Stimulating kitten to go to the bathroom? PLEASE ANSWER!

Question

We have a new kitten and she wont go to the bathroom. So I read that you can stimulate her to go to the bathroom. My question is, how long at one time should I stimulate her? Should I do it until she goes to the bathroom? The person that answers with the most correct info will get 10 points. Please answer.

Answer 1

I had to do this for my kitten as well.  I would use a q-tip dipped in warm water - if the kitten needs to use the bathroom it will happen almost immediately when you start rubbing.    After feeding is the "best" chance to get results.  

Answer 2

Give the kitten a dish of canned tuna in oil.  That'll make her have to go.

Answer 3

how old is this kitten? unless there are health issues going on, kittens do NOT need to be stimulated after they're about 3-4 wks old. anything older than that has the necessary bowel & bladder control to go potty on its own.

how long have you had it? it can take a few days for the kitten's body to acclimate to new surroundings, new people and new food. it may not eat much in the first few days of a new home, and as such, won't go potty either. this should resolve in its own time. in the meantime, i'd put the kitten in its own room, with the litter box and food/water bowls & toys. leave it there until it's had time to get used to its new home. (plus there's always the chance it's going potty on its own already and you just don't realize it. kittens aren't always that great at finding a box if they're given full run of a house or apartment right off the bat.)

if the kitten has a very distended belly, and is acting funky, i'd go to the vet. no amount of stimulating on your part will do the trick if there is a serious health issue going on.

Answer 4

You were given good answers but I want to make one correction.  A mother cat's tongue is anything but gentle.  It feels like sandpaper.  Also if you watch a mother l**k her kittens she is not gentle about it.  You need to take a warm wet wash cloth and vigorously scrub the baby's behind.  You shouldn't have to wait long for it to go potty.  However, if it seems like the baby is still not going potty, you will have to take it to the vet because it probably does not have a fully developed r****m, which means it will have a build up in it's kidneys and liver which will be fatal.  

Answer 5

Stimulating  kitten to potty is very easy.  What you are doing is imitating the momma cat.  She licks their bottoms and comsumes the mess.  What the human will do is take a warm , wet wash cloth and gently rub the kittens bottom.  It will not take long before you see it going.  As for the frequency of this,  momma cats usually do this after the feed.  So you would do the same.  

Answer 6

how old is your kitten? If it is weaned and on kitten food it should be able to go on it's own. The stimulating thing is for very young kittens who are unable to go on their own yet.

If you do have a young kitten I suggest using a warm damp (not wet) wash cloth. Gently rub the genitals and a**s. For a couple minutes. This should be done immediately after the little one eats. If nothing happens wait a few hours and try again.

Answer 7

My kitten did this when she was 5 weeks old thru about 10 weeks old. It's really easy to solve the problem.

I know it's not fun, but you'll have to get a warm - not hot - clean cloth and gently rub on the kittens bottom with it for a few minutes. It's generally best to do this about 10-15 minutes after they eat. If you get nothing then, try again in about 45 minutes to an hour.

Another idea, depending of the kittens age, is wet food. Kittens should be fed a wet food that doesn't really have any solids in it - puree for the most part. This helped my kitten, Pook.

If the kitten continues to not go to the bathroom, or starts whining or crying, you may need to take her to the vet. Even at such a young age, she could possibly have some type of blockage. Check to make sure that nothing looks swollen on her backside.

Hope it helped some!