New kitten help

[Phantom]

Wondering if anyone has any tips regarding kittens.

We got a young kitten 4 weeks ago, now 11 weeks old. When we got her, she knew how to use a litter box and was happy doing so. The first few nights, we got her used to sleeping in a bed we got for her. In the mornings, she'd come in to our room and within 2 minutes, urinate on our bed. This happened for 3 mornings in a row so we decided we won't let her into our bedroom. She's been using the litter box all the time since. However, a few days ago, I was on a couch in the lounge watching cricket with a duvet over me and she urinated on that too. We thought it must be duvets. Today while I was just sitting on a couch, she snuggled in next to me at the opposite end to last time and urinated as well with no blankets or duvets around.

Does anyone know what might cause this behavour or how we might be able to train her not to do it? I've heard that rubbing their noses in it etc doesn't work and the only way to discipline them is if you catch them in the act.

[Ira]

I wish I knew, we have two of the leaky damn cats....

[ryanjury]

We had a kitten like this too.. We tried everything we could think or had heard of to stop the problem but just ended up really hating the cat and locking it outside, we got a mate to look after it when we went away once and apparently it "ran away".. Sorry I am no help at all but I feel your pain, at least it is summer so easy to dry stuff after you have washed it! lol

[the-obstacle]

Wondering if anyone has any tips regarding kittens.

We got a young kitten 4 weeks ago, now 11 weeks old. When we got her, she knew how to use a litter box and was happy doing so. The first few nights, we got her used to sleeping in a bed we got for her. In the mornings, she'd come in to our room and within 2 minutes, urinate on our bed. This happened for 3 mornings in a row so we decided we won't let her into our bedroom. She's been using the litter box all the time since. However, a few days ago, I was on a couch in the lounge watching cricket with a duvet over me and she urinated on that too. We thought it must be duvets. Today while I was just sitting on a couch, she snuggled in next to me at the opposite end to last time and urinated as well with no blankets or duvets around.

Does anyone know what might cause this behavour or how we might be able to train her not to do it? I've heard that rubbing their noses in it etc doesn't work and the only way to discipline them is if you catch them in the act.

I had 2 kittens that did this when we first got them. They used to sleep on my bed which was not pleasant for the first few weeks. I found that having the litter in the room and keeping it in a box that was big enough for the tray and the cat to be in there at the same time really helped. Basically get a big enough box and cut a door on one side only. The cats found they had some privacy and happily went back to using the litter tray.

My brother had the same problem and found the 'private box' to be the solution for him too.

[Joshlikesfish]

My brother had the same problem and found the 'private box' to be the solution for him too.

Private business is best done behind closed doors :lol:

[Phantom]

Thanks, will give that a try!

I found that having the litter in the room and keeping it in a box that was big enough for the tray and the cat to be in there at the same time really helped. Basically get a big enough box and cut a door on one side only. The cats found they had some privacy and happily went back to using the litter tray.

Was that open top or closed?

[oneeyedfrog]

I found a product called Odarid is really good for getting rid of smells and stains.

[the-obstacle]

Thanks, will give that a try!

Was that open top or closed?

Closed. but don't seal the top so you can open it up to get the litter tray out. Don't cut the entry way all the way to the sides of the face you're cutting it on.

Oh, and the best part is when they scratch the litter after using it the box holds it all in

[Zev]

We have one like this, leaky, as Ira describes them. She is a few years old now and still leaks all over the place, especially where one of our other cats has been sitting, even in the top of one of our laser printers because that is where one of the other cats likes to sleep

So, I cannot offer you any advise either, Phantom, but the private box sounds like it might be a goer.

[Jennifer]

Cats are actually very sensitive to stress and 'inappropriate urination' can be a way that this is manifested in their behaviour.

A few things to keep in mind:

1. Positive reinforcement is 10 times more effective than negative punishment - in other words, punishing the cat for doing the wrong thing will not be as effective as rewarding it when it is doing the right thing.

2. Urinating is inherently a self rewarding action - it feels good! To overcome this 'natural' reward you need to provide a greater motivation to encourage the cat to stop the behaviour.

3. Rule out a medical cause. This is always the first thing to do - cats will often urinate in abnormal places when they have a bladder infection or related medical problem.

Rule of thumb when dealing with inappropriate urination in cats: Minimise perceived stress - if you ave a multiple cat household make sure there is enough territory for each, this often means at least areas of safety/privacy as well as one litter tray for each cat. Size, and location of the litter tray are important as is the litter material - this cannot be understated. Neighborhoods with many cats can be very stressful in terms of territory. This can be a significant hurdle to overcome.

This is a very good article which covers many of the most important aspects in these cases:

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochure ... iling.html

Some tips for training your cat (YES, it is possible!):

http://drsophiayin.com/resources/tips/

Good luck!

[acara]

An excellent reply from Jennifer.One of our cats(male,and 'done')was urinating a lot,usually on something on the floor,a piece of clothing,shopping bag,shoes,etc,and was in pain when this happened,constantly loicking himself,and dribbgling down below.It turned out to be a kidney problem,we now feed him a special food(Royal Canin Urinary)which has a lower content of the 'good stuff' in food.This has stopped the problem completely,but unfortunately the food is only available on prescription,and so we can't shop around for price,but at the end of the day,moneys not that important when it comes to health.

I shouldn't think this would be the problem in such a young kitten,but you should explore all options.Whisky was nearer to a year old when we noticed it with him.

I hope you get it solved soon.

[sharn]

I am not sure if it has been mentioned but maybe try setting up several litter boxes for a while and keep them spotless (remove all matter asap after its done). Cats are fussy about their toilets, and lots wont go in a box if it has already been soiled. Good luck!

[Fruju]

Feed cat to fish = problem solved

[Phantom]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Just to add, we don't have any other animals (nor had we) in the house apart from fish of course.

We have had her checked by the vet. They said it is probably a comfort thing, which does make sense. She's not doing it randomly, it's only when she finds a warm comfy spot next to a person.

[BikBok]

by my calculations , you got her when she was 7 weeks which is quite young. I think 8 weeks is the minimum recommendation but i usually try and find a kitten 10 weeks plus because mother cat has better trained it (yes mama cat can toilet train kittens.. where to go etc) and it's more socialised before being taken away from mum.

It could very well be a comfort thing that she will hopefully grow out of.

[Jennifer]

That's exactly correct BikBok. The critical socialisation period for cats is between about 2 and 9 weeks of age (in contrast, the socialisation period for dogs last until they are 12 weeks of age). This is a very important stage of development where they essentially learn to be confident around others and learn how to interact with their environment. Handling them at that stage is important, but giving them access to other animals their same age and species is vital for their lifetime well-being. This is why we try very hard not to hand rear cats and dogs on their own. Many breeders these days will insist on keeping the puppy or kitten until nearer the end of the socialisation period so that they get the benefit of interacting with their litter mates and mother.

[Ira]

Many breeders these days will insist on keeping the puppy or kitten until nearer the end of the socialisation period so that they get the benefit of interacting with their litter mates and mother.

The few breeders of cats I know won't rehome their kittens until 12 weeks at the earliest.

[Phantom]

Yes we did get her at 7 weeks. I guess we should have done a little more research first. We'd heard the 8 week figure, but thought 7 and a bit was close enough as she was just what we were looking for and there had been a lot of interest if we didn't want her.

[mcrudd]

The few breeders of cats I know won't rehome their kittens until 12 weeks at the earliest.

Agreed. I used to be a kitten action mom and we never let a kitten go before it was old enough to be spayed which was usually done at about ten weeks, which gives them another two weeks to heal and be with mum for the healing process. We used to wait until the kitten was six months, but over years found that many would be pregnant at age four months allready. Surgery methods have also changed over the years to allow an earlier spaying and neutering (sp)

I would also like to add that before mum was rehomed once all her kittens got homes she was also spayed. Its a good idea to have your cat spayed/neutred if you know you are not going to breed it. Lots of problems start with both male and female cats if they are not spayed/neutred. Female cats start stealing food and male cats start walking away from home more often.

Both you and the cat benefit from that, well to get back to the point, the cat was too young when it left its mum and is probably acting as a super young kitten would have. It pees when next to someone warm cause it expects to be cleaned by you as mom used to clean it while it was "potty training". You would have to keep a close eye and physically potty train the kitten by lifting it to the nearest kitty litter when you see it starting to pee. NEVER punish it, but do clean up very thoroughly where it peed, I suggest getting a special spray from the vets to preven the kitten from peeing there again.

All the best for you and your kitten. Keep us updated, Just prevail and you will be successfull

[mcrudd]

It pees when next to someone warm cause it expects to be cleaned by you as mom used to clean it while it was "potty training". You would have to keep a close eye and physically potty train the kitten by lifting it to the nearest kitty litter when you see it starting to pee.

Just to explain this a bit more. Have you ever noticed a mum cat using the litterbox more often while she has kittens, its cause kittens learn by seeing what mom does. Its monkey see monkey do. So your kitten did not have enough time to observe mum it was probably teeny when you got it. So now you have to teach it, now you can't use the litterbox, so kitten can look, so you really need to concentrate on watching your kitten closely and as soon as it wants to wee put it in the nearest litterbox. I suggest getting more than one for the time being. All the best

[Zev]

So now you have to teach it, now you can't use the litterbox,

I bet you he can but it would not be a pretty sight!

[Neon]

Great explanation mcrudd. I was wondering what a "kitten action mom" was, but I think I can guess

[mcrudd]

I bet you he can but it would not be a pretty sight!

Great explanation mcrudd. I was wondering what a "kitten action mom" was, but I think I can guess

Kitten action mums took care of abandoned pregnant cats (even ferral ones) and also some sad cases of abandoned newborn kittens. If we did get abandoned newborn kittens then we would first try and place them with a mum that just had kittens if we can't manage one then it was three hourly feeds and being mum ourselfs.

[new2discus]

I got a rescue kitten when she was just 8 weeks old, she was found and hand raised from 4 weeks, so had very little time with mum. I had exactly the same problem as you do, with her peeing on beds, and rugs on the floor. You must keep the litter tray (s) spotless. I found putting vinegar or lemon juice on spots was a good way of discouraging using that spot again, and to mask odour.

Good luck and dont give up, it took my kitten until she was at least 6months to grow out of this.

[Stella]

mcrudd. Great hearing from such responsible pet owners! Spaying/neutering should be compulsory.

I am learning a lot from this thread. Really really logicaland useful info that I haven't heard anywhere else before! My mum had that idea that you 'should' let a female cat have one litter then spay (NOT a good idea!) and we gave the kittens away at six weeks! I guess that was what was done then, but the socialising thing makes so much sense now.