If you’re fostering or adopting a kitten for the first time, you may have a few questions about litter training. Luckily, cats are naturally inclined to use a litter box. They just need a little help getting used to it. Here are some tips for helping your new kitten learn how to use the litter box.
Introducing Kittens to the Litter Box
Kittens instinctively want to cover their eliminations so using a litter box comes pretty naturally to them. They will likely need some assistance at first, but they basically teach themselves.
Kittens need to be stimulated to go to the bathroom until they’re about 3 or 4 weeks old. If you are fostering a mama cat along with her babies, she will do this for them. But if you are fostering orphaned kittens, you will need to help them out. Stimulating kittens involves using a wet wipe or tissue to rub their genitals until they eliminate. This generally takes just a minute or two and you need to do this after every meal.
Once they are 3 or 4 weeks old, you may notice them starting to squat, scratch at the floor, or even have some accidents around the house. This means it is time to start litter training.
When first introducing a kitten to the litter box, pick up the kitten and put them in a clean litter box. Move their little paws around so they can get used to the sensation of digging as well as the feel of the litter.
With small kittens, you definitely need to use a fragrance-free, non-clumping litter. Tiny kittens may try to eat litter and ingesting litter that clumps when wet is potentially harmful because the dust from the litter can solidify in their respiratory or digestive tracts. Using wheat, paper, or corn-based litter or even pellet litter is a good idea for curious kittens.
For very small kittens around 3-6 weeks old, using the cardboard containers that wet food comes in as their starter litter box is perfect. They are the right size and height for little kittens to easily access. If you give a kitten a litter box that is too tall for them to enter, they won’t use it since it’s not easily accessible.
Once kittens are 6-8 weeks old, they can move to a plastic litter box. However, it still needs to be quite shallow in order for them to get in and out comfortably. You can also use aluminum baking pans or small cardboard boxes when they’re this age. Disposable litter boxes are particularly handy if the kittens have diarrhea, which is very common in kittens. It is also a good idea to put pee pads underneath and around the litter box in case the kittens have accidents.
When kittens are first learning to use the litter box, it’s a good idea to keep them in small spaces. A playpen or a bathroom is the perfect environment for litter training since they have enough space to live comfortably without forgetting where the box is located.
Always make sure the litter box is clean. If the box is dirty, they will not want to use it and will go somewhere less desirable instead. The box needs to be cleaned at least twice daily. You will also need to dump the contents of the litter box entirely every few days and clean it with dish soap. Don’t forget to have a back-up litter box while the other one is being cleaned.
When you see your kitten use the litter box properly, praise them so they understand that using the box is a good thing. You can reward them with kind words, cuddles, or a small treat to reinforce the behavior.
Common Problems while Litter Training
The more space the kittens have access to, the more litter boxes they will need. Especially when kittens are just learning how to use the litter box, you want to set them up for success. If the box is too far away, they may forget. If a kitten has access to a large space, like the whole apartment, they may forget where the litter box is or simply feel too lazy to make the trek and just go to the bathroom in another location. Kittens especially love to pee and poop in corners or under beds and couches where they feel covered and less vulnerable while eliminating. If they repeatedly have accidents in the same spot, put another litter box in that spot for them.
You can encourage the kittens to use the litter box by gently returning them to their litter box every 15–20 minutes while they’re playing. Similarly, if you see them squatting somewhere besides the litter box, pick them up and place them inside the box.
Never punish a kitten for having an accident. They won’t understand and they didn’t do it on purpose. Instead, wipe up the mess with toilet paper and tear up little pieces of the toilet paper and put them in the litter box. The kittens will smell it and learn to go to the bathroom in the litter box.
Kittens tend to have accidents outside of the litter box if they have medical issues like diarrhea. When they aren’t feeling well, they may be unable to make it to the box in time. If you notice your kitten was using the litter box regularly and then stopped, the kitten may not be feeling well. Kittens are prone to parasites and diarrhea can quickly become a major medical issue so scheduling a vet visit is imperative.
Litter training is a rite of passage for all kittens and shows how big and grown up they have become while in your care. It may take a week or two for them to fully understand what to do, but with a little time and patience, your kitten soon will be using the litter box like a pro.
Love, Nala
