Kittens Still Not Using Litterboxes!! Please Help?

[katyfox]

hello! i have posted here before about this issue, but it's still persisting. I have 2 kittens who've I've had for about a month now. They won't stop pooping outside the litterbox! there are now 3 litterboxes, one upstairs and 2 in the basement. i clean them everyday and sweep around them too. the litter is unscented. they poop in bathtubs, sinks and on the carpet. we used cat-repellent spray where they poop over and over, but we gave up and just put the 3rd litterbox there. they have been checked by the vet last week - both very healthy! they were given pills for some diarrhea, which they finished this morning. the diarrhea has improved, but it's still a little soft so we might take them back in. we have another cat, a dog and a guinea pig if any of that matters. they eat blue wilderness dry food, which our vet says is great for all ages and is very healthy, but she also said we might have to change it if the diarrhea persists.

does anybody have any advice? i'm 14 so i don't have access to all resources, but me and my parents and i have tried everything we could think of.

thanks <3

 

[Wile]

Hi Katyfox, generally the first step to solving any inappropriate elimination issue is to figure out why the kittens are pooping where they are. Some possible reasons your cats might be doing this are:

1) Your kittens are sick; 2) territorial issues; 3) they haven't learned properly to only go in the box; 4) convenience

Given that you mentioned your kittens have diarrhea I would say first step to solving this issue for you is to treat their illness. It is hard to correct behavioural issues when a cat is sick.

Once your kittens have recovered you then have to retrain litter box habits. Put them in an uncarpeted room with their food/water and a few litter boxes. Praise them when you see them use the boxes and give them a treat. Once they are consistently using the boxes then you can slowly reintroduce them to the rest of the house. Make sure that when you reintroduce them that you have put litter boxes around the house in convenient places for them. It is a bit much to expect a kitten to run down to a basement to go to the bathroom.

Dr. Elseys also makes a cat attract litter that many people have found helpful. You can try it.

Good luck!

 

[katyfox]

Hi Katyfox, generally the first step to solving any inappropriate elimination issue is to figure out why the kittens are pooping where they are. Some possible reasons your cats might be doing this are:

1) Your kittens are sick; 2) territorial issues; 3) they haven't learned properly to only go in the box; 4) convenience

Given that you mentioned your kittens have diarrhea I would say first step to solving this issue for you is to treat their illness. It is hard to correct behavioural issues when a cat is sick.

Once your kittens have recovered you then have to retrain litter box habits. Put them in an uncarpeted room with their food/water and a few litter boxes. Praise them when you see them use the boxes and give them a treat. Once they are consistently using the boxes then you can slowly reintroduce them to the rest of the house. Make sure that when you reintroduce them that you have put litter boxes around the house in convenient places for them. It is a bit much to expect a kitten to run down to a basement to go to the bathroom.

Dr. Elseys also makes a cat attract litter that many people have found helpful. You can try it.

Good luck!

Hello! thanks for all this information! they don't have diarrhea anymore, and they do use the boxes, it's just like they think it's optional. and there's a box upstairs too, so where ever they are there is one close by. I will look into that cat attract litter! thanks! have a great day or night

 

[rubysmama]

How old are the kittens?