I am back from holidays and am on the wait list to foster more kittens, so at the present time I am kitten-less. With it being the slow season for kittens (Spring/Summer being the high season), I thought I'd just share some experiences I've had with my various kitty batches with respect to kitty litter training.
*VOKRA uses pine pellets as kitty litter and boy do I wish I knew about this product when I had my own cats. The cost of the pine pellets comes at a fraction of the cost of conventional kitty litter. If you can handle all the saw dust that eventually results from the kittens stammering all over the pellets, then you are good to go.
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| How Slate got this all over her face is beyond me |
*VOKRA instructs all their fosters to only put enough pellets in the litter to cover the bottom of the pan, so essentially the height of one pellet is sufficient enough. Any more than that and the kittens may not be too stable when standing on the pellets and may avoid using the kitty litter all together.
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| Once one kitteh uses the potty, then they`ve all got to use the potty |
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| Then there is little Lennie, who is waiting patiently for his turn |
Kittens that have come to me with their mommies are usually just copying what Mommy does in the litter box.
The only issue I had with kitty litter training was with Onyx (my latest batch). He would use the litter box periodically, but would then resort to using the sink as his bathroom facility. I think Onyx was confused as to where he was suppose to relieve himself.
What I did to discourage this behavior was to take his No. 2s and put them into the litter box. I then took Onyx and put him in the box and gently took his paw and showed him how to bury it in the kitty litter box. Of course, I had to discourage him from using the sink so I just filled it up with a bit of water. Also, any time that I saw Onyx using the litter box, I would praise him and pet him and told him that he was a GOOD BOY!
If, however, your fur baby is using other areas of the house as their litter box, then there can be some underlying problems that you might want to speak to a vet about. Also, when cats are doing their business, they are vulnerable and therefore you should not situate their kitty litter boxes in areas where there is a lot of traffic or loud noises (like a laundry room). The litter box should sit against a corner so that the cat can feel safe while doing their business.
And above all - keep the kitty litter CLEAN! Nobody wants to walk into a room with a stinky kitty litter box and the kitties absolutely do not appreciate having to use a dirty litter box. So, on behalf of all the kitties out there, please and thank you for keeping their litter boxes clean.
Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association
