Emptying a dirty litter box may not be your favourite job, but training your kitten effectively and instilling good habits for life can be very helpful in the long run. Read on for our top training tips…
Litter Box Choice and Care
Cats can be quite fussy about the location of trays and about tray design and litter type. Some prefer a covered tray, others an open one. If your cat is likely to be large when fully grown, opt for a larger tray. Most cats prefer a slightly more secluded spot for toileting rather than an area of the house that gets lots of traffic.
If you have multiple cats you will need multiple trays as they may not like sharing. The general rule is one tray per cat plus one extra.
Litter trays should be away from food and water bowls.
Keep the tray clean. Remove any clumps throughout the day and change the little a couple of times a week. It’s better to use less litter and change it more frequently. You may also want to think about disposal when choosing what litter to use. Some are quite heavy and have to go in the black bin, others are lighter and biodegradable.
3 Easy-to-follow Litter Training Steps:
- Show your new kitten where their litter tray is as soon as they arrive – you may need to move this to an area your kitten feels comfortable in so keep an eye on them. If they choose an alternative toilet location you could move the tray there, at least to start with.
- Place your kitten in their litter box after an event i.e. after they have eaten, played and slept. Give them some privacy, but then If they use the tray, give them plenty of praise.
- Be persistent and patient to ensure good, lifelong habits. Litter training your kitten will not happen overnight but they will eventually learn to associate this time with going to the toilet and will take themselves to the litter box after each event.
We hope you found this advice helpful. If you have further questions about toilet training or any other aspects of feline health and behaviour please feel free to get in touch.