Start early, be consistent, and provide an environment for your cat that makes her feel relaxed and confident, so that your cat develops good litter box habits.
Training Young Kittens to Use the Litter Box
If you have had a litter of kittens, it is your responsibility to start them off on the right foot where the litter box is concerned! Since it is part of a kitten’s natural instincts to dig, eliminate, and cover up, it’s much easier to train a young kitten than you think. As you begin to introduce solid foods at 3 ½ to 4 weeks old, sit a small litter box just outside their nesting area, and fill it with 3” of plain, clay litter.
It is important to use a small litter box so that your tiny kittens can climb in and out of it with ease, which they will start doing as soon as they can walk out of their nest on their own. You use clay litter because your kittens will taste test the litter, and clumpable litters can harm their digestive systems.
Scoop out the solids every day, and change the litter every three days for up to 3 kittens and every other day for more than 3 kittens.
Training Kittens 8 Weeks Old and Older
Most people adopt their kittens around 8 weeks old, and sometimes the kittens aren’t very well litter trained when they arrive. If you are lucky, your kitten will be litter trained, but they will still need a couple of days of adjustment before you can let them roam free in your home and consistently find the litter box.
Again, start with a smaller litter box for younger kittens and use only clay litter until they are about 6 months old. Put the litter box in the part of the house where your kitten will spend her time so that she can find it easily. You don’t want the kitten downstairs playing with the kids in the livingroom and the litter box to be on the second floor. If you do have different levels in your house, it is good to have a litter box on every floor.
When you are not available to keep an eye on your kitten, when you are sleeping or at work for example, confine your kitten in a smaller area with their litter box. Keep their food and water away from the litter box area because kittens will not normally eliminate near their food.
Scoop solids every day, and change the litter entirely at least once a week. Read “How to Avoid Litter Box Odors” for tips on litter box cleanliness.
Tips to Avoid Litter Box Problems
Litter Box Do’s
- Have one litter box for every cat in your home, plus one
- Clean any accidents right away with products made to remove the scent of cat urine
- Avoid overcrowding (having too many cats causes extreme stress in cats, and that leads to litter box problems)
- Rule out health issues first if you begin to have litter box problems
- Have your cat spayed or neutered before they reach sexual maturity
Litter Box Don’ts
- Never punish your kitten for accidents
- Don’t use heavily perfumed litters
- Don’t change brands of litter suddenly (introduce new litter into old litter slowly by thirds)
And finally, don’t give up on your cat! If you are having trouble teaching your kitten how to use the litter box, check out Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat products. This line of products is designed to attract your cat to the litter using herbs, and they offer solutions for special needs cats, like pregnant queens or elderly cats that have trouble in the litter box.
If you have any questions, please feel free to drop by the discussion area!
If you are having litter box issues with your cat, read "Litter Box Problems: Helping With Your Cat's Litter Box Issues."
