Cat Litter Trays
By the time your new bundle of fluff arrives home she will already more than likely have learnt how to use cat litter trays by copying her Mum. Your kitten will have followed her Mum to the litter tray and mimicked her. If however your kitten was removed from her Mum too early chances are she may not have yet learnt how to use the tray and it will be your job as her new adopted Mum to train her.
The first most important thing to consider is the positioning of the letter tray. Ideally the tray should be placed away from her sleeping and eating area and in a quiet area of the house. Your kitten won’t use her tray is there are too many people around and will more than likely go and find somewhere quiet to attend to her needs. The general rule of thumb is to have one cat litter tray per cat and an extra one but you may want to consider having more in the house whilst your kitten is still young. During her first few months whilst her body is still developing, her bladder will be weak and if she is too far away from her tray she may not make it in time.
Another important factor to think about is the fact that cats are by nature extremely clean animals. Waste should be scooped out of the tray daily, the cat litter should be changed often and the actual tray should be cleaned regularly. You shouldn’t use strong smelling detergents as it will deter little kitty from using it, hot soapy water should do the trick. If you don’t maintain a regular schedule of keeping things clean the chances are your kitten will find a cleaner spot in the house to go.
The first few days for your kitten in her new home can be quite daunting for her, with all the new smells, noises, people to get used to and she certainly won’t know where her tray is. One of the first things you should do when she arrives home is pick her up and place her in the tray. You should routinely do this particularly after meal times and sleeping. Even if she doesn’t need to go, which she more than probably will, it is a constant reminder for her of where the tray is. Move the litter around with your fingers as she will associate the noise with toilet time. When she does use the tray give her plenty of praise and attention or even a small treat. If she has an accident and you catch her going outside of the tray don’t shout at her or reprimand her simply pick her up and place her in the tray. Remember she is only young and is still learning.
