When to Start Litter Box Training
Most of us either own a cat or wish that we did. Cats have captured the human imagination for thousands of years. We love these furry creatures, perhaps as much if not more than dogs. Do you remember the first time you visited a zoo and saw a real live tiger? I remember being full of fear but also admiration. The tiger seemed so mysterious and wonderful. While our housecat doesn't quite fit the bill, it does maintain some of the mystery and wonder of a big cat. It is intelligent and independent but also quite loving. It loves to play but never too much. It is the perfect pet for us. However, while cats are wonderfully independent, requiring much less care and attention than a dog, they do need some help with a few crucial things. Obviously they need regular food and water, a place to sleep, a hospitable living environment with some sort of activity or attention, and finally, they need to have the proper training to use their litter boxes. All of these things are important to both you and your cat, and litter box training will become even more important to you if the cat cannot do it correctly. A cat who makes messes in the house is a serious problem. They can damage furniture and floors beyond repair and fill your house with a terrible odor. So how do you start litter box training your kitten? When should you start?
In most cases, the best time to start litter box training your kitten is when they are four to six weeks of age. This is a good time because they have not yet formed set habits, but they are also not too young. A very young kitten probably just won't be able to figure out what is going on. They might be confused by what you are trying to get them to do. Expect some accidents at this early age, but when they get to about four or five weeks you should really start the training in earnest. Waiting too long after this could allow the cat to develop some harmful habits that will stick and will be difficult to get rid of.
You should begin the training process by selecting a clean, quiet area for the kitten. Cats are very clean animals and they like to go to the bathroom in only clean places. They will not go in a very loud area where there is a lot of traffic or activity. Also, you will probably need a lower litter box for a kitten than for a cat. Kittens cannot climb up into a regular sized litter box.
If you are lucky, the kitten's mother will show it how to do its business in the litter box. If your kitten was abandoned or if its mother is not present you will need to play the role of mother. You will have to take the cat to the box after it has eaten. Run its paw through the kitty litter. Don't allow it to leave the room until it has used the litter box. Once the kitten has established that this is the place to go to the bathroom it will continue to come back to that spot. This also means that you need to be very disciplined about replacing the cat litter. Realize that the cat will not go back to the spot if it thinks it is dirty.
Start your kitten at an early age and with some patience you shouldn't have any problems litter box training your cat.
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