Cat owners and others have long known that cats are very clean creatures. Kittens are trained to go to the toilet in a certain place, it seems, even by their mothers immediately after birth, so the question of how to train a kitten to a litter box is not as difficult as it seems. The innate skill of identifying the “toilet” zone should be developed very quickly in a new place – when a pet has just ended up in a new home.

URGENT! Age when the kitten can toilet training should not be more than 3-4 months. After that, the older the cat, the harder it is to develop the habit.

How to train a kitten to the litter box

Cat owners and others have long known that cats are very clean creatures. Kittens are trained to go to the toilet in a certain place, it seems, even by their mothers immediately after birth, so the question of how to train a kitten to a litter box is not as difficult as it seems. The innate skill of identifying the “toilet” zone should be developed very quickly in a new place – when a pet has just ended up in a new home.

URGENT! Age when the kitten can toilet training should not be more than 3-4 months. After that, the older the cat, the harder it is to develop the habit.

Selecting a tray and its location

The behavior and cleanliness of the animal in the house depends on whether it is possible and necessary to go outside. If the cat will only stay in the house, then it is very important to choose a place for the litter box that is comfortable for you and your pet. The speed of training also depends on this. Here are some tips:

• trays should be placed in a place where animals can enter freely (open spaces, no closed doors);
• better this place is not far from the "nest";
• there should be no objects nearby that scare away the kitten (vacuum cleaner, refrigerator, noisy toilet or drain pipe, etc.);
• if other animals live in the house, it is better to divide the tray so that the cat does not “encroach” on the territory of other residents.

Next, you need to understand which tray is suitable for kittens, and also decide on the choice of filler. The main requirements are comfort, the absence of sharp edges, harmful chemicals and pungent odors. You can also identify other important points:

• it is better to choose clay filler for the kitten toilet , because babies tend to try everything with their teeth, and this breed will be the safest;
• when buying a tray with a grid instead of a filler – pay attention to the cat's natural instincts, maybe he needs to dig a hole, then it is better to refuse a toilet with a grid;
• it is better to choose a stable and low tray so that the kitten can easily climb in and out (no higher than 5-7 cm).

By the way, sometimes it is necessary to train not only kittens, but also adult cats . This could be due to variables in the cat's house, such as moving from a city apartment to a vacation home. Environmental changes can affect animal behavior in relation to toilets.

How to train a kitten to the litter box

When the tray is ready for use, it is very important not to scare the baby with your behavior, be persistent, but not rude. Try to pay enough attention to the kitten for its adaptation to take place naturally, and he can calmly “apply” his natural instincts in the right places.

It often happens that a cat's instincts are highly developed from birth (digging holes, walking to the same place). Depends on the character and type. In this case, walking in the sandbox will become a habit very quickly.

URGENT! Unlike dogs, cats will not tolerate violence against themselves and will long to remember insults or revenge in various ways. Therefore, you cannot poke your face, scream, or even hit the animal.

To make toilet training happen quickly and successfully, you can adhere to the following rules:

1. First, temporarily "isolate" your new pet in one room. Let him get used to the small room and not get lost in the whole house, and that room also has his toilet and a bowl of food and water.
2. Put the kitten in the gutter (tray) for a while, let him sniff out a new place. You can stroke your belly – this can cause quick relief.
3. Observe the kitten and try to take it to the tray as soon as you see that it starts looking for a place for the toilet, to make a fuss.
4. Be sure to put the cat in the tray immediately after eating or when she wakes up.
5. In order to awaken what is naturally laid, the owner must make a characteristic digging motion in the filler – to show the baby how to do it. Soon he will like it, and he will happily dig his own hole. This activity will especially appeal to “street” kittens who already know how to dig.
6. When the cat has left the puddle out of the tray, transfer some of the urine with a paper or cloth to the filler to keep the smell out. Get the culprit there. This will make it easier for the cat to understand where to “do it” next time. For the same reason, thoroughly rinse the area where unwanted standing water is located.
7. If the kitten does not understand the tray well and defecates when necessary, then every time it makes your tone of voice unhappy. Cats don't understand words, but they distinguish even the slightest intonation. When the result is in the right place, on the contrary, praise it and show by all means with your voice that you are satisfied. Even stroking or a delicious gift will do.

URGENT! Don't talk too loudly with the kitten. Like a child, he may be very frightened by what you say and don't understand whether he is being complimented or scolded.

8. As a last resort, you can use a few drops of valerian infusion for a filler. This will increase the kitten's interest in the litter box.

If the kitten has already gone into the ditch in the previous dwelling, then it should be clarified what the tray and filler are. At first, it would be better to use similar materials.

Do not despair if, after success, the kitten does not go to the litter box again, just repeat your efforts to practice and relieve possible stress on the pet. If the adaptation is successful, the kitten is neither sick nor afraid, then sooner or later it will know its place for its natural needs. After all, cats need cleanliness no less than humans!

URGENT! The average period you can train a cat to the litter box is 1 month.

So no problem

However, there are also mistakes the owners make:

1. The owner thinks that the cat or cat will instinctively learn to walk in the litter box on its own. When after a while this doesn't happen, it's already very difficult to potty train the kitten.
2. Corporal punishment, use of force or humiliation. If a cat is scared or offended, she will purposely defecate outside her litter box.
3. Waiting for the kitten to grow up and “start to understand more.” Thus, precious time is also wasted, and the kitten goes everywhere, and it becomes increasingly difficult to wean it.
4. Lack of understanding of stressful or uncomfortable situations. Often, owners mistake the animal for stress or poor health during adaptation or illness due to a reluctance to go to the toilet, where it should be. In this case, you need to carefully analyze all the factors that influence the behavior of the baby. After all, it is important not only to train, but also to tame the animal.

It is not so difficult to train a kitten to the litter box, but it will take patience and courtesy from the owner to create comfortable conditions for a long time for a person and a cat to live together.