My 6-week-old kittens won't use their litter box. How do I train them?

Provide a litterbox or two for them. Use litterbox attractants to get them to investigate the box. If they go elsewhere, you can use a tissue to soak up the urine or pick up the stool and place them in the litterbox. Monitor the kittens for cues they are going to go. This can include circling, pacing, lifting the tail or sniffing about. Place them in the box immediately. Be patient and be consistent. Use an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle to thoroughly clean soiled areas.

It can be stressful for cats to move into a new home. There are a few simple things you can do to help them litter train in your house. First, have at least 1 litter box per cat plus one; therefore, if you just have the two kittens, I would recommend 3 litter boxes. Second, make sure the litter box is large. The kittens will keep growing, and if it becomes too small, they won't use it. Third, some cats don't like covered litter boxes and some like them. You can try to boxes covered and uncovered, and see what they like best. I would recommend using the same litter that was used at their old home because they are used to the smell and texture. Make sure their litter boxes aren't close to their food and water, cats don't like to use the bathroom near their food source. While you are litter training them in your house, don't let them have free rein of the house when you are gone. Place them in a small room with their litter boxes while you are away from the house, and provide them with water and a place to sleep at the opposite end of the room from the boxes. Make sure you clean the litter box daily. If they continue to have problems going to the bathroom outside the litter box, it may be a health issue, and I'd recommend bringing them into your vet for a health check.

Fortunately, most kittens figure out how to use a litter box consistently pretty early in life with minimal training. Since kittens typically prefer to eliminate on loose substrates, including litter, they are often quite happy to head straight to the litter box. When first introducing the litter box, begin by confining your kitten to a small room or to a large crate with a litter box when you are not interacting with them. After meals or playtime, place your kitten in the litter box, as they are likely to go at these times. Be sure that your litter box is fairly shallow, as tiny kittens may struggle to physically get into a litter box with high sides. Small treats can also be given as a reward each time a kitten successfully uses the litter box.

I would be interested to know whether or not Sophia is even going near the box at all, or just eliminating anywhere she feels like it. It sounds like you may need to try and isolate her from the other cat for a while and set up a litter box trial. My advise would be to keep Sophia in a bathroom or a small room for a couple of days. Set up two to three litter boxes in there. Each litter box should have some different qualities (different types of litter, cover vs uncovered, different amounts of litter etcetc). If you choose to use a bathroom, I would also remove anything in there that is soft or squishy that your kitty might feel like is a good place to eliminate. Two or three days will be sufficient in terms of time to see how she reacts to this. In terms of litter, there is a company called Catattract who gives a 100% guarantee or your money back concerning the effectiveness of their litter. This is something you may want to try eventually. The stuff isn't cheap but I have had some great luck with it so far. If you need a more detailed or in depth behavioral consultation, let me know and I'd love to help you out.

It is possible that the kittens just need a little bit more time to figure out the litter box. Three weeks is still quite young and they may not fully understand what the litter boxes for. I would recommend enclosing both kittens in a small area with one to two litter boxes that are cleaned daily. In most situations kittens will figure this out relatively quickly. There is also a litter additive called Cat Attract that may be helpful in enticing Laila to use the litter box for pooping. I would also ensure that Laila is able to get in and out of the litter box provided with minimal difficulty. Using a litter box with low sides may be beneficial. If this continues to be a problem I would recommend consulting with your veterinarian as she may have an underlying medical condition such as parasites exacerbating this issue.

Hi there. Most cats prefer an unscented clumping litter with a fine, sand-like texture - so I would recommend offering something like this. The litter box should be large with low sides, so it's easy for her to get in. If you try this and she still has no interest in using the litter box, then you may need to observe what type of surface she prefers to potty on and use something similar to this in her litter box.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Now is a perfect time! Digging and using a litter box is natural to them. Make sure it isn't deep or too high for them to jump in and out of. You can put a little used litter in there (smell of urine and poop) to encourage them to use it. Kittens are very quick to learn. Put them in the box every few hours. I hope this helps!