Litterbox question for kittens

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

The kittens are four weeks old and I have read this is the time I should start introducing them to the litterbox. I tried puttling a small litterbox in with them with clay litter and the only thing they want to do is try to eat it!!! :roll: Only one of them has tried eating the canned food, but they all want to eat litter.

Since I do not want to have to make any emergency trips to the vet because of clogged up kittens, does anyone have any recommendations for beginning their litterbox training and keeping them from eating the litter? Or any suggestions what to use instead of clay litter?

 

[MommaOfMuse]

The only kitten I have ever had to litterbox train was Angel since she was dumped in trash bin before she should have left her mother, and then I can't even claim that I did that, Muse and Sophia did most of it.

If mom cat is around and uses the litter box, then she will teach her kittens to use it as well. I wouldn't worry about the eating of the litter unless they are really snarfing it down, kittens like human toddlers just seem to have to "taste" everything. When they discover it doesn't taste good they usually don't continue.

Even Duvessa and Elektra here (feral born) have excellent litterbox skills for watching the elder cats. We had a few accidents when they first got home but those cleared up quickly as the older cats showed them proper house manners.

Mel & Muse (GA)

 

[Michele and Esse]

The only litter I use - for kittens and for cats - is the bedding I also use for my horse. It's a lot like the natural pine pellets you get in the regular pet store, but I can get 50# of it for about $7 at the tack store. It's great...not clay, will disintegrate and get like sawdust when it's gotten wet, and I have never had an issue with anyone eating it. And all like it, too; in a household of 10 cats, that's saying something. It also keeps the odor down nicely, as well...and since it's biodegradeable, it doesn't take a long time to breakdown in the landfill (although I would never flush it). I've also used this litter/bedding as a mulch (clean, not used), and it's a great, economical thing there, too.

Like I said, it costs $7 for 50# at the tack store...and I use about 100# of it in a month for my 10...can you imagine the cost if it were regular litter, or even the pine litter at the pet store? Gack! I love this stuff...

Best-
Michele

 

[Lisa and Merlyn (GA)]

You could use the corn or wheat litters but they might encourage eating of it, because we have had MB adult kitties eating it too. even if its digestible, they are so small at that age I would imagine it wouldnt take much to block them.

What we use for underage kittens in the shelter is the recycled newspaper pellet litter like Good Mews/yesterdays news, or Cat Country (which is wheat grass litter pellets)

 

[Lisa dvm]

I wouldn't worry about the eating of the litter unless they are really snarfing it down, kittens like human toddlers just seem to have to "taste" everything. When they discover it doesn't taste good they usually don't continue.

Agreed.

I have raised hundreds of foster kittens and I never worry if they eat a bit of litter. Most of them do sample a littleof it when first introduced to any litter.

At the age of 4 weeks, I use either non-clumping clay or newspaper pellets.

Once they are about 6 -7 weeks old (usually by 6 weeks), I switch to clumping clay litter. As discussed on my Litter Box page linked below, I strongly feel that pelleted litters (newspaper or pine pellets) are very unsanitary. Using a non-clumping litter does not all you to completely 'flush the cat's toilet'....ie....there is just no way that you can remove all of the urine and feces. Plus, those litter turn to either sawdust or wet newspaper and the only way that they got to that form is from being soaked in urine and I am not going to ask my cats to walk in sawdust/newspaper that has been soaked in urine. Plus, I don't want urine-soaked sawdust tracked around my house.

I deal with a lot of inappropriate elimination issues and so often it is due to the human using a pelleted litter or a non-clumping clay litter. I have lost count of the numbers of cats that have started using the litter box again once a normal substrate that they can dig and bury their waste in - *and* that can be thoroughly cleaned because it clumps - is used again.

I would get the kittens on a clumping litter at least by the time they are 7-8 weeks old....since, again, clumping litters are the only way to completely 'flush the cat's toilet' ....ie....remove ALL of the urine and feces.

If you don't want to use a clay litter, World's Best Cat Litter also clumps but it is harder on the lungs since it is very dusty and hyperallergenic.

So for now, either use the non-clumping clay or try the Yesterday's News pellets but get them on a clumping litter asap.