House Training a Kitten

Hi K.,

I have litter box trained many kittens over the years.
When I get the kitten, I put his litter box and food and water in an area that I can close off and keep him confined in, preferably a small area. Feed him/her and then place the kitten in the litter box. Do this everytime you feed. Don't leave extra food to snack on through the day! We, of course, take the kitten out to play with, but always put it back in his area for at least a week. This works like a charm!

Hope this helps!
R.
http://R..fourpointmoms.com
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Our cats have come litter trained, but I have had success teaching my daughter "gentle." Everytime she's rough with our cat, we take her hand and pet the cat with her. While doing this, we tell her that she has to be "gentle" with Alex. She's gotten to the point now that she'll even respond if we just say "gentle" to her without showing her how to pet Alex.

Hi K.. I used to work for a cat clinic, and the first advice is to contain the kitten in a small area, a box with the litter box, bathroom with the litter box.. when they are that small, they cannot make it a far distance to the box before they go... eventually she will remember where it is, and start recognizing the urge to go. Another important reminder is to not move the box.. As for your daughter.. I tell my son BE SOFT, and show him to pet soft, and make sure that my animals have a safe place if they get too much attention. Hope that helps. Good Luck.
Laurie

Hi K. G.
Try putting your kitten with the litter box in a small area.
When they are free to roam the house the will not always remember where the box is.Gradually expand the area as he
learns to use it. It normally comes very natural to a kitten.
Good luck
M. C.

I have had lots of experience with this, as I used to work at a fairly large shelter. 1st, remember the kitten is a baby also and has to go potty the min. it wakes up or after playing or eating! Just like a toddler that is being potty trained, the kitten probably does not know it has to go until it "HAS to GO"! It is best to keep puppies and kittens in a confined area when you are not with them.. like an old pack n Play with a piece of cardboard over the top, or a bathroom or laundry room. Their bed, some toys, a potty area (NO scoopable litter for kittens!!) and non-tipping food and water dishes.
Also, most shelters won't even adopt our puppies or kittens to families w/ children under 4 or 5. Young children often do not understand the difference between a stuffed kitty and a real one. They sit on the one, why can't they sit on the other?? They usually do not know that screaming and crying means pain..and often they just get very excited at the noise and increase the activity that is causing it..you know, like the toys that scream when you flop them on the floor??
So, try not to leave the toddler and kitten unattended AT ANY Time...so that when you are there, you can teach her 'easy' and 'gentle'. If you put the time and effort into this so that they build a loving relationship, full of respect for each other, they will be best friends forever. However, if the baby gets bitten or scratched, remember, the kitty was probably just trying to protect itself.
Hope this helps..

hi K.,

I love cats, we have a few of them but I have never had any problems with training them to the box..they just seemed to know. Next time he poops and pees I would pick up his poop and put it in the box and then put him in it and maybe soak up his pee with some litter and put it back in the box. If you can, i know you are probably busy busy but maybe you could set the timer on the stove or an alarm clock for every hour and just put him in the box. hopefully if you keep putting him in with the poop you added he will get it. As for your daughter, just let her see you loving and petting and being nice while telling her that's how we treat the kitty. of course i'm sure you've already done that, that's what I did with our last kitty when my son was two but thankfully I am a sahm and I just kept a good eye on the kitty because sometimes they just don't understand gentle and that carrying the kitty by his neck is not good. goodluck, have a great weekend!

M.

I don't have experience with kittens, but I have heard of my brother doing this with his cats. Use a water spray bottle...anytime your cat start to go on the floor you spray it with the water then immediatly place the kitten in the litter box....eventually they figure it out. Hope you can get the kitty trined!!