New kitten hates box

by Jessica
(Columbia)

I just got a kitten yesterday. She is five weeks old and she refuses to use the litter box.


She didn’t like the first litter we bought and she would jump out immediately. She wouldn't even smell it.

We bought her new litter which is like pebbles. We think she was an outside kitten beforehand so we thought pebbles would be a good correlation.

With this litter, she didn’t jump out immediately but instead started to eat it. Before I put her in the litter box she usually cries before she goes and likes to hide underneath the shadows of furniture. I have no idea what to do.

My thoughts: Some cats refuse to use pellets, others are fine with it. I would try unscented litter with a sandy texture and possibly using Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract.

I would also start the kitten out in a confined space, like a small room. The smaller you make the space, the more likely it is the kitten will choose to use the litter box.

If your kitten is crying before going or seems to be in discomfort in any way, then she may have a medical problem that needs attention. She should be vet checked in any case, and your vet should be able to give you advice on how to better handle this problem. I hope that helps.

-Kurt

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Jun 08, 2019
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starstarstarstarstar 		Fleas can stress a cat out
by: Jim W.

If the fleas are bad enough, it can stress the cat out. The stress causes the cat to have problems using the box. Try diatomaceous earth for the fleas. Make sure you use a bag vacuum and throw out the bag each time.
May 07, 2019
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starstarstarstarstar 		Flea Problem and Litter Box Issues
by: Owner of Post

Hey guys! Thanks for all of the advice. I do feel as of right now her litter box is too small for her because she somehow manages to get her poop and the pellets all over her and it gets stuck in her back legs and her tail. (Very annoying). She still makes accidents here and there. But once I changed the litter to pebbles, she used it way right away (I think she was an outside kitten before). But she’s making accidents now because we had to move her from my bedroom to the bathroom because we discovered fleas.

So she made like fifty million accidents in my bathroom the first night she was moved in. I think she didn’t know where her litter box was so I keep putting her in every hour and she used it looks like once. I hope we can let her move around the house more cause she keeps crying every single time we lock her up (but we have too, she has fleas. I already dealt with a flea infestation two years ago and I cannot do it again.) so now we are paranoid about the fleas and if she has any more.

We put flea medicine on her and bathed her two times in dawn and apple vinegar. We also rub a flea comb through her. We used to find fleas every bath and flea comb but now we don’t see anything. However, we still don’t trust it and we feel like we won’t trust it until a week or two. So crying she goes every day.

We put her in the bathroom because it’s tile so fleas cannot really survive and thrive in that area. My bedroom was carpet where they can live for up to months or years. We’ve been spraying and vacuuming my bedroom every day now. The spray has IGR so I can get those flea eggs and larvae. Now that she’s out of my room I’m getting bitten by the fleas. Which is better because they can’t really produce as many eggs or stay on me forever like her.

If you guys can give me more advice on my flea issues and her litter box issues as to what to do now, or the fact she gets poop all over her every time that would be amazing. I really need it I’m so stressed out rn.
May 06, 2019
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starstarstarstarstar 		Kitten Hates Box
by: Anonymous

Some thoughts, is the box too high for her to reach? check to see if there is enough litter in it for her to dig and cover. I adopted a cat who seemed like he was limping a little. The vet found some typical feet problems and was able to help trim these loose corns or calluses off and he is more comfortable. I know this can be a puzzler, but I went through many types of litter before I found one my two cats like. Make sure you have a second litter box for your kitten- two per cat.

I agree with the last responder, take the kitten to the vet especially if he is crying before entering the box. It could be any one of many things.

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