Help with Cat Litter Training, Please

Petal_3

w/d "high in fibre to regulate bowel movements" according to Hill's website.

Kittens are s'posed to be fun.....aren't they? It's a very long time since I had any...

PinkTiger

hi, i can understand how much this problem can wear you down. you seem to be cleaning the areas in the right way, have you tried putting the litter trays in the places he likes to 'go', like the side of the tv, although from the sound of it there may be too many places! i know its not ideal as its your living area but if he just gets used to the litter trays you could then move them bit by bit to a more suitable area.

the other thing is to try & put his food near the areas he 'goes' as cats don't tend to 'go' near their food. i'm glad you have taken him to the vet as it can also be a sign of illness. last summer my boy started doing it in the corner of my bedroom & the corner of the living room, when he had always gone outside or in the tray before, it turned out he had liver cancer & its cats instinct not to go in the usual place when ill (they hide it so well) . i dont want to panic you that it is anything serious, as you have only had him 2 weeks it is much more likely that it is behavoural.

sorry i've just re-read your first post & you say you've had cats before so you proably know everything i've just said! i really hope you get to the bottom (:D) of it soon x

Petal_3

Hi

There isn't enough room for much to fit down the side of the TV. He tends to go there and behind the sofa (again not much room). I wonder if it's a privacy thing? Thing is with litter tray problems - there can be soooo many factors that trying to find out which one it is can be very time consuming and also.....as I'm finding......SOOOO FRUSTRATING!! Trying to keep the frustration under control - kitten must be feeling horrible/stressed with us chasing him round trying to catch him before he "does" anything. Also pooping thru the eye of a needle all the time must make him sore? Also don't know if he has tummy pains

I don't know much do I?

Aaaarrrggghhhh!!!

Feel better now (and have v & t to take the edge off) :rotfl:

PinkTiger

Me again, do you know what food he was on before you got him & has it been changed? when i got my now old lady (19) she was 3 1/2 & had the most terrible 'problems' in the poop department. it took me ages to figure out that she cannot tolerate fish ( alot of cats are like this but no-one believes my cat can't have fish!), she has a very sensitive stomach, she is fed on butchers classic tins of wet food, plus royal canin 'sensible' dry biscuits or purina plus for sensitive stomachs. anything extra can lead to problems, sometimes just a bit of chicken or a pouch of food can set it off again.but shes 19 now so we're doing alright!

my other cats (16 & 5) can eat anything & are fine but Princess is extremely sensitive, maybe its just a case of finding a diet that suits him as although you are the one having to clean up after him obviously its not normal or nice for him either! i'm sure introducing more dry food will help, maybe mixing half & half kitten & sensitive would work. i hope you sort it soon.

also can we see a pic of your bundle of erm, fun please?

Petal_3

When I figure out how to do it - I'll post a pic

Petal_3

the vet gave me Hills i/d wet food - but he won't eat it? So, having spent a fortune on different cat litters to see if that's a problem we are also spending a fortune on different foods..... lol

PinkTiger

oh he's Gorgeous, its been 16 years since i got a kitten, whenever i see one i get broody!
but your right about him having tummy cramps & if his food is passing straight through then he cant be getting the nutrients a growing boy needs, it is a worry. just a thought about you chasing him around, maybe he now see's this a some sort of game

Horseygal_2

Hi Petal

Just an idea - do you have a large dog car crate or can you borrow one? As it's so stressful when your little bundle of fluff goes where it shouldn't you could use the car crate to keep little one contained for a while with bedding, litter tray, food, water, etc. It's a handy tool that you could pop him in when you leave the room or go out for a short time. Then you will know for certain no poop or pee behind the sofa or at the side of the TV. A bit like using a play pen for a toddler.

Im having a new kitten on Saturday and intend to use my car crate as a tool to make my baby feel safe. I have an older cat and a Cairn terrier so will be using it for safe introductions also.

If you haven't got a car crate I know The Range do huge German Shepherd sized ones for about £40/£50.

Best of luck xx

Petal_3

Hi there

We have a friend who offered the use of a dog crate so perhaps we could try that. Alternatively, we have built a huge outdoor pen accessible from a cat flap in the back door. Perhaps we should put him outside tomorrow (it's weatherproof) with all his bits and see how he gets on?

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Petal_3

so....he just went and sniffed the usual wee place (by the tv) which has been washed with bio washing powder...then got into his tray and wee'd...then run upstairs into the bathroom and scratched around (new place) - we got him and took him back to the tray and he poo'd?

Darn it!