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Old October 17th, 2009, 02:36 PM
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How do I fix this?

We adopted a small kitten today. This is my 4th cat in my lifetime and every cat I have ever brought home, I just showed them the litterbox and that was that. Well, This new baby was shown the litter box several times today and yet he pee'd on my bed. I immediately picked him up and placed him where the litterbox is ( I have another car for 3 years now) and I put his paws in the litter and scratched them in. He jumped out of the box and pooped on the floor next to the litterbox. I am perplexed. What am I doing wrong and how can I jump right on this problem? I dont want bad habits to start.
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Old October 17th, 2009, 02:48 PM
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I have three cats, and we have three litterboxes. Maybe get this new guy his own litterbox if this current one has been used by your older cat.
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Old October 17th, 2009, 06:19 PM
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I agree. Some cats like their own box and won't share with others.

Also, be sure to clean the areas he already went on, or else he may pee there again.
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Old October 17th, 2009, 07:58 PM
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Rule of thumb with cats is one box per cat plus one extra. Some kitties don't like to use a box belonging to someone else. A box of his own is a must.
Can you find out what kind of litter the person who you got him from used and use the same for a while? That way it isn't a huge change from what he is used to. Also, is the box too high for him? I know you said he jumped out of the one but maybe he doesn't like having to struggle to get into it.
Don't put his new box close to the other one. If they are side by side there may be issues too. Clean the soiled spots with a cleaner that is ammonia free. You can use Nature's Miracle (expensive) or the home made recipe that one of our members shared with us.... 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 cup water mixed in a spray bottle and applied liberally to the spots kitty has soiled.
You didn't mention if the litterbox was clean or soiled when you put the kitten in it. It is imperative when the kittens are small to keep the box as clean as possible. It is also very important NOT to use clumping litter. Kittens have a habit of munching on the clay which can cause blockages in their bellies and possible death.
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Old October 17th, 2009, 08:44 PM
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well, he pee'd on my bed and I washed the comforter, sheets and matress pad. Where he pooped was on the mat that the litterbox sits on. I put him in the boys bathroom which is large with a small dish of food and water and a towel to surl up on. On the other side of the bathroom I took a pie tin and placed a thin layer of litter in it. I again sat him in it and put the claws through it. I geuss in the am, we will see what happens.

He is VERY small, and was a stray with others found on a local road. He was turned into animal control and the group I adopted him from informed me that the local animal shelter takes from them and the animals up for adoption today were the shelter rejects and were to be euthanized if not adopted. He is skin and bones...very small and very young. He has been fixed and is utd on shots as well as microchipped. I need to get him in to see the vet as well. She said no one wanted him because he is a black cat. It is the jewel green eyes that got my attention!!!

Anyway, like I said, I have never had this problem before and I guess I will have to see how it plays out.
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Old October 17th, 2009, 08:47 PM
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I'm sure some of our cat people here will have great suggestions for you as you monitor his progress. You've come to a great place for advice.

I just wanted to add = thankyou so much for rescuing this little sweetheart. Keep us posted on his progress, and we love pictures!! What did you name him?
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Old October 17th, 2009, 08:53 PM
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If he was a feral kitten then yes, he would not know how to use the litterbox.
Especially if mom was not around to show him. :sad:
It is a good idea to give him a small room with his own food, water, bed and toys. The poor baby will be stressed if he is very young and away from all that is familiar.
Here are a couple of sites that may give you some ideas on training.

http://www.catsofaustralia.com/kitten_toilet_train.htm

http://www.peteducation.com/article....+2137&aid=3288

Once he gets the idea that he needs to use the box it shouldn't take long. I'm really surprised the rescue is adopting out black cats at this time of the year. In this area they refuse to adopt black cats in October. Thank you for adopting him. I'm sure once he figures out what he needs to do he is going to be a super kitty. My black guys are all so lovable.
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Old October 17th, 2009, 08:59 PM
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We named him Midnight and I would love to post a pic if someone would tell me how to!!! I might also ass that he is a SNUGGLER!!!!! He just wants to be held and cuddler and he sounds like a train with all that purring!!!!
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Old October 17th, 2009, 09:18 PM
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just fyi, I took pics of the cat and tried to upload them to show in my post and even though the pic was there, it says upload failed and still doesnt show a pic.
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Old October 17th, 2009, 09:23 PM
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How large was your file? The pic has to be within the size limitations for this site and darned if I can remember what that size is. Me, the picture taking queen!!
You could try to resize your pic and then uploading it again. See what happens. If that doesn't work I'm sure someone who can explain how to's better than I will be along soon.
Neat name for kitty. My black kitties are Orbit, Jupiter, and Kearn. They are, well two of them are, snugglebums. Orbit especially. Jup we are working on.
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We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
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Old October 18th, 2009, 09:45 AM
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OH, another black kitty! I have two of my own, Vlad and Oksana.
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Old October 18th, 2009, 10:58 AM
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ok, the pic finally loaded and there he is with my hand in there to show just how truly small he is.
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  #13  
Old October 18th, 2009, 12:19 PM
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He is a very small little guy! Thanks for rescuing this black beauty. I wouldn't use an aluminum pie tin for the litter, as most cats don't like scratching on it. Your litter box shouldn't have sides higher than 2 inches and should be at least 12" x 12" --- better box is too big than too small! If it's struggle for him to get into your litter box, yes he will take the easy way and do it outside of the box. You might try some "Cat Attract" litter http://www.preciouscat.com/ that some people say is successful at getting cat to go in the box.

You're right in wanting to get him trained correctly as quickly as possible before it becomes a bad habit. Do praise him lavishly when he does use the box. Good luck!
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Old October 19th, 2009, 12:52 PM
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I know im posting a lot but......the kitten has used the pie tin since that first night without any problems or accidents. I told hubby I thought we should continue on like this for a few more days. He also knows where the food and water are when he is out and about so, no problems there. So, how do I transition him out of his room and maje sure that he still knows where the litterbox is? and btw, can I put 2 box's side by side?
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Old October 19th, 2009, 09:51 PM
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Great job on kitty using the pie plate! Hopefully he now has the idea and can graduate to a big boy box. Is it possible to leave a box in "his" room for a while? That way he will remember where to go and will return there. It's possible if you move the box too quickly he will go to where it was and use that spot. He is just a baby and will not always remember.
It is not always advisable to have boxes side by side. If the kitties do not get along and they have to use the boxes in close proximity of the other it is possible they will revert to using other spots.
Keep up the good work!
And there is no such thing as posting too much!!
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We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
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Old October 20th, 2009, 07:03 AM
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One of my foster kittens wouldn't use a litterbox and I used a tinfoil cake pan that she used . When she got bigger, I put a kitten litter box in her room.

While she is young, I would keep a couple of litter boxes around the house for her to use. She is still such a baby and doesn't have momma to show her that she should only use a litter box.
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Old October 21st, 2009, 01:21 PM
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ok, I brought the cat down out of the room to play and socialize with the other cat and I bought a small litterbox, VERY small plasic and filled it with about 2 inches of litter and the cat wanted nothing to do with it and jumped out like he did on day one!!!

Well, I brought it downstairs anyway and when I put him away for the night, that is the box that he will have and hopefully he will use it.
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Old October 22nd, 2009, 09:54 AM
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I just wanted to update everyone and let you know that the kitten is using the litterbox downstairs without a problem. He never goes far from us so I carry the one from upstairs down when he comes down. I am not comfortable yet with letting him have roam of the house when I am not here but maybe soon as he is doing so well!!!
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Old October 22nd, 2009, 10:14 AM
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good for Midnight..he is so tiny you need to carry him around, I don't imagine that he will be able to use stairs for some time yet. Give him a hug and smooch from me.
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Old October 22nd, 2009, 11:07 AM
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Great news! ....hope this is the beginning of a good pattern of behaviour. Do lavish him with praise when he uses the box. Lots of "good kitty's" and caresses. You're doing the right thing by making it convenient for him to have the box closeby. As he gets a little bigger and older, you can gradually move it to where you want it.
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Old October 24th, 2009, 08:20 AM
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I had him downstairs yesterday for a while and even left the house and let him have run of it. There did not seem to be a problem. The kitten is able to go up and down the stairs when he wants. So last night, I found the dried poop under the window and what appears to be a very small area of urine. Oh well, live and learn. When he comes down, so does the litterbox!!!
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Old October 30th, 2009, 01:59 PM
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I took midnight to the vet today for shots. I was telling the vet that if the cat is confined, that he uses the litterbox and when he is downstairs, he uses the litterbox I put out but if I just give him run of the house, he always has accidents. I asked her what I could do help train him. I told her that I was concerned that he was very little and maybe forgetting where the box was and I had never had a cat like that before. She looked at me and told me that the cat knows exactly where it is but just chooses not to use it and that I should never let the cat out unless I am watching it..

I am perplexed by her answer and now wonder if I have a cat that can never be trusted in the house. Is she right? I am confused.
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Old October 30th, 2009, 04:46 PM
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I wouldn't say "never". He is still young, but you will have to watch him carefully. Praise him when he does do his business in the box. Male cats, for whatever reason, do seem to have litterbox issues more than females....that's my experience.
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Old October 30th, 2009, 05:47 PM
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Have you tried having a box in each room he visits? That may make it easier on you having to move it all the time. If he was a feral kitty or born outside to a mom who would have trained him to go wherever it probably will take a little longer.
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Old October 31st, 2009, 02:08 PM
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That's kind of a stupid answer from your vet.

Yes, it is likely that she knows where the box is. What she doesn't know is that she's supposed to use it every single time, or she may not feel like going all the way to the box.

Usually with young kittens one box isn't sufficient, especially when you don't have other cats showing them correct behavior. Their attention span sucks and if there's not a box within close proximity and they really have to go they will have accidents. It may take a fairly long time for them to completely train. Some kittens catch on immediately some are slow learners.

It would help to have several boxes. Put them where she's likely to have accidents (corners are a common place). I usually move some used to litter to new boxes to get the smell in them (doesn't have to be dirty, just from a box that has been used, it will have enough smell), otherwise young kittens sometimes don't realize what they're for. The smell is often what will trigger them to use it, so also make sure to clean any spot they've had an accident really really good.

You also might try scooping the boxes several times a day, whether there's anything in them or not. It seems like cleaning the litterbox triggers them to use them. At that point you can give them a small treat for using it.
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Old November 2nd, 2009, 03:49 PM
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I just wanted to update you all. The cat appears to be completely housebroken and has run of the house. I moved the food and water down where the other cats is...no problem. Now, the litterbox is sitting in the boys bathroom and I would like to slowly move it to the laundry room where the other cats box is. Is the feasable? Is it possible that they might share one day if I put them side by side?
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Old November 2nd, 2009, 11:20 PM
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Yes it's feasible, just do everything very gradually little by little. Depending on the temperament of the kitten, the laundry room isn't always the best place for a litter box, as the noise of washing machine and dryer may frighten and disturb the cat from wanting to use the litter box there. Some cats aren't bothered by the noise, but for others it would discourage them from using the box. Great to hear that he's using the box consistently now. You want to keep encouraging him.
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Old November 3rd, 2009, 02:07 PM
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so I went upstairs to scoop out the kittens litterbox and there was nothing in it. I was perplexed and I heard a noise and went to investigate. The kitten was using the other cats box!!!!!!!! If this keeps up, I am home free!!!!
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Old November 3rd, 2009, 02:43 PM
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That is wonderful news!! I would leave the box in the bathroom for a few more days to be on the safe side. If the kitten needs to use a box and runs to the bathroom expecting it to be there and it isn't he will use wherever he can. That would be a major set back for him.
After a few days you can start moving the box a few feet a day till it is where you want it. Smart kitty!!
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Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me.

We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
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  #30  
Old November 12th, 2009, 01:37 AM
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I've read that having a litter box on each floor of the house is a good idea, why not just leave it upstairs? Or have 2 on each floor of the house, that way (just in case) less accidents
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