Cat House Training

If you have recently welcomed a new kitten into your home, you may be a little bit concerned about how to house train it. Even very young cats be litter trained, and you'll find that most kittens are quite proficient at learning how to use a litter box. When you are looking into training your own kitten to use the litter pan, there are few techniques that you can keep in mind.

When you first get your kitten, simply place him in a litter pan that already has the litter inside it. He'll soon realize that the litter underneath his paws can be scratched and kicked. Cats have an instinct to deposit their waste in a place where they can cover this up, and chances are, you'll find that your new kitten will automatically return to this place. To further encourage this, especially if he is a younger kitten, you can put him in the litter pan directly after he has eaten.

If your kitten has been slow to pick this up, simply be patient. Keep an eye on the kitten and keep watch for when he starts to make kneading, kicking motions with his back legs. This is a sign that he should be immediately removed to a litter pan, and if you are quick enough, he will quickly get the idea. You'll soon see that this is simply a matter of getting your kitten to make the connection between the act and the location, and when you have done this, it is quite simple.

If your kitten has begun urinating or defecating in inappropriate places after he has already learned to use the litter pan, this is another question entirely. Chances are, he has not forgotten, but this act can be a way that he is expressing annoyance or displeasure. Perhaps things have changed in a way he doesn't like; someone new has moved in, or you have rearranged his living space in a way that is new to him. Spend some time with your kitten and try to figure out the cause.

You should also be aware that male cats will urinate to mark their territory, something that will likely happen if he can tell that there are other male cats in the area. The best solution for this problem is to have the kitten neutered, if you have not done so already. This usually takes care of the urination and also some aggression problems that the kitten might have been evidencing as well. Remember that if excessive urination in inappropriate locations continues to occur, you should take the kitten to the vet to make sure that thyroid problems aren't making an appearance.

As you can see, there are several things to keep in mind while house training a cat, so remember to be patient, and soon enough, you'll be seeing the results that you want.

As an author for Dog Vacuum [http://www.dogvacuum.org] and Male Hair Removal [http://www.malehairremovaltips.com], Chris writes about various subjects from animals to cooking.