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- Jan 13, 2019
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My family took in a 2 week (guessed by the owner of the farm cat) rejected baby. I've been following Hannah--the Kitten Lady--in bottle feeding and such. At what seemed like 4 weeks, I switched to the Phase 2 KMR (all the local pet store had) and added a tiny bit of wet food to it--and pumpkin. His poop was runny and mucous like. At that time, I also started showing him the litter box and stimulating him in it and such.
For a time, he started waking up and going in the litter box all by himself. Now he doesn't and he is about 7 weeks old.
Ever since we got him, he has had the run of the house. Mostly, when he was younger and just ate and slept, this meant we would carry him with us and have a bed set up for him to nap and play in. He would get out for just a few minutes but never stayed awake long at that age. We did this because we didn't want him shut away in a bathroom where we couldn't see him--soooo cute! And we wanted him to get used to the other cats in our house and for them to get used to him. Our youngest cat--about a year old--took over some of the grooming and it was so great for him to get some affection from other cats! They are best friends now.
But now that he is awake a lot more and more confident, he has the run of the first floor and is not really using his litter box. If I notice he is looking for a spot to go, I will put him in a box and he used to go. Now he jumps out and seems to tell me that he didn't have to go at all! He was just looking! He goes back to playing and as soon as I turn my back, he pees or poops somewhere he isn't supposed to.
I don't have any way to barricade him in a smaller place--especially now that he will jump off the couch.
In the past when we have taken in older strays--4 of whom were under 6 months with the youngest being 1 month--they spent time in the bathroom getting used to humans and our cats. This guy has never been contained.
Do I need to shut him in the bathroom--fixed up with beds, toys and litters--until he only goes in boxes?
The two main rooms he is in have in each room a regular hooded box with Sustainably Yours Natural Cat Litter (clumping) for our adult cats and a shallow tray with the news paper litter. He used to use the shallow one--as mentioned above--but then would only use the Sustainably litter (much finer, like sand) when we would set him in the bigger one. So we added another shallow tray with the Sustainably--as he hasn't ever eaten his litter--and he used that a few times before deciding no litter box was good enough. Last night I created a barrier between the couch and the tv and had his litter box in it and toys and beds, but when I woke up, he had not used the litter box and had pooped twice outside it.
I know he won't be perfect at this age, he just seems to be going backwards. I have put pumpkin in his food for a few weeks now because his poop isn't very solid with it and without it is liquid. He also refuses to eat out of a dish and still only uses the bottle. I check the nipple and no bitting yet and I know he will switch in his own time. I think it is an emotional support thing since he didn't have his mama, but I could just be putting that on him.
So, tl;dr--do I need to confine him to a small bathroom until he figures out the litter? Any tips on getting him litter trained? He is 1 pound 10 oz if that helps with judging his age.
For a time, he started waking up and going in the litter box all by himself. Now he doesn't and he is about 7 weeks old.
Ever since we got him, he has had the run of the house. Mostly, when he was younger and just ate and slept, this meant we would carry him with us and have a bed set up for him to nap and play in. He would get out for just a few minutes but never stayed awake long at that age. We did this because we didn't want him shut away in a bathroom where we couldn't see him--soooo cute! And we wanted him to get used to the other cats in our house and for them to get used to him. Our youngest cat--about a year old--took over some of the grooming and it was so great for him to get some affection from other cats! They are best friends now.
But now that he is awake a lot more and more confident, he has the run of the first floor and is not really using his litter box. If I notice he is looking for a spot to go, I will put him in a box and he used to go. Now he jumps out and seems to tell me that he didn't have to go at all! He was just looking! He goes back to playing and as soon as I turn my back, he pees or poops somewhere he isn't supposed to.
I don't have any way to barricade him in a smaller place--especially now that he will jump off the couch.
In the past when we have taken in older strays--4 of whom were under 6 months with the youngest being 1 month--they spent time in the bathroom getting used to humans and our cats. This guy has never been contained.
Do I need to shut him in the bathroom--fixed up with beds, toys and litters--until he only goes in boxes?
The two main rooms he is in have in each room a regular hooded box with Sustainably Yours Natural Cat Litter (clumping) for our adult cats and a shallow tray with the news paper litter. He used to use the shallow one--as mentioned above--but then would only use the Sustainably litter (much finer, like sand) when we would set him in the bigger one. So we added another shallow tray with the Sustainably--as he hasn't ever eaten his litter--and he used that a few times before deciding no litter box was good enough. Last night I created a barrier between the couch and the tv and had his litter box in it and toys and beds, but when I woke up, he had not used the litter box and had pooped twice outside it.
I know he won't be perfect at this age, he just seems to be going backwards. I have put pumpkin in his food for a few weeks now because his poop isn't very solid with it and without it is liquid. He also refuses to eat out of a dish and still only uses the bottle. I check the nipple and no bitting yet and I know he will switch in his own time. I think it is an emotional support thing since he didn't have his mama, but I could just be putting that on him.
So, tl;dr--do I need to confine him to a small bathroom until he figures out the litter? Any tips on getting him litter trained? He is 1 pound 10 oz if that helps with judging his age.
