How to Litter Box Train a New Kitten

Training a newly adopted kitten how to use the litter box may be challenging, however, with patience, time and with the aid of a few tips, kittens should fairly quickly learn where to finally do their business.

Things You'll Need

  • Unscented litter
  • A small litter box
  • A small room
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Instructions

    • 1

      Small kittens need small litter boxes. A large litter box may be quite challenging for a small new kitten to climb into, causing the kitten to look for alternative places to use. For very small young kittens, a shoe box may be a good start. The choice of litter is also important. A scent free litter is generally preferred and most kittens do much better with small grain litter.

    • 2

      A common mistake new cat owners commit is allowing their new kitten the run of the house. A home in a small kitten's eyes may appear overwhelmingly large causing the kitten to sometimes get lost and be unable to find her litter box. New kittens should be placed in a small room the first days along with its litter box, until the kitten appears to become more familiar with its new environment.

    • 3

      Kittens need peace and quiet when doing their business. For this very reason, busy hallways, crowded or noisy kitchens should be avoided. The ideal room would be a closet or a bathroom. Loud noises, commotion of people and any general distraction may cause the kitten to look for quieter places to use.

    • 4

      Kittens tend to have bowel movements within half hour after eating. For this reason, after feeding the kitten, place her in their room with the litter box and watch carefully for the first few days. A kitten that is meowing, pawing at the floor or looking for corners, is very likely looking for a place to use as a rest room. At this point owners must be swift to pick up the kitten, place it in the litter box and praise lavishly when successfully used by giving a treat.

    • 5

      Should your kitten still have accidents regardless of your eagle eyes, do not despair. Litter box training may take some time. Just as human toddlers, some learn quicker than others but all eventually get it sooner than later. If your kitten seems to have a favorite corner, you can try to place its litter box there, or as an alternative, put its food there. Cats naturally dislike using the areas where they eat to go potty. Try not to get frustrated, with time and patience eventually kitty will get a hang of it.