How to litter train a kitten that uses towels instead of the box?

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.

I love that you have already switched to the unscented litter as that can be a big problem for many cats. Putting the litter box in the shower is a great idea. I would also make sure to clean up the spots he went outside the litterbox using an enzymatic pet stain cleaner to ensure he does not keep smelling urine/feces there and think that it is akin to a litterbox. Other things, like cleaning the litter box often, having multiple litterboxes which are different types of boxes, and trying different types of litter (such as fine-grain litter) may also help you figure out what type of litter Mittens likes. While it certainly sounds like Mittens is having trouble getting used to his new litterbox, it is important to remember that internal diseases (like organ, hormonal, or orthopedic diseases, among other possible causes) can cause Mittens to have a hard time making it into the litterbox so it is important to take Mittens to your vet for evaluation to make sure we are not missing something else that is making it hard for Mittens to make it to the litterbox. I have attached a link to an article with more great suggestions below. Good luck! https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-train-your-cat-to-use-a-litter-box/

Hi ! Have you considered to use one of those closed litter boxes ? I find these very useful to prevent litter from being thrown everywhere around the house. In order to make her use a cat tower more you could try feliway scratch, which is a new product which is very useful in getting the cat attention on a different item for scratching and it could be helpful in getting a bit more interest in the tower too as it uses certain pheromones. I think it might have a certain tinge though so as long as you don’t mind using it on the tower itself. If not you could try hiding some catnip toys, remember cats use play to mimic hunting behaviour as well, so they quite often like feathery toys or toys that can be destroyed in smaller pieces or that seem to appear and disappear... hope this helps !

I'm so sorry that you're dealing with this with scruff. I would consider Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter (https://www.drelseys.com/shop/cat-attract/) or additive (https://www.drelseys.com/shop/ultra-litter-attractant/). I would also consider covering part of a litterbox in sand or dirt to attract Scruff if she is used to going outside. Some cats hate covered litter boxes and some love them. I would try to use the hints of where Scruff is going to try to replicate those conditions in the litterbox. If she is going in the bath tub or on a tile floor, then leave half of the litter box empty for her go on a hard surface. If she likes soft surfaces, then try shredded paper or a soft paper litter. I would also consider something like Yesterdays News because kittens often like to dig in it (https://www.yesterdaysnews.com/Products/CatLitter.aspx). Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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! This is a hard one. You have tried a lot. Mentally challenged cats use the box, so I don't think we can blame that. I think this is a behavioral problem or preference to this particular kitten. I would crate him 100% of the time with minimal bedding (1 think towel to lay on), his food/water and a box. He should stay in there until you find a substrate he will go on IN the litter box: astro turf, piece of carpet, empty box, newspaper, etc. I wouldn't allow him to go all over your house. Put his urine and poop in the box with him. Show him how to dig around in the box and cover it up. He should be confined until he has used the box for 2 weeks then can be let out under supervision only. Once you see him use the box consistently can he be out with out supervision. All soiled areas must be cleaned with an enzymatic pet cleaner and if you can block access to as many rooms as possible that would prevent him from wandering off privately. I really wish you the best, this is not going to be easy.