Litter Training
Posted on October 22, 2008 | Filed Under
Cat Care
So what type of litter tray should you teach your kitten to use?
Litter trays for cats range from the simple open variety made of plastic to the covered ones with an air freshener in the hood. Your kitten may be quite content with the open type, especially if it is only a few weeks old, but many prefer the privacy of a closed tray in the longer term. Some trays are very shallow, but cats like to have quite a deep litter, at least 3 cm to scratch up, so one of the deeper types of tray will ensure that the litter does not end up all over the floor. The tray should be big enough for your kitten to turn around with ease. Also, the location of the tray is important. Cats do prefer to do their business away from public eyes.
When your kitten first comes home with you, try to use the cat litter with which she is familiar with, as the kitten will associate that substrate with toileting. You can then gradually change to a new variety if you wish. There are 4 basic types of cat litter: re-usable litter (this usually consists of wax-covered corn husks), from which solid waste is removed and the litter then washed; Fuller\'s earth, which is based on clay; lightweight clay litter, which has a consistency like sand; and wood-based litter, which is made of highly absorbent sawdust or paper pellets.
The finer litters may stick to your kitten\'s feet, so it is a good idea to put a mat by the exit of the tray to catch the pieces. Likewise, the contents of an open tray are much more likely to land on the floor if the kitten is a little too over enthusiatic when covering up her urine or feces, so you may want to put down some newspaper around the tray.
It is possible to use newspaper as \'litter\', although this will not be particularly absorbent, and the ink may come off on to your kitten\'s feet where it may cause harm and also be walked around the house.
Another potential problem is that your kitten may come to regard any newspaper lying around the house as fair game for toilet purposes:-)
You must place the litter tray in a quiet part of your house. Cats feel quite vulnerable when toileting, so you must help her to feel secure and not in danger of being unexpectedly disturbed. Do not place the tray near the kitten\'s food and water bowls, or near her bed, as cats would naturally move away from such areas to use a latrine.
If you have a dog or a toddler in the house, be warned that both are likely to find the litter tray utterly irresistible, which may affect its positioning. Wherever the tray is, your kitten must be able to gain access to it 24 hours a day
The writer has 7 cats in his household, all of whom were rescued from the street, some of whom whose eyes were not even open at the time. Through nurturing and taking care of them from kittenhood, the writer has learned a lot in cat care from reading resources on cats, and having interviewed several veterianians in cat care and health issues related to cats.
The writer is the owner of the site: http://www.catsandsuch.com
House Cat Training - Litter Box Rules
In order to achieve successful house cat training you need to follow some specific rules concerning the cat's litter box. Cats do have a tendency to u...
Cat Training and The Litter Box - Potty Training Issue
When you first bring home kitty you need to have a litter box in place where you are happy with it. This is because it is the very first thing you do...
How To Toilet Train Your Cat
Have you just brought a new cat home? Are you now wondering how to toilet train your cat? If so then here you will find all of the information you nee...
Training Your Cat to Use a Litter Tray
Do you dread trying to get your cat to use a litter tray? Don't despair - it's really quite simple to train a cat.Any cat owner will tell you, cats a...
Imagine Your Cat Using A Toilet - Successful Cat Toilet Training Techniques
This may sound ridiculous or like a near-impossible feat, but you'll find life is a pleasant new world when you finish potty training your cat. You'll...
Cat House Training And What It Takes To Be Successful
Cats are clean creatures and are usually easy to train to use the litter box. Choosing the correct box, litter type, and being persistence in your ho...
Potty Training Your Cat - Stop That Cat Urine Smell For Good
Are you fed up with that cat urine smell all over the house? Are you frustrated by your cat constantly marking their territory with urine? If you answ...
Cat House Training
If you have recently welcomed a new kitten into your home, you may be a little bit concerned about how to house train it. Even very young cats be lit...
How To Toilet Train Your Cat
The idea of how to toilet train your cat has grown in popularity ever since the release of the movie Meet The Parents where the kitty, Jinx, used the ...
Training Your Cat To Use The Toilet
You can train your cat to use the toilet. By doing this it will save you time and money. There will be little or no mess. Once the cat has been traine...
Cat Potty Training - Train Your Cat To Use The Potty And Save The Planet!
Cat Potty Training, it's the holy grail of cat behaviour. It's no wonder that cat potty training is one of the most sought after skills that a cat own...
Training Cats at Home
Cats are one of the cleanest animals around since by nature, they have the ability to clean themselves without any assistance. Even if that is the cas...
Cat House Training Solutions For You
Dogs, cats, and other pets can enrich our lives, by sharing companionship, love and entertainment with those who love them. Cats are favored by many p...
Will a Cat Litter Mat Do the Job?
Keeping your cat's liter box and the surround area clean and fresh can be quite a chore. One of the ways you can help to minimize the cleaning that h...
Cat Peeing Outside of Litter Box
Is your cat peeping outside the litter box? Is your bed starting to really stink? Well there are some basic things you can do right now to help your...