6 week old kitten won’t use litter box

[SMV]

I just rescued a kitten that was in pretty bad shape after being attacked by a dog or possibly another cat. She was in a field, fiercely meowing for hours before I found her.

She’s been treated by a vet and is on Clavamox. She’s a normal kitten, except she refuses to use a litterbox.
I have placed 3 clean litter boxes in the area where she stays, and she will only go on a blanket. I need advice.

 

[StefanZ]

What is it for litter? I hope its no scented variation...
Anyway, if you think she is a semiferale, she isnt used to any sort of inside only litters. Make sure at least one of the litterboxes
you have, use natur litter. soft dirt, some old leaves, even natural sand... You can have 2 with different natural solutions, 1 with bought clumping
free bought litter.

If you can get Dr Elsey´s Kitten-attract litter, you can try with this too... You dont need to fill the whole litter, sprinkle some on the
surface.

Does she has diarrhea? They tend to have difficult for litter while having diarrhea... Get rid of diarrhea, and half the problem
will be automatically resolved.

Is she handleable? Set her on litter before and after meals....

If she makes pools everywhere, hold her in ONE room, till she is reasonably litter trained.

Also, if she is handleable, you could try to stimule her by hand, as you would do with a small kitten...

Tx for rescuing this little one!

SMV

 

[Kflowers]

Be sure to put her poop in the box you want her to use. You can bury it, her sense of smell is better than yours. When you clean up her pee, bury the paper towel in the box. This will let her know, this is the place to use and with her scent, it belongs to her.

Other possibilities. Is it easy for her to get in the box? You may need one with shorter sides. You said she was in rough shape when you got her, her muscles and tendons may still be a bit sore, underdeveloped for climbing. She may not think of climbing up and in to find a place to do her business.

Outside she would have been looking for hidden places, down and under things. She may like a cover over part or all of the litter box. But mostly as Stefan said, the sudden switch to clay from dirt maybe confusing her.

 

[Sarthur2]

She will eventually learn to use the box. How is she doing otherwise today? Is she eating well? What are you feeding her and how often?

 

[SMV]

What is it for litter? I hope its no scented variation...
Anyway, if you think she is a semiferale, she isnt used to any sort of inside only litters. Make sure at least one of the litterboxes
you have, use natur litter. soft dirt, some old leaves, even natural sand... You can have 2 with different natural solutions, 1 with bought clumping
free bought litter.

If you can get Dr Elsey´s Kitten-attract litter, you can try with this too... You dont need to fill the whole litter, sprinkle some on the
surface.

Does she has diarrhea? They tend to have difficult for litter while having diarrhea... Get rid of diarrhea, and half the problem
will be automatically resolved.

Is she handleable? Set her on litter before and after meals....

If she makes pools everywhere, hold her in ONE room, till she is reasonably litter trained.

Also, if she is handleable, you could try to stimule her by hand, as you would do with a small kitten...

Tx for rescuing this little one!

SMV

She is very friendly with me. I am using the kitten attract in one of the litter boxes and I’m using World’s Best Litter in another one. I hadn’t thought to use leaves or dirt from the outside.
She is confined to the master bedroom/bathroom since she is too young to vaccinate and I can’t let her be around my other cats in the house. She does not have diarrhea. I have put her in a litter box when I see that she is about to go on a blanket several times. But she jumps out , shakes off her feet , and goes right back to the blanket. She even scratches at the blanket to try and cover it. She will be getting her vaccinations on June 30. I will let her be around my other cats after that and hope that they can teach her.

 

[SMV]

She will eventually learn to use the box. How is she doing otherwise today? Is she eating well? What are you feeding her and how often?

She is a very hearty eater. Which is another concern… she only eats wet food. I don’t mind that she is food aggressive (she growls and keeps one paw in her food bowl while eating,) but I don’t know why she won’t eat kibble. I bought Iam’s kitten food for the small pieces. She will only eat the canned food, and she eats 1.5 Oz at a time.

 

[SMV]

Be sure to put her poop in the box you want her to use. You can bury it, her sense of smell is better than yours. When you clean up her pee, bury the paper towel in the box. This will let her know, this is the place to use and with her scent, it belongs to her.

Other possibilities. Is it easy for her to get in the box? You may need one with shorter sides. You said she was in rough shape when you got her, her muscles and tendons may still be a bit sore, underdeveloped for climbing. She may not think of climbing up and in to find a place to do her business.

Outside she would have been looking for hidden places, down and under things. She may like a cover over part or all of the litter box. But mostly as Stefan said, the sudden switch to clay from dirt maybe confusing her.

She was in rough shape. She’s seen a vet and her hematoma and abscesses have been treated. She’s currently taking clavamox, but she’s not limping anymore.
She could definitely get in and out of the litter boxes easily.
She actually stated pooping next to one of the litter boxes. I’m hoping that’s a good sign.
I’ve done cat rescue for 3 years, and have only came across this issue once before. I kept that cat in a dog kennel with a litter box, a blanket, food and water for 3 days and she has used the litter box since then.

I’m wondering if I should kennel this little one.

 

[Sarthur2]

I would wait until she’s off the Clavamox and see how she’s doing then. Put her poop in the box and show it to her so she can learn that’s where it goes.

 

[StefanZ]

Dry kibble is convenient, but wet cat food is usually of better quality, so its really good she is into wet food....