Do kittens need to be litter trained??

I m an experienced puppy raiser... 'potty training', but I now have two kitties. I bought a litter box and litter... will they just go there or do I have to train them? If so, how? Thanks!!!

In my experience with cats, both just knew. My first cat I got from a barn so she was only 6 weeks. We brought her home, placed the litter box in the middle of the kitchen floor, and placed her in it. As we were playing around her we would put her in occasionally and she would jump back out. In this span of time, she knew I guess and she hopped in it and went. Once we moved the box to the room it was going to stay, we showed her again by taking her there and plopping her in. (excuse the pun). with my new kitten that I got a week ago, we did the same thing and we have had no problems, except once when the door was closed and we had a guest. I don't know what other people do, but this has worked for me. Good luck, and hopefully we won't be reading any potty horror stories from you.

Katie and Lady Babbet..

Every cat that I have ever had has been litter trained from the moment I sat him/her in the litter. All they needed was you to 'show them where it is'. I have heard that some cats do not immediately take to the litter. According to one book, your cat may not use it if the box is not in a quiet location or even in some instances if he/she does not like the odor of the litter. If they don't take to it, you may be able to put them in it if you catch them 'in the act'. Cats are almost always clean animals and like to cover their 'little presents'.

Chad

Assuming the kittens are the proper age for adoption (no less than 8 weeks), they should already by 'litter trained.' My foster kittens are generally toddling to the litterpan by 4 weeks or even sooner.

Small kittens need the benefit of the doubt, however. Be sure the litterpan is conveniently located and that the kittens know where it is (you might remind them from time to time by carrying them there and putting them in, especially 1/2 hr or so after a large meal or after along stint of play or before bedtime). I never recommend letting kittens wander at large around the house until they are 12 weeks or so, either. Best to confine them to a safe portion of the house (a bright sunny room is best, with no high spots to fall from and no holes to get stuck in).

And speaking of potty training, you may need some too. Keep that toilet lid down! Be sure the males of the house understand that

On 30 Sep 1996, KGrub wrote:

Most cats only need to be shown where the box is. Set them down in it and talk *real nice* to them. Sometimes small kittens 'forget' where the box is at first and should be confined to a small room with the box for a couple hours a day. Once they know for sure where it is, you shouldn't have any problems. Hope this helps. Good luck!

I did pretty much the same thing with all the cats I've had. One thing different: I moved the box from the central location a few feet at a time every few days for a few weeks until the kitten could find the litterbox on his own and didn't need to make a 'mad dash' since they can't 'hold it' too well as tiny babies.