Litter Box Training Your Cat or Kitten

If you have a cat or a kitten, training it to use the litter box can be a real challenge. Kittens that live with litter-trained mothers are usually taught by the mother, but when separated, this becomes your responsibility. In this article we will discuss about what you should do to make this process easier and efficient.

The younger the cat is, the easier is to train them, and they became more trustworthy about this. Firstly, keep the litter box next to the cat’s bed. The best place would be the bathroom, especially if you have tile; kittens like to bury their waste, so they won’t go on tile, and the only proper place is the tile box. Also, let your kitty see you when you go to the bathroom. Most likely it will come after you, and explore the room, trying new things out. It is recommended not to leave clothes on the floor, because you may have a problem with cats going on them; or even on the carpet. So try to remove them for the moment.

Accidents may happen, so be patient. Kittens are like small children. Show it its waste, scold it while cleaning up, but try not to rob its nose in it. Then put the waste in the litter box, so the cat knows where it has to go. After cleaning up, the important thing to do is to make the place smell disagreeable for the cat. You can try Lysol, fresh lemon or mint teabags. Cats hate the smell of mint and lemon, so they will avoid the area. Use Lysol for cleaning up; i fit has citrus smell, even better – the cat won’t like it more than lemon. Some people use bleach, but I wouldn’t recomend it, because it can produce a toxic gas reacting with urine. Actually, in WWI this gas was used to kill people.

Another possible method is to put aluminum foil and it will keep the cat away, but I can’t tell for sure if it works or not. However, if your kitten just won’t use the litter box, you should definitely consult a vet, because there might be some medical problems. The litter box should be changed often, but not daily, the cat being attracted by the odor. On the other hand, if the box is too dirty, the cat might go somewhere else. If your furry friend starts to go in other places, besides using the tricks noted above, you must block it off from these, even if it cries. In fact, if it starts crying, try to lead it to the place where the litter box is.