Help! Kittens peeing/pooping in places they shouldn't!

[nullentropy]

I recently rescued two 7 week old kittens from an "oops" litter. The girl I got them from said they were litter trained and hadn't had any accidents. I brought them home, and they seemed to be using the litter box regularly. Well. I discovered that they had been peeing and pooping in piles of clothes! So, we took all of the clothes off the floor, and they're waiting to be laundered (we don't have our own washer/dryer). I've been keeping them "confined" in a small area with 2 litter boxes, one covered and one uncovered, when I can't be watching them. Well, today I had them out and they were playing and I look away, and I see Daisy (the girl) peeing on the floor near a pile of boxes! We recently moved here and not everything is unpacked. Is this a normal behavior? I cleaned up the pee with paper towel and "Citrus Magic Pet" which contains enzymes. I then said "No" firmly, and put both the kittens in their area. They're currently about 9 weeks old and are not fixed yet. What can I do about this? This weekend we're going to try and get all the piles of stuff taken care of. I got cats because I thought they just went in the litter. I know you'll ask, so no; they are not declawed, and the litter was just cleaned earlier today, and it's scooped every day. I'm currently feeding them a mix of Nature's Variety Instinct Raw (duck, beef, and chicken) and canned food. They've gotten tiki cat, spot's stew, instinct canned, merrick pate, and innova evo. Am I missing something? I don't have a ton of money, and they just recently went to the vet for their first boosters and checkup. They're due to go back on the 3rd of July for their second boosters and rabies. They're not avoiding the litter, and they've been using it. It just seems like she got lazy and didn't want to go to the box, and there was this nice pile of stuff. Is that a typical thing? I'd love to have them be able to run around (it's not a huge apartment) but I don't want my stuffy and floors being destroyed! Help!Note: This is my first time having cats, but I've raised dogs and I'm not stranger to animal pee. It's just that one of the reasons I got cats is that I don't have the time to be housebreaking puppies.

 

[luvmy4]

They should be confined to the small space for now since they are really too young to be separated from their mother. Between 6-12 weeks is when they start learning all their important cat behavior.
Are they going on the floor in the small room when they are confined?
Or are they using the box in there?

The whole house is probably just too much space for them as they are so young.

 

[nullentropy]

They're going in the box there. Here are some pictures of their area. The first one is before I added the new litter box.http://root--servers.org/Kittens/IM...ervers.org/Kittens/IMG_20130612_215210.jpgAnd with the new litter boxhttp://root--servers.org/Kittens/IMG_20130612_223142.jpg

 

[luvmy4]

They probably just need to be confined to one room for now. They aren't being lazy they just don't have much control yet. Like I said they are just young and need a smaller territory for now. That is what I would try. In the mean time finish your decluttering. Cats really don't like things out of place in my experience and thrive on routine.
Good luck

 

[nullentropy]

Thanks so much for your help. Like I said, I'm new to all of this.

 

[bct121]

like puppies, kittens need to be potty trained but unlike puppies, it's a lot easier to potty train or litter train a kitten. Kittens learn these behaviors from their mother, They see their mother go into the litter box and cover her business so they do the same. Since they were taken from their mother so young you have to take their mother's place and teach them these important lessons. It is very important not to scold a kitten if they go potty outside of their litter box. Cats are a lot more sensitive than dogs and therefore you must be very easy on them. If your kittens go outside the box,ignore them completely and simply clean that spot very well If it is poo, place some of the poo they made on the floor into their litter box. If it is pee, soak some of that pee onto a paper towel and put it in their litter box. Cleaning the litter box is very important but when your training a kitten, I would recommend leaving just a little something in that box as a reminder to the kitten. You also need to put your kittens in the litter box alot. After they eat, put them in the litter box. After they wake up--litter box. After they play--litter box. Also when you put one of them in the litter box take your finger and just dig in the sand a little and let them see what you are doing then just leave them alone. Cats are private creatures and do not really want to share their potty business with the world. Also, make sure your litter box(s) (its preferable to have one for each cat you have but put them on opposite ends of the apartment) are not in a heavy traffic area. Like I said, cats are private and they would much more likely to use their box if it is in an area that doesn't have a lot of traffic. For instance, you could place one out of the way in the bathroom or in the corner of a room with a chair in front of it. You get the idea! A litter that i have used for all my cats has been arm and hammer double duty; it is soft on the cats paws, it is easy for them to dig in and it is very good at masking stinky kitten poops until you can get around to scooping and bagging it! Just stay persistent and they will catch on! Goodluck your now a kitty mamma!

 

[nullentropy]

I'm actually using the Arm & Hammer Double Duty, because it's natural, soft, and low-dust. I know a decent amount about nutrition, safety, and litter, but almost nothing about behavior! As I said, they're not adverse to using the box, it's just when they're out of their area they accident. Maybe the solution is getting a few more litter boxes to have around when they're out for playtime? Is that a good idea, or am I going to be stuck with litter boxes all over the apt forever?