Image source: shutterctock.com

How to Litter Train a Stray Kitten

If you do not know how to do it, spend a little time reading our article to find out the answers.

We will show you how to teach your stray cat to use a litter box in a particular way. But first, you need to be patient as the training process will probably take you a long time.

Let’s get started!

How to Litter Train a Stray Kitten

Image source: webmd.com

Most kittens can learn from their mothers to use litter boxes at an early stage. But stray cats probably do not know the way to use litter boxes. If you want to train your cats to use the litter box, follow the tips below:

1. Choose an appropriate little box

  • Pick a big litter box

The reason why kittens pee and poop outside the litter box is that their boxes are not big enough. That plays a vital role if your pets are in the growing process. When your cats have a large litter box, they will have more room at their disposal.

Another important thing is that if you have a kitten or adult cat, you should choose a low-side box so that your pet can quickly go in and out of it.

  • Choose an uncovered or covered box

You know everything has its pros and cons. So it would help if you chose uncovered or covered litter boxes based on your pet’s taste.

We will list the advantages and disadvantages of the lidded box for your considerations:

Pros: A covered litter box helps hinder dogs from getting access to the box.

Cons: It can cause difficulties for your big cat to turn around or dig inside the litter box.

  • Have other alternatives

You should have other litter boxes if your house space is available. It is quite helpful in case your pet is still young and in the learning process, or you have two or more cats.

  • Place the box in suitable locations

Image source: aspca.org

A cat naturally buries its waste; however, if you put its litter box in an unsuitable position, she/he probably seek other places to relieve herself/himself. Here are some tips for you to choose the right place for putting litter boxes.

Please do not put the box near the place you feed your cat because it can make your pet anxious as well as increase the likelihood it will have wrong eliminations.

Give the cat some peace as most cats prefer an undisturbed and quiet place when eliminating wastes.

2. Maintaining litter boxes

Image source: pinterest.com
  • Pick the right litter

Cats usually like clumping litter because it is easy for cats to walk on and bury the scraps.

You can check the list of the best litter for kittens at catthink.com.

  • Use an appropriate deal of litter

If you abuse litter, it will make a mess since some litter can be spilled out when your cats bury the wastes. On the other hand, using too little litter can cause your cats to have the inadequate elimination of wastes. It is recommended to fill the box with around 2 inches at first. Then you can increase the depth to 4 inches if your cats do not satisfy.

  • Keep the box clean

Image source: thegrommet.comx

If your cat is still young and is learning how to use a litter box, you should leave all wastes in the box, which helps to remind your cat to eliminate wastes in the right place.

It is recommended to scoop twice every day to keep the box clean.

Use gentle soap with warm water to wash the box. You should not use harsh chemicals because you can leave unexpected residual chemicals and smells which are harmful to your cats and hinder them from the box.

3. Train cat to use little boxes

  • Learn the schedule of your cats

It will help you know exactly when your cats will relieve themselves. Therefore, you can easily direct them to use a litter box.

Play with cats near the litter box. As most cats need to relieve after running or playing, you can play with them near the box, so they are more likely to use it to leave their wastes.

  • Teach cats what to do

In case your cats do not learn to use their litter boxes from their mothers, you need to teach stray cats how to use them. For instance, you can carry them to litter boxes when they intend to relieve themselves and guide them the way to dig inside the box.

You can use your fingers to scrape litter aside until your cat knows. If they already know how to pee or poop in their litter boxes but cannot bury the wastes yet, you should use fingers again to scoop litter over the scraps. They will gradually imitate your acts.

4. Address wrong elimination

Imaeg source: cat.reviews
  • DO NOT yell at your cats

As your cats do not deliberately leave their wastes in the wrong places, you should not scold or yell at your cats. It only makes them afraid of you, and you cannot solve the problems.

  • Put wastes in the box

Should your cats eliminate outside the box, you’d better-put scraps in the box to remind your cats to relieve themselves by using their litter box.

  • Move water and food to a problem area

In case your cats still eliminate outside the box and have a specific wrong location, you can move the water and food to the spot where they remain eliminating. They can have a hardwired temptation to avoid leaving wastes around water and food. Therefore, they can stop relieving themselves outside the litter box.

Final Thoughts

That’s all that we want to share with you about how to litter box train a stray kitten.

We hope our article is helpful to you in teaching your little kittens to eliminate in the right place.

So what do you think now? Is it easy or hard? Leave your story in the comment section below.

Thank you for reading!