Why does my kitten do this? Professional opinions only please.?

Question

I have two 14 week old kittens who came to me fully litter trained aged 6 weeks.For the first couple of weeks things were fine. Then puddles started appearing on my hall way carpet. I cleaned it up with biological washing powder thoroughly and put a small bowl of food wherever she did it as I was advised to do by a vet nurse at my surgery.

She was checked over by the vet at her vaccination appointment and everything was fine. The same nurse suggested it might be territorial as it was usually next to the front door, kitchen and bedroom doors.

Despite the food bowls she has been continuing to use the carpet and kitchen floor less than two feet away from her litter tray which she has no problem using for solids.

The thing that is really worrying me is that she has taken to peeing on her food mat and earlier i caught her squatting and peeing into her dried biscuits. This goes against everything I know about cat behaviour. I have had cats all my life and have never encountered anything like this. Please can you give me advice on how to stop it and an explanation for whats causing it.

Both kittens are female and it is only the one who does it. We know this as we have caught her several times and the other one has no problems.

Thanks in advance.

PS: I know i posted this yesterday and received advice on litter training but thats not what i want. I am really worried about my kittens behaviour and would like to know whats causing it. She isn't in any pain when you pick her up and handle her which also makes me think infection is unlikely. Please can you help?

Answer 1

Do you know the kittens background? Maybe the parents were brother and sister -- because it does not sound physical; it sounds mental.

Answer 2

. I have found that with two cats they do tend to prefer their own litter boxes. Occasionally they use one another's but for the most part I have found that separate boxes is better. Hope you get this sorted out.

Answer 3

sounds like the vet nurse needs to learn a thing or two. You cannot have a fully guaranteed litter trained kitten at 6 weeks of age. From the sounds of it the previous owner locked the kittens in a tiny area and they went wherever they could (did she come from a pet shop or backyard breeder). Putting the food bowl next to the urine has taught her that urine and food mix. She also sounds like she has issues with dirty litter trays (or sharing a litter tray) and not wanting to use them so she goes wherever she can. I don't think an animal that young will be showing such territoriality unless its a little wildcat!

Put a few litter trays out and move the food a reasonable distance away, maybe somewhere awkward like on a bench in the laundry and try different litters and boxes. I would be spraying an animal repellent spray after you clean up her wee spots and close of any other places to go until she learns. If you see her wee near her food or sniff and squat squirt her with a bottle of water with a teaspoon of cider vinegar inside.

Answer 4

It is very hard to break a cat.  Being that he is still a kitten, he may be just confused with his environment.  If he continues to wet other areas, I would suggest putting out multiple cat boxes.  They don't have to be big ones, but make it more excessible and especially in the areas he has been wetting the most.  As he gets older and as you see which ones he is using the most of and then start removing the unused ones one at a time.  I had a cat that did simular things but he was an older cat and I thought he was just lazy.  He would only use the box if it was in a certain place. Good luck with your kitten.  I hope it all works out.

Answer 5

I agree with you that if they were using the litter box for 3 weeks then there is something else at work here, other than not knowing how to use the box.  So here are some things for you to think about.  Cats are extremely clean animals - it's a rare cat that just chooses to soil outside the box.  The cat is trying to send a message that something isn't right, and it's up to us to play detective and figure out what that is.  

Have you changed the location of the boxes?  Are they in different spots in the house?  Are they near anything that the kitten can perceive as "scary" like a washing machine or something else that makes noise?  Are the boxes accessible,  and not down in a basement level?

Even a 14 week old kitten can develop a bladder or urinary tract infection.  She won't show any sign of pain when she's picked up, but the going out of the box is frequently a symptom of a UTI.  It hurts when she pees in the box, so she'll go elsewhere.  A trip to the vet to have a urinalysis run would be a good idea.

Does the box have a cover?  Try removing the cover if it does, as some cats refuse to use them.  Their noses are very sensitive, and the odor inside the covered box can be very offensive to them.  

Do you have liners in the box?  Same thing - some cats hate them.  

Try putting a totally different type of litter in one of the boxes.  She might not like the texture/scent/feel of the kind you are using, and a different type might be more to her liking.  

Think back.  Has anything changed in your household in the last couple of weeks since you've noticed this behavior?  Anything new?  Even something like changing what you're cleaning the boxes with?

Good luck.  Rule out some of the things I've mentioned, and take her to the vet to rule out an infection.  Most litter box issues are easily solved, once we figure out what's causing them.

Answer 6

firstly the kittens should have been with mum until they were at least 8 weeks old and better still until12 weeks old never take kittens below this age, behaviour at six weeks is still uncertain. ask the vet to take a sample to make sure there is no infection in the urinary tract system cats hide pain and this sounds like she has some sort of uti. secondly clean area with white vinegar and place orange scented potpouri nearby these spots or use an orange linen spray. don't bother putting dried food out in these spots trust me makes no difference. other things to try is as soon as you see her squat place her in tray as if you were litter training she may have forgotton (it is possible as she was so young litter tray behaviour has to be reinforced) change the type of litter my 16 month old kitten wont wee on clay and wont pass solids on paper litter but is happy to use wood based for both he is happy we are happy no mess anywhere now. also look at her diet biscuits can cause crystals these hurt when passed and she thinks litter tray is causing the pain and not her wee cat mentality been there done that with a cat who suffers cystitis and found a food that either contains cranberry extract or low ash content prevents all problems and also a mainly meat diet helps on this. if you want any more help feel free to email me

Answer 7

Although I am not a professional you may like to add another litter box somewhere else in your house.  I have found that with two cats they do tend to prefer their own litter boxes.  Occasionally they use one another's but for the most part I have found that separate boxes is better.  Hope you get this sorted out.

Answer 8

Six weeks is way too early to get a kitten.  Eight weeks is a minimum and twelve to sixteen weeks is much better.  Kittens can develop behavioral problems if taken away from mom too soon. They don't all, be some certainly do. Mom isn't just a feeder, she teaches her kittens how to be proper cats.  

So if the vet can't find anything wrong with her health-wise it could be a mental issue.  You should probably ask the vet for advice on how to help her adapt.

We found one of ours at five weeks old and he's been a bit challenging.  At first he was just happy to eat, then he was shy, then he got pretty aggressive.  He's being mothered by two of our adult kitties and now he seems to be relaxing a lot.

Answer 9

Cats tend to use the same spot over and over no matter how hard you scrub.  You need to get a product called "Get Serious" for cleaning pet stains...It removes the pheromone that makes pets reuse the same spot and it has a slight citrus smell...cats hate citrus!

Also....what type of litter are you using.  Try to use something unclumping and unscented.....once she is going in the box again.  Stick with that litter and SLOWLY adjusted her to your prefered brand.

Is she declawed?  Sometiimes declawed cats will show litter aversion...

I hope this information proves useful.

Answer 10

ok, that happened to me, i was told that it is the cats nerves, they dont like alot of noise or stranger places, they need a hideout spot where they can feel comfortable, this is what i  did! i went to walmart and got a pet tent! mines was sqare shaped and it was big cause i had 2 cats, my 6 year old use to go in there and play with the cats, but anyway, the cat bed fit in there, the toys, the litter box and the food dispensers for hard food and water, it does zip up but we left it open cause we wanted her to be free to come out on their own (both girls, sisters). it worked but when we had company come over they would run into what we called the cat house cause they dont like strangers. i think its made for dogs.... it looks like something for camping like a dog tent but it was perfect......! let me know what you think. NO  we know your taking car of them as your writing is very heart felt. i was wondering if they might like kitten treats, or kitten cat food like kit and coboodles or meox mix for kittens its in a pink bag, i never heart of cat biscuits! trust me its their nerves..... was there a change in the home, was something moved. they kinda like things to stay the way it was like a map so they know where they can run or hide.... TRY not to spray cemicals like air freshner around where they be at or perfum,,,, they lose certain sense of smell when  something over powers the normal scents they are use to! ok enough with my cat book! hope all goes well! not to be funny if she still pees after you get the house, you may have to zip her in there and pop her where she pee pee at and show her to pee in the box, that way she has no other choich, oh make sur the litter is unscented, thats another powerful smell they have to get use to when its scented, until she pees in it and gets use to it! goodluck!

Answer 11

If your really worried take your kitten to a vet