How can I get my kittens to use their new litter box?
I recently got 2 kittens. After a few weeks the started growing out of their original litter box so I got them a larger covered one to help eliminate smell and give them more room to go. At the same time I took a recomendation from someone and got them a new kind of scoopable litter made out of corn cobs. It was supposed to be easier to use and eliminate odor. (Btw, this is not the case.) Now I can’t tell if it’s one or both of them, but I keep finding that they’ve pooped in places around their litter box but they wont go in it. I’ve tried uncovering the new box until they get used to it but it still hasn’t worked. I can’t really tell if this is an issue with the litter or the new box. They will pee in the box (I think) and they will poop in it sometimes, but i find that they use the floor around it even more. Has anyone else had this problem after changing litter or a litter box? Any suggestions?
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Filed under: Cat Litter
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So, they did fine with the smaller, uncovered box and different litter?
Whenever you switch to a different litter, mix in some of the old. Cats are territorial and don’t like change all that much.
Also, the enclosed area might be good for you, but it might be too strong in there for their noses! I’ve had cats all my life, and only had one cat who liked enclosed litter boxes!
Yes, I tried pine litter after using scoopable clay litter. They hated it.
If you want them to use the corn litter, try using their old litter and adding about 25% of corn litter to it, and increase it to about 50% a week later. Then leave that for about 2 weeks and see if you can up it to 75% without problems.
A lot of cats don’t like covered litter boxes, but definitely keep the cover off until they stop going on your carpet and get used to using the litter box again.
If you feel like they have broken the habit of using the litter box and you can’t get them to use it… go back to the way you had it in the beginning and keep them in a smaller area (a bedroom or the kitchen) with the litter box until they learn.
Good luck!
it is ur litter, i use scoop away, try that, hope it works
well, cats don’t like change and cats are territorial
—several things you are saying could be the cause:
1) as the kittens get older they will not want to use the same litter box and they will tell you so by pooping in all the most inconvenient places of your home, here is a link to an article which discusses how to keep harmony in a multiple cat household, the second paragraph discusses the need for separate litter boxes:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&siteid=1&acatid=209&aid=752
2) cats prefer uncovered litter boxes, because cats have a better sense of smell than we humans do the stench inside of a covered litter box (regardless of how clean it is kept) can be enough to deter the cats away from using the litter box at all, here is a link to an article which discusses all the potential problems which come along with a covered litter box in the forth paragraph:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:RxbhYxORpK8J:www.ddfl.org/behavior/litterbox-prevent.pdf+to+cover+or+not+to+cover+the+litter+box&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=firefox-a
3) cats hate change and the worst kind of change for them is changes in their potty, the best way to adjust a cat to a new type of litter or litter box is to first offer them both litter boxes with the old litter in it, then a few days later when you see them using the new litter box you may take the old one away, then once they are accustomed to using the new box with the old litter in it you may slowly mix the new litter in with the old litter until they are used to the new litter, after about a week you can completely remove the old litter and they should be comfortable with the new litter choice, here is an article which discusses a cat’s need to be introduced to change very slowly:
http://cats.about.com/cs/behavioralissues/a/outsidebox_one_2.htm
4) cats wastes have enzymes which the cat can smell long after you have cleaned the floor where they had their accident, as I’ve mentioned above, a cat has a better sense of smell than you do so if they can still smell their wastes on the floor then they are still going to think it’s ok to go potty there, you may need to buy a product made especially for this type of clean up, you can buy such a product at most any pet supply store for less than $7, here is a link to products you may want to look at:
http://www.petco.com/Shop/SearchResults.aspx?Nav=1&N=0&Ntt=odor+remover
good luck, if your kittens are still young then correcting this problem should be alot easier than if they were older
just remember to take things slowly, they are lucky to have you as the majority of healthy cats that are euthanized are euthanized because of litter box avoidance
also, if you find that your kittens still will not use the litter box after you have done everything you know to do, then it may be a health concern:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&siteid=1&acatid=209&aid=1000
good luck again!