Litter Box Training For Your Kitten
If you are a new kitten owner you may be feeling overwhelmed by the training needed to make sure your kitten is adjusting well. One of these trainings may be the litter box; however, believe it or not, litter boxes are actually pretty instinctual for your kitten. They may come home already knowing where to go and hide the deed thanks to the influence of their mothers, or they just have a strong instinct to hide evidence after going number two. If you aren’t finding that to be true, follow along for some tips to train them to know where to go.
What You Will Need
In order to get started, you will need a few items to help ensure your kitty is well-trained with good bathroom habits.
In order to get started, you will need a few items to help ensure your kitty is well-trained with good bathroom habits.
Litter Box
This doesn’t need to be something fancy but it is suggested to have more than one if you have a big area so that your kitty has some options as they roam the house. Place these boxes in a private area but also an area easy to get to. If it is too public they may not feel safe to do so.
Kitty Litter
You might find yourself overwhelmed by options of litter but what is most important is if your kitten likes it. While some cats are not picky, others may be a little bit more high maintenance, which is why we suggest starting off with the basic unscented clumping litter. Once they are fully trained, that is when you can likely experiment with different ones.
Incentives
Toys and treats are the best way to reinforce the idea of using the litter box. When you see your fur baby using the box properly, reward them with a treat! This allows for positive association while they use their litter box.
How to Get Them Trained
- As soon as they arrive at your home be sure to have them acclimate to where the litter box is. Let them get familiar with the scent and how it feels. It is important that once you show them the box, you do not move it so it doesn’t cause confusion.
- After they eat or wake up from a nap, set them in the litter box. If you see them crouching or acting like they need to go, pick them up and place them back in the box.
- Give them a reward when they do it right!
- On the other hand, don’t punish them if they have an accident. It will only promote stress and anxiety and might make training that much harder!