Kitty Litter Training

To train your new cat or kitten to use a litter box sounds like a hard task but it’s not. Everyone wants their house fresh smelling and clean but having a cat that doesn’t use its litter box can cause stains, bad smells and general frustration. Here are a few tips to get you started on having a litter trained cat or kitten.

Things You'll Need

  • Litter box
  • Cat litter
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a litter box. Litter boxes are relatively inexpensive unless you decide to buy a self-cleaning litter box. You can purchase a litter box at most department stores, pet stores and grocery stores. Size is not important as long as you get one small enough on the sides that a kitten can climb in. Usually that’s not an issue, however.

    • 2

      Buy litter for the litter box. There are many different brands of litter, from inexpensive litter to self-clumping litter and pine litter. The inexpensive litter will mean that you have to clean the litter box out quite regularly since the waste will just sit there. Self-clumping means that the waste will clump into a ball covered with litter that you can remove with a scoop. The pine litter, such as Feline Pine, will turn the litter into a powder type substance, which you can remove when you change the little box. The smell with pine litter is very pleasing as well.

    • 3

      Show your cat or kitten the litter box. Allow your cat to explore the litter box. Once they have an accident, place the cat or kitten immediately into the litter box so that he relates his bathroom habits with the litter box. Once you see your cat or kitten pawing the floor and sniffing around, place him into the litter box immediately. This will let him know that this is the place to use the bathroom.

    • 4

      Show him how to use the litter box. Once you place the cat or kitten into the litter box, if he doesn't immediately use it, gently take his paw and brush it against the litter in a “pawing” type motion. This shows him that the litter box is where to use the bathroom.

    • 5

      Reward your pet. Once your cat uses the litter box, be sure to reward him so that he relates the litter box to a pleasant experience.