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Old August 17th, 2009, 10:48 PM
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budgrrl budgrrl is offline
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Unhappy kitten potty issues - advice much needed!

i have recently gotten a kitten approximately a month ago. i got him at 6 weeks old - now being 10 weeks.
i started him in a wee lil litter box in the bathroom, until he was big enough to go up and down the stairs with ease to use his big boy potty.

he uses his big boy potty now, knows where it is, i clean it daily, etc. i have had cats my whole life.
this lil turkey had a few 'accidents' when i took away the lil litter box - pee'ing where the old one used to be...i wasnt that concerned as he was just confused.
however, he has since pee'd on newspapers i had in a basket on the floor, clothes on the floor, mats at the back door, bare floor behind a speaker, and today i caught him pee'ing on my leather chair i had covered with a blankie so he wouldnt scratch it as he scales it to get up on it. after checking, he had pee'd on it a few times (judging by the wet marks) and also another chair that was also covered with a blankie.
as i caught him today, i grabbed him immediately to take him down to his litter box, however, he squiggled out of my hands, and ran away....to the basement, in his litter box!

he clearly knows where to go and goes there daily - always pee and poop in it...but seems to also feel he can go whereever the heck he wants to! soooo frustrating!
i have since cleaned everything over and over with javex to get the pee smell out.

any suggestions?! i have never had potty issues with cats before and i am losing my mind!!
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Old August 17th, 2009, 11:20 PM
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Where did you get this little guy at such a young age? Is he a rescue?

For cleaning up urine spots, use an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle instead of bleach. Bleach may actually be attracting him to those areas again.

Can you put the other litter box back where it was? If he starts using it again, I'd suggest very gradually, like a few inches a day, moving it to where you'd rather have it. Taking it away suddenly like you did could be part of the problem. 10 week old kittens have very small bladders and it's possible that by the time he realizes he has to pee, he isn't close enough to the basement litter box to make it in time.

Something else you could try is Dr. Elsey's Kitten Attract litter. It has a very fine texture and some added herbal aromas that entice kittens to use it.

What kind of litter are you currently using?
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Old August 17th, 2009, 11:28 PM
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thanks sugar!
i will try the enzyme cleaner!
i got him from a co-worker who assured me they were all litter trained, eating hard food, and good to go! i generally thought kittens ought to be 8 weeks, but thought since he was giving them away already and had takers for some, that i ought to take him while he was still available.

i think i might try moving the litter box upstairs - i will try anything at this point! he doesnt seem to have a problem tearing up and down the stairs, and he does use the litter box daily...he just uses other places as well
i did gradually move the lil litter box - first the bathroom, then the hall, then the kitchen, then the landing, then right beside his big boy one - til he no longer used the little one and seemed to prefer the big one (i kept the litter in the same spot for a couple days, then moved it, and so forth)

would you suggest me moving the existing litter to the main floor? or getting an additional litter box on the main floor? i dont want to confuse the poor lil guy when he does go downstairs to go potty.

thanks again!
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Old August 17th, 2009, 11:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by budgrrl View Post
i got him from a co-worker who assured me they were all litter trained, eating hard food, and good to go!
Yikes. Ya, they should stay with mom and litter mates until at least 8 weeks, preferably up to 12 weeks. That's too bad because he's going to miss out on some hugely important socialization. Hopefully your co-worker is going to spay the mom now to prevent more unwanted litters.

As for the hard food, any way you can feed him canned instead? It's especially important for male cats to eat wet food because they're so prone to life-threatening urinary tract blockages. You can leave canned out for him to free-feed on, or else feed him at least 4 times a day while he's so young. www.catinfo.org

Quote:
Originally Posted by budgrrl View Post
would you suggest me moving the existing litter to the main floor? or getting an additional litter box on the main floor? i dont want to confuse the poor lil guy when he does go downstairs to go potty.
I would add a second box upstairs and leave it there until he's a few months old. Then do another gradual move downstairs if you'd prefer it there, but go really really slowly. Good luck!
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Old August 17th, 2009, 11:48 PM
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thanks sugar!
i am feeding him hard food to free-range on (a high quality kitten food..not the whiskas stuff they were feeding them), and i do give him wet food twice a day as well.

yes, they are spaying momma - she apparently snuck out and met a male suitor quite unexpectedly after they adopted her - she was a stray in the country and they took her in.

he is socializing quite well with my dog, kiila - i am very glad that he (aslan) fell in love with kiila so fast! kiila loves cats, but he had never seen a dog before, and was quite terrified of her for afew days - now he wont leave the poor pup alone!

i will get a second litter box set up first thing tomorrow!

thanks again
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Old August 20th, 2009, 10:22 PM
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so far, so good with the second litter box!
he went to the vet today for his shots and she suggested the very same as you - adding more litter boxes as he is still so young with a tiny bladder...and often doesn't realize he has to go pee, til its too late!
she also suggested that perhaps neutering him a little earlier might be a good idea, in the event that he is doing it as a marking behaviour.

i will keep my fingers crossed!
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Old August 20th, 2009, 11:55 PM
Tim W Tim W is offline
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Your best bet is to buy something that will remove the odor of pee. If they smell it they go there. Also try putting him in the litter box every once in awhile to get him used to going there naturally.
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Old August 27th, 2009, 03:32 PM
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well so far, so good!!
i got 2 additional litter boxes - one covered one to put on the main floor, and a regular ol litter box to put beside his covered litter box in the basement (just to see if it was a covered vs uncovered box issue...or a distance issue)
the uncovered litter box was not used once by him for going potty - he just used it as a play box. he would bring his toys in there and play...so that one has since been retired.
he was to using the main floor one to pee in, and the basement one to poop in - haha! but he does seem to be using the basement one more often now - and no 'accidents' anywhere else!

YAY aslan!! ♥
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Old August 27th, 2009, 04:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by budgrrl View Post
but he does seem to be using the basement one more often now - and no 'accidents' anywhere else!

YAY aslan!! ♥

Glad to hear that! Thanks for the update. Got any pics of the little devil?
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Old August 27th, 2009, 04:07 PM
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Got any pics of the little devil?
Duh-oh, just found the one in your introductory post. He's an orinch dude!!! That explains everything...
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  #11  
Old August 27th, 2009, 06:42 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Whoops just saw this thread. I see SCM has given you all the info you need.

Your kitten is still a such a baby, so yes, he will have accidents unless you use an enzyme cleaner to get rid of the smell.

I second the quality, grainfree canned or raw diet. Your cat will be much better off in the long run.
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Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

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Old August 27th, 2009, 06:51 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Ohhh, just checked out his pic, beautiful kitten and so is your dog.
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Cat maid to:


Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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