Mary Allen
Housebreaking cats isn’t as difficult as you might think. Here you can find out what you should consider when choosing the location and choice of the litter box and how to get your kitty used to the litter box.
Housebreaking Cats – Right From the Start
If you adopt a kitten from an adequate, reputable, and species-appropriate breeder, you can be sure that your new darling is already used to the litter box and – apart from minor mishaps that can of course still occur – should be housebroken. Kitten training usually begins between the third and sixth week, or when the little one starts eating solid food. By imitating its mother, it usually quickly learns to loosen itself up in the litter box and scratch the litter.
However, there are also cats that do not come from a breeder, but from an animal shelter or from a farm. They need your help and a good deal of patience when raising them, especially at first. Your empathy is required here: Be understanding if housebreaking doesn’t work right away. Give your cat the time it needs.
Right Location: Space for the Quiet Place
Especially at the beginning of training, it makes sense to place the litter box in a room where your kitten spends a lot of time. The litter box should also be accessible at all times. Unquiet and noisy places near the TV or washing machine are unsuitable.
No one likes to eat next to the toilet, including cats. The feeding place should therefore be far enough away from the toilet. Because otherwise, it could be that your velvet paw is looking for another place to relieve itself, and honestly, who could blame her?
Appropriate Litter Boxes
Remember that the minimum number of litter boxes is equal to the number of cats you keep together plus one. You should clean the toilets at least twice a day and wash them thoroughly with hot water once a week and fill them with freshly made cat litter. The choice of a suitable litter box is also crucial for the housebreaking of your velvet paw. Small kittens need a toilet that is easy to enter. So make sure that the edge of the toilet is not too high, otherwise going to the toilet will turn into an unwanted climbing excursion for your kitten.
There are toilets with lids, lidless ones, self-cleaning toilets, and those with a swing lid – which litter box your kitty prefers depends on her preferences, of course, but it is also influenced by which litter box your cat has already been to.
Stray is Not the Same as Litter
There are countless types of litter in different price ranges and designs available on the pet market. Not so easy to keep track of here. Make sure that you use non-clumping cat litter for your baby kitty at best at the beginning. If your cat has outgrown the worst, you can opt for a different type of litter.
Tips for buying cat litter
- Expensive cat litter often pays off. A more expensive type of litter is often the better choice, as these are often less odorous and dust-free, and more absorbent.
- People like the smell of scented cat litter, but many cats are put off by the smell. As a result, this can lead to the cat becoming unclean.
- Each cat should have at least two litter boxes. Good for you, so you can test different types of litter in different toilets and see which ones are most popular with your velvet paw.
Suddenly Unclean Despite Being Housebroken?
You had your cat housebroken and she is suddenly unclean? Sudden uncleanliness in cats can have many – sometimes very banal – reasons. So if something often goes wrong with your kitty, you should definitely check thoroughly whether the cat place really meets all the desirable conditions.
Conditions for the litter box
- Was the bedding brand changed?
- Is the toilet cleaned regularly?
- Is the location of the toilet optimal for the cat?
- Was a new toilet purchased?
- Are all toilets easily accessible?
Of course, it is also possible that your cat has a serious illness. So if you are unsure, it is better to get advice from a veterinarian. They can determine if your cat is missing something and give you further advice if necessary.
Practice Creates Masters
Be patient with your velvet paw. Cats are extremely sensitive animals. So be sure to avoid nose-poking, yelling, or even hitting your cat at her mishap. All of these measures are not only counterproductive and often have the opposite effect, but also animal cruelty and destroy the trust between you and your newcomer. Even if something goes wrong, it won’t end the world and at some point, with a little patience, education, and training, you can housetrain all cats – because practice makes perfect!