Cat Litter Training: Teach Kitten Use Litter Box

If you have just gotten a new kitten, chances are it's already litter box trained. This is because cats who have been raised by mothers who use litter boxes themselves have already been taught to use a box by their mothers. If the mother is trained, then the kitty, too, is going to be trained to use a box. If not, though, the kitten will need to be taught cat litter training.

If your kitten was raised by a mother in the wild or is an orphan, chances are you're going to get a kitten that is not trained. By nature, cats are very clean creatures, and would prefer to have one special place to go to the bathroom. Remember that if the kitten is very tiny (less than six weeks old) and/or has been orphaned, then it may not have had a mother to show it how to use litter properly. First, get a box or container with low enough sides that even a very tiny kitten can climb in. The box must be easy to get into for your kitten to be able to use it. Instinctively, even tiny kittens will usually like to scratch around even if they don't exactly know what it's used for.

Now, the next time you feed your kitten, immediately after he eats, turn on him over on his back (often, you can even do this in the palm of your hand with a very tiny kitten). Cover your index finger with a warm wet rag or washcloth and massage his lower belly very gently with it using downward stroking motions, going toward his tail. What you're doing is stimulating him to eliminate as his mother would by licking him.

Immediately after you do this once or twice, turn him over on his feet and set him down in the box. He should feel the need to go to the bathroom almost immediately. He'll eliminate and once he does this, take his front paw and very gently scoop litter over his waste. Very soon, he'll get the idea and want to do this himself. As we said, cats are very clean creatures and instinctively bury their waste anyway, so he'll get the idea very quickly.

One final thing to remember is that because cats are so clean, their litter boxes must also be kept very clean. If your kitten has been trained and all of a sudden begins eliminating in various places in the house, it's likely that it's either a health problem or dirty litter box that's making him do so. If the box is dirty, make sure you clean it and keep it that way. With a little effort from you, cat litter training should be very easy for your new kitten.

Keep the litter box clean at all times. Scoop it daily, if necessary. Cats hate smelly litter boxes and will go elsewhere if their litter box is too disgusting. Change the litter box weekly and disinfect the box every time.

Clumping cat litter is more costly but makes the job of scooping much easier. Some cats don’t like scented cat litter because they prefer to only smell their own scent. If you’re vigilant about keeping up with scooping and cleaning, the cat box shouldn’t really have a strong odor.