# Help please... dont know what to do...



## Zoe.K (Oct 1, 2011)

Hi all,

I came across this forum and hoped someone on here might be able to help me out please.

I'm actually crying as I write this because I don't know what to do.

Three days ago I got two 8 wk old kittens. They are beautiful and in good health, both tabby cats, one boy one girl.

The girl is very shy but she uses the litter tray beautifully and is eating and generally happy.

The boy is super friendly and happy but he refuses to use a litter tray despite the original owner saying they were trained.

My problem is that I share my house with a guy i know who is getting fed up with clearing up cat mess because the boy simply refuses to use the litter tray.

I have obseved where he goes, to wee he goes behind the sofa, so I placed a litter tray there in the hope he would use it, but he just goes around it.

As for when he poo's he has taken to doing it in my bedroom behind the other litter tray i set up for him after his first poo accident.

I have changed the litter in case he didn't like it. I place him in the tray after meal times and when he wakes up after naps or long periods of play.

I have managed to catch him twice doing a wee near the tray and told him no, then placed him in the tray to finish his business, but he still isn't making any head way.

I know its only been three days but considering he was already trained and that his sister has no issues at all using the litter tray i really dont know what to do.

I love him so much but Im worried my house mate will eventually get fed up and ask me to get rid of him and it will break my heart.

Please help.

Zoe


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## purpleprincess22 (Jul 15, 2011)

What litters have you been using? Did you wash the pee-pee areas well so that he doesn't keep going there? Dr. Elsey makes a cat attract powder (?) that you could try sprinkling on your cat litter to entice him into the litter box. 

Can you try keeping him in a bathroom or your room or a big dog cage until he learns to use the litter box?


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## spotty cats (Sep 23, 2011)

Put them in a small room, though they should be trained at 8 weeks they are very young to be away from their mum and would be overwhelmed being loose in a new home.

You need to use an enzyme cleaner where he's soiled, or he will still smell it and continue going there.


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## Zoe.K (Oct 1, 2011)

Well the bathroom isn't safe for them because there is a hole under the shower where the could possibly get in trouble.

They spend their time in one room at a time, either my bedroom or the lounge, at the moment they are the only two rooms safe enough to pop them in without too many wires etc..

I will get a decent cleaner and try the scent spray to try and encourage him.

Thanks for the advice, I will get back to you all with an update!

Much appreciated!

xx


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## bkitty (Aug 17, 2009)

You need to treat him like a toddler who regressed on the potty training. It will be time consuming but he really is a baby yet. First off - no more running around the whole house unsupervised. Get him a small space like the bathroom or borrow a crate big enough for a litter box whenever you can not be with him. 2. Every 4 hours & after every meal plop him in a litter box and sit down on the floor & use the flat of your hand to block him (no grabbing on to him-open hand only) from leaving it until he goes (a uh-uh or aquack type sound when you block him . No is for bad behavior only.) If after 10 minutes he has not gone, use a wet (body temp water about 100 degrees) soft cloth or a little wad of TP (it works but you'll get your fingers peed on) to wipe his little behind which should trigger urination. Then block him in the box until he sees you flip a little litter over where he "went" 
You are his MaMa now & since he regressed to babyhood & forgot potty training 101 you have to do the Mama routine & go back to potty training 101. And yes do use an enzyme cleaner on where he has gone before - use the blacklite & penny trick to find all the spots he might have gone. The info on that is in a sticky on this forum.
Welcome to Mommyhood


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## Zoe.K (Oct 1, 2011)

bkitty! Thank you so much, I will give that a go over the next few days and see how we get on!

I have never litter trained a cat in my life so your advice is amazing!

I do have a large dog cage which I did consider putting him when I can't supervise him, the only problem is that it distresses him and his sister too much and the first time i tried it, they cried and cried in a way I have never heard them before.

I will give the baby steps a try and take it slowly... I've never potty trained a toddler either! This should be a fun experience.... lol!

xx


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Better he be locked up and distressed for a few weeks/months while he learns to use the tray than have to be rehomed with the label of not being 'housebroken'.


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## Zoe.K (Oct 1, 2011)

I would never rehome him, I would find a way to sort out this problem. I love him so much I could never handle giving him away.

Just a quick update for you, I bought a couple of puppy training pads in order to reduce some of the areas he could pee and it now seems like he quite likes them, so a bit of a step up from going on the carpet... a step in the right direction hopefully!

x


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## bkitty (Aug 17, 2009)

Don't worry about crying when they are confined to a crate - treat it like a toddler wanting out of their playpen. My kids were little screamers - and up until this last year I raised a litter or 2 of kittens every year. Keep in the forefront of your mind these are BABY kitttens and will train much faster than a dog but they are still babies & will cry, need loving cuddles and need to be shown what the rules are. Remember back to the youngest you can remember as a child - where every new place like kindergarden had a set of rules you didn't know until somebody told you. And in kindergarden every mom had to bring a clean set of underpants just in case? It is up to you to when you take them out of the playpen & cuddle & play with them. Now if they are going on a potty pad - cut a used spot out of a potty pad & put it in the litterbox & put a sprinkle of litter over part of it. Keep taking yr boy to the litter box until he can get it thru his head to start using it again. One trick I have is to take a very warm washrag & wash his face when ever he does something right - don't pick him up to do it just kneel beside him, pin him gently with 2 fingers & give him 2 swipes with the washcloth over his face then pet. 80% of kittens react by a quick dash to get away & an equally quick return to get more pets (its a MAMA reaction) And never expect a baby to learn this in 2 days - it took you at least a year for your Mom to potty train you. Kittens will learn this in a few weeks IF you can keep up the routine.


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## Zoe.K (Oct 1, 2011)

Well I have put them in the crate for sleeping tonight. They have water, some food and the all important litter tray!

I took your advice and added a sample of the potty pad to the tray to see if it will encourage him.
I know it's going to take a while to teach him but I will try my hardest and I really appreciate all the tips you have given to me... I feel like I'm not in the dark anymore

xxx


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## Zoe.K (Oct 1, 2011)

Just an update for you today I picked up a litter which has an attractant in it. I put him in it and stoped him from jumping out for about 5 minutes and hey presto, he gave in and did a little wee!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited!!!

It's the first step and I'm so grateful for all your advice!!!

Zoe
xxx


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## bkitty (Aug 17, 2009)

Zoe, I got to rereading your posts & realized your babies are only 8 weeks old. This is about the time they would be BEGINNING to be weaned. Did the person you got the kittens from discuss with you how to make sure they got the right kitten diet for a weaning kitten? We have a lot of folks on this forum who can give great advice on nutrition.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Glad to hear he is making progress. You are getting good advice on how to break him of this. I would buy *Cat Attract Litter* to put in the cat box. It’s always worked for me with my foster kittens. They sell Cat Attract Litter at Petsmart, online and even at our grocery stores here. You can find it everywhere. 

FYI kittens are notorious for not wanting to stop playing so they run to a corner or squat right where they are to pee or poo. They are like little kids. That’s why I always resorted to Cat Attract Litter with them. Plus it’s non clumping which can kill a kittens if they eat it.

It may not seem like a big deal now but an adult cat peeing in a house most always is a deal killer. I know you said you wouldn’t take him back to a shelter but you have no idea of how bad and nasty smelling it gets with adult cats peeing in a house outside the litter box. That is why you are doing the right thing, dealing with his litter box aversion now. It’s so much easier, as a kitten, to instill correct litter box habits. Thumbs up on your efforts.

The only concern I have with the puppy pody pads is he will become dependent on them being in a litter box. That is why I strongly recommend the Cat Attract Litter so they get programmed into using litter. 

My sister adopted a Cornish Rex taken from a hording situation. The back yard breeder used paper to use for the litter box in her kennel. Cats will continue to use paper around the house or soft clothing as in laundry baskets unless broken of this habit. Others can chime in if they think it’s really not a concern. It’s just a thought.


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## Zoe.K (Oct 1, 2011)

Hi all!!

So today was the first day we began intensive litter training, we used some cat attract litter as suggested and every 2 hrs or so I place him in the litter train and use my hand to keep him in and ..... no accidents today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BKitty, the person I got them from didn't even know how to sex them... I had to show her. I took them ASAP to see the vet as they had fleas also and I didn't want them to get ill.

I discussed with the vet some of the food they should be eating and at the moment they are eating whiskas wet food twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, about a pack between them and then there are dry buiscuits and water available throughout the day for them to snack on if they need.

I just wanted to say a HUGE thanks for all the advice, you guys have helped me so much!!!

Zoe
xx


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