Kitten Upper Respiratory Infections

Just like humans, the kitten can get cold too and there is a disease called kitten Upper Respiratory Infections (URI) which is usually caused by some viruses or bacteria. The two most common viruses that like to infect kitten or cats are feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus.

For your information, these viruses can be transmitted from one cat to another through sneeze, cough, foods, when they sharing bowls, and while they grooming.

Moreover, there is URI that caused by bacteria called Bordetella and Chlamydia. They are commonly be found in shelter or area with multiple kittens or cats.

kitten upper respiratory infections

Kitten upper respiratory infections symptoms

How you will know that the kittens suffer from URI? Symptoms might be different which depend on the location and the cause of infection; however you can still pay attention of these several common feline upper respiratory infection symptoms such as:

Sneezing

Congestion

Cough

Runny nose

Fever

Drooling

Oral and nasal ulcers

Squinting/ rubbing eyes, etc.

Generally, the infections will last about 7 to 21 days and there is still an incubation time for 2 to 10 days and this is when the kitten gets the highest contagion.

Treatments for kitten that suffer from URI

First, you need to make an appointment with the vet and they will give you prescription while determine the best treatment for the kitten, hospitalization might also possible depending on the severe. However, for milder case, there are some treatments which you can do at home like:

Give the kitten appetizing and yummy kitten foods. If you have cat then you can give them canned food which somehow smells better and can be used to encourage eating.

Use humidifier to increase the humidity of the house or you can simply take the kitten into steamy bathroom for only 15 to 20 minutes but several times a day. This is one of the best kitten upper respiratory infections home treatments.

When the kitten is sneezing or drooling, wipe their nose, mouth, and eyes with clean and moistened washcloth.

How to Stop Kitten from Bitting?

Never try to self diagnose your own kitten because you may end up with the wrong treatments. To prevent the kitten getting this disease you can do several things like:

Keep the kitten indoor to prevent URI infections from other animals or cats.

Minimize the stress of the kitten; you can play with them to make them happier.

Infected kitten or cats need proper isolation to protect other animals and kitten.

Bring the kitten regularly to the vet to ensure their health.

Keep the kitten to get an up to date vaccination.

When you handle multiple kitten or cats, make sure you have good hygiene.

Those are some of important information regarding kitten upper respiratory infections.

How Much to Feed a Kitten Based on Their Ages

If you are just getting new kittens then it is important for you to understand how much to feed a kitten according to their ages. Kitten have different amount of nutrition requirement compared with adult cats to support their activities and growth.

When you know what kind of foods you need to feed on them and how much it is then you can ensure the kittens grow into healthy adults.

Of course the first four weeks of the newborn kittens need their mother’s milk, after that you can start to give them proper wet foods. More information is below.

How much to feed a kitten according to their ages?

How much to a feed a kitten a day is basically depending on the types of foods you are going to feed on them. It is also essential that young kitten eat canned foods as part of their healthy diet so they can get enough nutrition to grow properly.

how to raise a kitten

Kittens have small teeth and thus they cannot chew on dry foods well, this is why you need to give them wet foods as well. If you plan to give the kittens both wet canned foods and dry foods, then it is okay to give the kittens some canned foods twice per day.

However, if you feed them with canned foods only then four times daily should be enough.

How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is

Now, how much to feed kittens based on their ages?

  1. From birth to the first four weeks

For example if you want to know how much to feed a kitten 3 weeks age then you should give them milk. Naturally, their mother will nurse and feeding on their children during this time. Unless the kittens are no longer with their mother or the mother refuse to nurse the kittens, then you can hand feeding them with formula.

You should hand feed the kittens with bottle and select only the best quality cat milk formula which can be bought at pet stores. Do not give them human’s milk because it might harm the kittens.

How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is - 4 weeks

  1. From four weeks to eight weeks

How much to feed a kitten 6 weeks ideally? When the little kittens start to reach four to eight weeks of age, then you can start to reduce the liquid feeding slowly. It takes some time to gradually replace the milk with both wet and dry foods.

First, you can mix one part of dry foods with three parts of milk replacement or second, you can mix one part of wet foods with two parts of milk replacement.

  1. From 2 months to 3 months

You will see some progression on kittens feeding when they finally reach at least 10 weeks. How much to feed a kitten 9 weeks or 10 weeks is about four times daily since their belly is still too small to contain all those required amount of foods when less often.

The kittens can eat kitten foods and they will start to develop preference of foods and it will last for the rest of their life. Both canned and dry foods are okay and it is up to the owners. However, when the kittens are not used to dry foods yet then you can mix them with little amount of water.

While for the wet foods, you need to store them into refrigerator and when it is the time to feed the kittens, you can warm the foods. Feed a kitten 12 weeks of age should have the same pattern.

8-week old kitten
Maine Coon kittens, 8 weeks old

  1. From 3 months to 6 months

The kittens already built routine time during these ages and thus ensure that the foods are placed on safe place and do not often move it around. When feeding them the kitten foods check the nutrition label and make sure that the kittens get minimum protein, fat, moisture, and fiber requirements.

You need to give them the best diet since kittens and cats can have some issues when they get too little amount of protein. Moreover, you do not need to replace the foods when it is unnecessary, unless your vet said so.How Much to Feed a Kitten

How To Bottle Feed a Kitten

And finally, when the kittens are now considered as young cats when they reach six months to a year of age, how much to feed a kitten during that time? You can feed them twice a day which contained dry foods, wet foods, and raw diet. Just make sure that you give them adequate nutrition.

3 Month Old Kitten Care Tips

Having a 3 month old kitten is a real happiness especially because your kitten has become very active and is on their way to become fully independent. Whether you grow the kitten from their birth or you buy them when they are 2-month old—a normal age for a kitten to be purchasable—you will see significant physical and mental improvement between when they are 2-month old and when they are 3-month old. Nevertheless, despite this significant development, your kitten is still a small and cute kitten that must be handled with care.

3 Month Old Kitten Weight

Starting from the age of 2 months, a healthy kitten will gain weight at approximately 1 pound every month. Therefore, if a 2-month old kitten generally weighs between 1.4 and 2.6 pounds with 2 pound as median, a 3 month old kitten is expected to weigh between 2.2 and 4 pounds with 3 pound as median.

Your kitten can be of whatever size depending on their breed, but it is important to keep their weight within the range above. Otherwise, they will not be considered healthy.

3 month old kitten
Tabby male kitten, Fosset, 3 months old, lying with his head up

3 Month Old Kitten Care

Your newly independent kitten might be more self-reliant now, but they still need you to give the best possible care to them. 3 month old kitten care covers everything ranging from feeding, training and vaccination.

Feeding

Your 3-month kitten is still in their essential growing stage in which proper feeding is crucial. You will need to take care of not only the kind and variety of foods that they should consume, but also how often you should feed them.

With their teeth, kitten has ability to eat both dry and wet foods; however, it is important to put bigger portion on wet food because dry food tends to dehydrate your kitten. Kitten has their own special food, so don’t give them adult cat’s food yet because the latter lacks necessary nutrients to fuel their rapid growth.

Food that is high in protein is indeed expensive; however, if you want your kitten to stay healthy give the food to them. Feed your kitten about 4 times a day or 3 times with larger portion.

3-month old kitten
Tabby kittens, Stanley and Fosset, 3 months old, sitting together

Training

Potty training should have been complete by the time your kitten reaches 3 months of age. You can potty train them by placing a litter box at a particular room and having your kitten spend most of their time in that room. Allow them to explore the rest of the house, or even outdoors, if they are already accustomed to using their litter box.

Remember to provide them with toys that they can play with. They love to play with them. Toys and fishing rods can also be good training instruments if you want to keep your hand away from their sharp teeth and claws.

How to Litter Train a Kitten

Vaccination

Your 3-month old kitten has already had their first shots one month prior when they were 2 months old. By the time they reach 3 months of age, you should visit your vet to allow your kitten to receive the second vaccination. The third and the last vaccination should take place when they are 4 months old.

3 Week Old Kitten, Everything You Must Know

Kittens are adorable little creatures that require special attention, but not everyone is capable of caring for 3 week old kitten. Perhaps you found a stray kitten during your morning jog and you did not have it in your heart to leave it out there to fend for itself, or something happened to your pet and the kitten is left motherless. Both of this situation calls for your active participation, but there is that complication, it is a territory that you have no knowledge in.

It is common, however. Even the most dedicated cat owner can be as clueless as a good samaritan who rescued the kitten despite not having the experience of dealing with cats in the past. This is largely due to the nature of our passive participation during this initial stage of kittens’ lives.

While we give the mother cat everything it possibly needs, kittens younger than 6 weeks old are always with their mother and thus we only focus on providing a safe and comfortable container and supplying food and water.

How to Properly Care for 2-Week Old Kitten

However, with the absence of their mother, you have no other choice than learn how to properly care for them. This does not only include feeding them and cleaning their waste, it also includes providing the care that is appropriate for its developmental stage

To help you navigate your way around this uncharted territory, we have compiled a handy guide filled with important information and tips you can use.

3 week old kitten
Taking care of orphaned three week old kitten does not only require patience, but also sets of handy skill to use when unexpected challenges arise. Read on to learn more.

Caring for 3 week old kitten: kitten development

Kittens are born with their ears folded over and their eyes closed; some of them have their eyes tightly closed while others have it only partially closed. You should never attempt to open their eyes during this stage because their eyes will naturally open on their own on the second week. On the third week however, you may notice the color of their eyes. This color may still change as they age, however.

Their vision is not the only thing that has significantly improved during this stage of their lives, their sense of smell is too. You may also notice the kitten is scared off quite easily, this is the sign that they have finally developed their hearing. Any noise may startle them, but before you get concerned, know that it will be the reason for their ears to start standing tall and for them to learn to walk.

How to care for 3 week old kitten

With their senses finally improved and they start roaming, your task to take care of them has yet to end. They still need your assistance during feeding, although they no longer need frequent feeding. Kittens which are three weeks old only need four feedings per day, typically given every four hours.

The amount of formula must be given per day is 80 cc or 10 oz. A good rule of thumb when it comes to this is that a kitten must be fed 8 cc of formula per ounce of its body weight.

This is the primary reason why you must closely monitor their weight. You may use food scale to weigh them and to ensure accuracy, weigh them every day and write it on your notebook to keep as a record. That way you will be able to see their growth and if there is anything to adjust.

As a reminder, only make formula they will drink as any remaining milk must be thrown away as heating milk will destroy its protein and your kitten depends on it as their source of nutrition.

Caring for 3 week old kitten: hygiene

With them being more active, a few issues may starting to arise. Hygiene is one aspect we must always put on the our priority list. Notice that mother cats always lick their kittens to keep them scrupulously clean?

This state of cleanliness must be continued despite the absence their mother. Wiping the kitten with a clean washcloth which has been submerged is usually enough. However, if you find feces on their body, you must give them a bath.

Simply use a mild soap such as Dawn and warm water, gently clean the kitten and completely dry them right away. To dry, use the towel before shifting to blow dryer using its lowest setting. To avoid burning during blow-drying, put your hand between the dryer and the kitten.

Flea is another issue that you may find during this stage. They must be removed immediately because if left untreated, these bloodsucking insects may cause serious health issues. To remove fleas, avoid using chemical products.

How to Raise and Care for 4 Week Old Kitten

Instead, give kittens a warm bath and rinse them with mild soap. Once finished, place them on a clean dry towel and comb using flea-comb while their fur is still wet. Drop the fleas you found and put them in a cup of alcohol or hot soapy water, and wash fabric and bedding with hot water.

When is Kitten Season ? [Tips & Facts]

When is kitten season probably one of the most important questions when you raised kitten at home. But first, what is kitten season? This is the time when most of the female cats full of cute kittens in their belly or when they get little young kitten on their sides.

In other words, it is the perfect time for you who want to adopt new kitten because many shelters dealing with kitten with many sizes, colors, and shapes.

When is the kitten season for you to adopt the new one?

So, here are some of kitten season facts: the kitten season usually occur seasonally depending on the climate and region, however most places in United States will experience this kitten season around April to October.

when is kitten season

And when the time is come, all of the shelters will full of little kittens and cats. The female cats come into heat during those months and they will have multiple pregnancy. Why the female cats are so prolific?

When the breading season comes, every 2 weeks the female cats will repeatedly come into heat.

The female cats will try to find male cats as much as they can and they will even breed with multiple male cats.

During breeding season, the female cats will come into heat quickly even after they just giving birth.

The eggs inside the female cats will wait for 30 to 50 hours and they will be released during copulation.

So, if you want to adopt new kitten, we suggest you get them from local shelters during this kitten season because the shelter will be in the maximum capacity and of course they cannot deal with all the new kittens alone.

How To Litter Train a Kitten

You can go to the shelter and they will give you the best selection. And after you take one, quickly go to the veterinarian to complete physical examination and to make sure there is no problem with their health.

How to control the cats during kitten season?

After you know when is kitten season then it is best to start preparing before the female cats in heat. Never thinking to simply keep the cats inside and away from the male cats because they will vocalizing for 24 hours each day and they will disturb you and even drive you crazy from all those sounds they like to make during heat. The best way to control the cats is bring them to the vet to get them spayed.

4-Month Old Kitten Care Tips

A 4-month old kitten is often considered a kitten approaching the peak of their puberty period. They are already in the puberty period and has shown some characteristics of a pubescent kitten; however, they are not already at the peak, so giving them the best possible care is important so that when they reach the peak of their puberty, they will not become too troublesome to deal with.

Here you will explore what to expect from your kitten and how to plan the best 4-month old kitten care for your kitten.

What to expect from a 4-month old kitten

Physically, a 4-month old kitten appears quite lean and adult-like, although the chubby look of a baby kitten has not yet disappeared from their face. Their size has become sufficiently large that you may need to use both of your hands to lift them.

Normally, 4-month old kitten weight should be between 4 and 5.5 pounds. Make sure that you monitor their physical growth and development meticulously to make sure that any abnormalities, such as being overweight, can be detected and dealt with as early as possible.

Your 4-month old kitten also shows a number of behavioral changes. As said above, they are entering their puberty period. They will start to demonstrate increased level of activeness and aggressiveness.

They will tend to go outside if you open the door, they will climb wall and roam around, and they will start to make annoying noises. Their puberty period will reach its peak in about one or two months. Therefore, if you haven’t spayed or neutered your kitten, you may want to do it now.

4-month old Kitten
Tabby male kitten, Stanley, 4 months old, lying with his head up

How to feed a 4-month old kitten

Until the age of 1 year, formulated wet and dry kitten food still becomes the primary feed for your kitten, so feed them with any 4-month old kitten feed you like 4 times a day. Due to their recently entering puberty period, they  may become more rebellious and this attitude may affect everything, including their eating routine.

They may either refuse eating or want more ration. You need to make sure that your kitten is properly fed. If they ask for more food, be reasonable and give them what they need and not what they want.

You can give them additional ration if you and your vet believe that the extra meal doesn’t cause problem with their health and habit.

4-month old kitten training and medical needs

Your 4-month old kitten has become more aggressive, so you need to “tame” them with proper training and treatment. If you haven’t provided them with a scratching post, provide them one now and train them to use it.

They will mostly want to scratch anything. It would be a disaster if that thing is your expensive furniture. Reprimand them if they ever touch your furniture and carpet and praise them and give them if they use the post.

If you haven’t spayed or neutered your kitten, visit your vet now because spaying or neutering prevents your kitten from becoming too aggressive when they reach the peak of their puberty period.

7-Week Old Kitten Care Tips

When you have a 7-week old kitten, you certainly have many things to expect, but it is important that you keep your expectation realistic because the way your kitten will grow, become healthy, become smart, and become active depends mostly on how you care for the kitten.

And the way you care for the kitten is ultimately determined by your expectation. If your expectation is too low, you will not be able to optimally nurture and train your kitten. If your expectation is too high, you will soon be disappointed and will be less enthusiastic to take care of your dearest one.

With realistic expectation, you will love your kitten fully and the cute feline will happily reciprocate your nice treatment.

What Happened Before Your 7 Week Old Kitten Reaches 7 Weeks of Age?

If you have a 7-week old kitten to care, there are only two possible reasons why you have one. First, you may have it since it was born. Second, you may find it abandoned. There is very little chance that you get the kitty from a pet shop because a 7-week old kitten is simply too young to sell. It is also possible that you get the kitty from a friend or another owner who simply has too many kittens to care for.

As said above, a 7-week old kitten is still considered very young. In some articles about pets, such as the one at Care.com, the 7-week stage is the awakening stage during which a kitten starts to explore their basic instincts and functions of various parts of their body.

They begin to learn about how to catch prey, although their prey at that time is mostly their own tail, and they start to try to recognize their surrounding. They are not 100% dependent on their mother anymore because total dependence usually ends when they are about 2 or 3 weeks old, when their eyes have been unfolded and they begin to see and to hear; however, they are also not yet independent yet. They still need to be around their mother to fulfill their nutritional and nurturing needs.

7-week old kitten

Before you inquire about how your 7-week old kitten should be, you may want to recap what your kitten has gone through since they was born until today. As said above, your kitten would not taste the beauty of seeing and hearing until they were about 14 days old.

As their eyes and ears were unfolded, they would also begin to stand and walk. This is why the second week of a kitten’s age is usually a milestone that marks the transition from total dependence to semi-independence. They already got their baby teeth at the age of 3 or 4 weeks and would keep them until they get their adult teeth, which occurs somewhere between 3 and 9 months of age.

What Happens Then to Your 7-Week Old Kitten?

At the age of 7 weeks, your kitten still keep their baby teeth, so you need to pay attention to what they eat, especially because at the age of 7 weeks, most kittens have stopped drinking their mother’s milk, though in some cases, kitten is fully weaned at the age of 8 weeks.

Since the age of 5 weeks, they were already more active and able to roam around with ease. They will love to chase and catch everything, including their tail and the toys you play with them. So, yes, you can play with your 7-week old kitten if you want.

Determining your kitten’s gender might still be difficult at this time because their sexual organ has not been fully developed. You have to wait at least until 10 weeks after their birthday before you can see the small lump of their scrotum if your kitten is male. However, if you really want to know whether you have a female or male kitten, a veterinary can always do simple check to your 7-week old kitten to determine their gender.

How to Take Care of Your 7-Week Old Kitten?

Here are several important things to mind if you want to care for your 7-week old kitten properly.

  1. Nutrition

At the age of 7 weeks, your kitten should already be able to eat both wet and dry kitten food. One or two weeks before, your kitten might only be able to digest wet food, but now, giving them dry food is okay. Try to give them kitten formula to make sure that they are well-nourished.

  1. Weight

To decide whether you have nourished your kitten properly, you should measure their weight. A 7-week old kitten should weighs anywhere between 1.2 and 2.3 pounds.

How To Litter Train a Kitten

  1. Litter

At the age of 7 weeks, your kitten should be able to be trained to use litter box, so be ready to housebreak your kitten. don’t forget to take a fecal sample to check whether your kitten has some disease that needs treating.

  1. Cleanliness

You should check their fur for flea. If treatment is needed, pick a non-toxic flea treatment. Be very careful because flea treatments that are safe for adult cats are not necessarily suitable for your 7-week old kitten.

How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is?

How to tell how old a kitten is? Understanding the approximate age of a kitten is important because the way you care for the kitten is mostly determined by their age. A 5-month old kitten might look similar to a 6-month old kitten, but the type of food that they can eat and the types of nurturing and medical care that they receive are different.

You need to know the approximate age of a kitten especially if you don’t grow the kitten since they are born. If you find them abandoned, if you inherit them, or if someone gives them to you, you need to know how old they are to make sure that you can give them the best care. Here we will explore some techniques that you can use to determine the age of a kitten.

How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is by Asking

The safest and easiest way to find out the age of a kitten is by asking. How to tell how old a kitten is by asking? If someone gives you the kitten, you can simply ask them about the kitten’s age.

If you find an abandoned kitten or if the person who gives you the kitten cannot tell you about the kitten’s age, you can take the kitten to a veterinarian, who certainly can determine the age of the kitten by checking their physical and behavioral features and by performing a series of tests.

How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is - 1 weeks

How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is - 2 weeks

How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is - 3 weeks

How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is - 4 weeks

How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is - 5 weeks

How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is - 6 weeks
How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is

How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is by Checking Their Physical Features

Most of the time, you want to know how to tell how old a kitten is before you visit a vet. You may do so to figure out what kind of treatments the kitten should receive when you finally take them to the vet. Checking their features is a simple way to determine their age.

See below to see how physical features determine their age.

  1. If they still have a short stump of umbilical cord on their belly, they are at most 3 days old.

  2. If their eyelids are not yet opened and their ears don’t pop up, their age is not older than 2 weeks.

  3. If their eyelids are already opened and their eyes have pale blue color, their age is somewhere between 2 and 7 weeks old.

  4. If their gum is still toothless, they haven’t reached 2 weeks of age yet. If you see deciduous canines without premolars, you can decide that the age must be 3 weeks old.
    If you see premolars, their age must be between 4 and 6 weeks.

  5. If they start to shed their baby teeth and you see adult teeth starting to grow, you can determine the kitten’s age based on the type of adult tooth you see.

    Incisors grow when your kitten is 4 months old; canines, premolars and molars between 4 and 6 months old; all adult teeth, including molars, grow when your kitten is 7 months old.

How To Litter Train a Kitten

You can also find out how to tell how old a kitten is by assessing their weight and behavior; however, because those factors depend on their breed, the way they are cared for before you get them, and their overall health, consulting a veterinarian is the best way to get information about the kitten’s age.

How to Stop Kitten from Biting

Understanding how to stop kitten from biting is an important aspect of kitten’s care and training. Baby kittens turn into adolescents very quickly. By the time they reach 8 weeks of age, they will have some baby teeth growing inside their mouth. They quickly become tempted to use their newly growing teeth by biting.

Kittens bite because of various reasons. As they turn into adolescents, they become more aggressive. They will bite anything that they consider a threat. They may also bite something or someone not because of their aggressive behavior.

Most kittens simply find it fun to use their teeth to play with their litter-mates, their mom and you. They may also bite because biting something soothes their gums and gets rid of the unpleasant feeling of having new teeth. Just like human babies, they also need teething.

how to stop kitten from biting

Why Understanding How to Stop Kitten from Biting Is Important?

Biting, whether it is for fun or not, causes pain and damage. Even baby teeth can be so sharp that when your kitten bites your skin with them, the teeth may wound it. Biting may be injurious not only for human, but also for other pets your kitten plays or fights with.

If your kitten uses their teeth on your expensive fabric or furniture, you certainly know that the damage can be unsightly. Biting must be inhibited before it becomes an unstoppable habit. This is why you need to understand how to stop kitten from biting.

How to Stop Kitten from Biting by Giving Them an Object to Bite

Just like human babies, kitten also needs teething, so giving them anything that is safe to bite is a good solution to make sure that their teeth don’t hurt anyone or damage anything. You can give them a binkie that is now available in most pet shops or you can give them mouse-like toys that are safe to bite.

Make sure that your kitten’s binkie or toy is always around so that your kitten always has something to bite when they need to do so. This is especially important if you travel often with your kitten.

How to Stop Kitten from Biting with Training

Giving your kitten a binkie or a toy to bite doesn’t make your kitten abandons the bad habit. It simply makes their bite less harmful and damaging to their environment. While you let your kitten plays with their binkie or toy, be sure to train them to gradually abandon their biting habit.

How to stop kitten from biting with training? There are two ways to do that. First, you can scold your kitten when they bite you, someone else, or something. Second, you can praise them when they behave nicely. So, how to scold your kitten when they bite your hand, for instance? You don’t have to be rough or intimidating.

How To Litter Train a Kitten

A simple word like “No!” or “Ow!” that you say when your kitten starts biting is enough to let your kitten know that biting is a bad habit. If your kitten doesn’t bite you at all when you play with them, you can praise them and give them a treat or something that they love.

Use these two tactics often and your kitten should abandon their bad habit sooner or latter. That is a very effective way of how to stop kitten from biting.

How to Litter Train a Kitten and an Outdoor Cat

There is quite a number of reasons why someone would look for tips on how to litter train a kitten. Perhaps you are currently transitioning an outdoor cat to a domesticated, indoor life. Or perhaps, you have just moved to a new house or bought a new litter box and your furry companion have yet to warm up to the new environment or that brand new litter box.

While it is impossible for us to list all of the plausible reasons as to what brought you here in the first place, the issue is similar: your cat seems to have a thing for defecating in any other places except their litter box. This issue is surprising and concerning, to say the least. We know that unlike dogs, cats do not need to be trained to use the litter box.

We can chalk it up to their independence and intelligence, but cats do instinctively know that the litter box is where they should go when they need to relieve themselves. It comes naturally for them, when they see sand or dirt, they know that is indeed their toilet. And speaking of personal preference, they would rather prefer that than carpet or hardwood floor.

However, the problem arises when you are trying to transition an outdoor cat. Having been living outside most of their lives, outdoor cats simply see their surrounding as one massive toilet. This is the primary reason why when they are confined in an enclosed environment such as your house, the new reality becomes so disconcerting to them and they relieve themselves whenever they see fit.

how to litter train a kitten how to litter train a kitten how to litter train a kitten
No matter what, don’t stress about it! Your kitten is a great cat in the making. It’s just a matter of time

How to litter train a kitten: Step One

The first thing you have to do is determine where to put the litter box. Always go for a location that is relatively quiet. Putting it in a high-traffic area will only frighten the cat and as result, they may not want to give the litter box a try. The ideal location may vary depending on the layout of your house. But as long as it offers privacy while at the same time also easily accessible, you are good to go.

Laundry room is often the number one choice of location for many cat owners because it has less traffic compared to the other area in the house. However, you must consider a place where your cat spends most of their time in. It must also be within their sight so they know where to go whenever they feel the urge to relieve themselves. If laundry room fits neither the criteria, you may forego the suggestion.

How to litter train a kitten: Step Two

As soon as you have the litter box set up in the perfect location, take your cat and put them in the box immediately. It does not matter if they do not use it the first time they are there, the purpose is to get them used to the feel and smell of their litter box. Continue to do this after they wake up, eat meals, and other times when you think they need to relieve themselves.

This also applies to those who have just adopted a new kitten or moved to a new home. This obligatory introduction process is as important as it is necessary. While majority of cats instinctively know the purpose of being brought into the litter box on their own, some of them needs further encouragement. So whenever you see your cat squat in other places, immediately place them in the litter box.

How to litter train a kitten : Step Three

After being introduced to the litter box and brought there every single time you sense they are going to relieve themselves, your cat will slowly warm up to their litter box and use it as their toilet on their own. Whenever this takes place, make sure to praise them by making comforting sounds and gently petting them. Remember, like us humans, a little praise always goes along way.

If your cat has yet to grow used to their litter box and you find them squatting ready to relieve themselves in other places in the house, place them in the litter box right away. But remember to do it gently and avoid punishing them. Never yell at them, let alone spank them. The last thing you want is for them to mistake the litter box as a torture chamber since they will most likely associate it with punishments.

This also applies to the moment they accidentally miss and make a huge mess outside of their litter box. If there is one thing that cats do not respond well, it is to have their nose rubbed in their own waste. We all know how cats always bury their waste, and when it happens, do not clean it up right away. Let them smell their own mess and try to deal with it on their own, this will serve as a lesson to them and soon they will know where they should go to relieve themselves.

How to litter train a kitten: Step Four

Step three brings us to the next point. The fact that cats do not like the smell of their own waste is the primary reason why you should never skip cleaning their litter box. Yes, once you have successfully transitioned your outdoor cat  or gotten your new adopted cat used to using the litter box, you must scoop the soiled litter along with their waste out of the box right away. Place it in a bag and throw it away.

In the beginning you may leave a small bit of the soiled litter or feces in their litter box. The purpose is to remind your cat what the litter box is for. That way the next time they need to relieve themselves, they will instantly remember about the litter box. After a few weeks, you may start scooping all of the waste as they must have recognized their litter box and the purpose of the box. And remember to clean the box thoroughly and change the litter completely once a week.