New Young Kitten Won't Use Litter Box

[Rhall]

So long story short - I picked up my new rescue kitten. They approximated his age at 9 weeks but i think he's younger - at least 7. Anyway he has a feline respiratory infection, which I new when I took him. He won't use the litter box. He seems afraid of it. The foster mom assured me he used it but I'm not so sure. I have multiple boxes of different sizes for him to use. When I discovered he had used a corner, I put out some pee pads and he did use one overnight. The rescue coordinator suggested I try Cat Attract litter. This is something I have to get resolved (plus his infection) before I can put him with my other rescue kitty. Any suggestions welcome!

I do have him secluded from the other cat in a separate room by the way.

 

[jcat]

Rather than Cat Attract, you could try Kitten Attract by the same company, which is especially formulated for young kittens.


Another possibility that usually works for cats or kittens that were outdoors is potting soil.

 

[Rhall]

I did see there was one for kittens. I wonder what is in it to make it so attractive?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Don't know about the kitten attract...but, since he seems to be willing to use the puppy pee pads, I would let him for now. And, you can also try placing a pad in the lid of a cardboard box, just to see if he will use that to. If so, over time, you can start adding a little bit of litter and see if will continue to use it. If all that goes well, continue to add more litter, etc. Eventually, you can move from the cardboard box lid to an actual litter box, and ultimately remove the puppy pads and use litter.

Here is an article on about training a kitten to use the litter box. Maybe it contains some tips/ideas you would might also like to try.

How To Train Kittens To Use The Litter Box

 

[Rhall]

Hi. Don't know about the kitten attract...but, since he seems to be willing to use the puppy pee pads, I would let him for now. And, you can also try placing a pad in the lid of a cardboard box, just to see if he will use that to. If so, over time, you can start adding a little bit of litter and see if will continue to use it. If all that goes well, continue to add more litter, etc.

Well I got the litter and put it in a low tray. No luck yet there, but I also placed a pad in a low plastic container. He went in the there and peed! So there is some progress. I will let him do that for awhile then start with adding the litter. Thanks for that tip!

 

[Kflowers]

Ours was a little afraid of the box at his age. Yeah, I know a cat afraid of the box. But she happily used a little pile of litter on a rubber shower mat. We put the mat where we planned to put the box. When she got a bit more height on her, she was thrilled with the box. She still adores, 6 years later, a good three inches of litter to dig in.

You might also try wheat litter. Clay litter can be a little hard on new made kitten feet.

 

[Rhall]

Update! The magical litter is working! He used it once last night and there are two wet spots this morning! He is feeling better, even played a little last night. I did notice that he attempted to go last night but nothing happened? I wondered if he had a urinary infection too, but I think the antibiotics he is on for his respiratory infection would help that too.

 

[rgwanner]

I have 4 foster kittens. They are about 9 -10 weeks old now. They came from Animal Control. I got them at about 7 - 8 weeks old.

At least 1 of them is peeing outside the box. I have seen her. But I have seen her pooping in the box. She pees on area rugs, piles of clothes, plastic bags, cat beds ...

At least one of them is pooping in the bathtub. (I have them in the bath/bedroom). I don't know who is doing that. It is not the one who is peeing because she has diarrhea and the poop in the tub is solid. I am treating the diarrhea.

I have talked to the techs at the shelter. I have 2 boxes with different litter. I have a puppy pee pad. I am using Cat Attract.

I don't know what else to do. They cannot be adopted if they are not using the box and they are at the maximum cute stage to be adopted.

Any suggestions are welcome. If I cannot solve this they will have to go back to the shelter and be in a cage.

 

[Kflowers]

R rgwanner are you using clay litter? Sometimes that feels unpleasant to new kitten paws. you might consider trying a softer one. We used wheat litter which is very soft, just a little pile of it on a rubber mat for the first couple of days.

I'd be concerned that the one that poops in the litter box and pees on every thing soft has a uti. That is the usual reaction to having one. You might want to get that checked because if she does she won't pee in the box until it's cured.

 

[rgwanner]

I am using a pine litter and Worlds Best which is plant based (I think) anyway not clay. I will try to get her checked for UTI - I hadn't thought of that.

 

[Rhall]

I now have bought both Kitten Attract and Cat Attract litter. He is using both and has also used a regular box. It seems that the kitten attract is a finer grain then the cat attract.