairs soon enough. Luckily the couch is leather so it didn't soak in, and it wiped up without a problem.
Now we just need to get the big cat accustomed to the little cats! They seem very interested in her, but she still sounds what we call the "Angry Cat Alarm" whenever one approaches.
), in order to "force" him to use a litter box. He is an amazing creature, but he is not a pussy cat, and doesn't act like a domestic at all!