If you have a kitten or an older cat, she may not be able to get down a long flight of stairs in time to get to the litterbox. Since she is new to the household, she may not remember where the litterbox is if it's located in an area she seldom frequents.
Kittens naturally understand the litter box and will be drawn to use it as long as you provide them the proper encouragement. Here's what you need to know about helping get kittens on the right path.
Many kittens will catch on quite quickly, and get it right most of the time. Others may need to be placed in the litter box several times a day for several days before they start to grasp the idea. Overall it may take up to four weeks to get a kitten fully and reliably litter box trained.
You may have even heard that your cat can smell their dirty litter a mile away. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that a cat can smell their litter box from that far away. More realistically, they might be able to smell it up to a few hundred feet away (depending on wind and weather conditions) and often a lot less.
Your cat needs privacy when using the litter box, just as you would like when you use the bathroom. Place your cat's box in a quiet location, away from noisy washing machines or dryers that could frighten your cat while in the box. The box should also be in a location where your cat can use it undisturbed.
Living in an atmosphere filled with these ammonia fumes can cause a great deal of respiratory discomfort and problems. These fumes cause irritation of the bronchial membranes of the lungs, leading to an increased production of phlegm, coughing and difficulty breathing.
If your cat cannot see the box, it will more than likely miss it altogether. At night, utilize a nightlight to illuminate the litter box area, so your cat doesn't have to guess at the target spot. Cats have better night vision than humans, but they cannot see in total darkness.
It is normal for kittens to pass faeces as often as they are fed a meal. So at eight weeks old, your kitten is probably being fed 3-4 times a day and could, therefore, be expected to pass faeces up to four times a day.
When to Start Litter Training. Kittens are usually ready to begin litter training once they start weaning from their mother and eating solid food, which is around 3 to 4 weeks. By the time a kitten is an adoptable age—usually between 8 to 12 weeks of age—they are more than ready to use the box.
If you need to relocate the box, make sure to move it gradually, a few inches each day, until the box reaches its new destination, Garber says. “You don't want to make sudden changes with the litter box by moving it from a place where it was for a long time,” she says.
5. Cats and kittens normally need to use the litter tray within about 10 minutes of eating, so within this time, pick them up and take them to their tray.
If it's not clean enough, too small or too deep (cats prefer about 2 inches of litter), difficult to access, or has a liner that makes her uncomfortable, she may decide to pee outside of her litter box. She also may not have enough litter boxes around the house, or dislikes their locations.
Your cat could be just trying to maintain her scent in the box, even though you're cleaning it. Animals usually go to the bathroom to give us a message. If it's outside the litter box, they could be stressed or in need of a clean place to go.
Fortunately, cats instinctively like to bury their waste, so there's actually very little training involved getting a kitten to use a litter box. Many kittens may already know how to use one when you adopt them, but if they're younger than 8 weeks old, they may still need some assistance.
Keeping your cat's litter box in the bedroom isn't ideal so if you can, move it to a more appropriate part of the house. Although the risks are small, you could become ill if you contract Toxoplasmosis, worms or you're exposed to too much ammonia.
The average healthy cat urinates at least twice a day, while young kittens urinate up to 6 times per day. Along with healthy and younger cats, female cats also tend to urinate more frequently, leaving older cats as the main sector for infrequent urination.
Most cats are able to make it through even an eight-hour drive without using the litter box, but there's no sense in tempting fate.
If you keep the litter box in a closet or a bathroom, be sure the door is wedged open from both sides to prevent your cat from being trapped inside or locked out. Depending on the location, you might consider adding a pet door.
A great place to locate the litter box is your own bathroom, as long as you make sure to keep the door wide open when it's not in use. Many people tuck the litter box next to the toilet, between the toilet and tub, or under the sink.
Updated September 27, 2022 – If possible, do not keep the litter box in a bedroom unless it's an extremely large room and the dirty cat litter box can be placed far from the bed and out of the way. Instead, put the box in a bathroom, closet or designated laundry room area.
Multiple things can cause your house to smell like cat urine, even if you don't have a cat. Investigate if there is mold, leaking Freon, sewer gases, smelly plants, spoiled food, or even stains from previous pet owners.
Baking Soda
If you're still having odor problems, try sprinkling a little baking soda on the bottom of the box before you add fresh litter each week, or place an open box of baking soda in the same area as the box.
3. No smelly business: With an enclosed bathroom for your cat, you don't need to worry about any unpleasant odors that might (will) come wafting out of the box. Enclosed spaces work wonders for containing the smell — better than any scent, candle, powder, or other witch's brew you can buy.