Litter Training

So what type of litter tray should you teach your kitten to use?

Litter trays for cats range from the simple open variety made of plastic to the covered ones with an air freshener in the hood. Your kitten may be quite content with the open type, especially if it is only a few weeks old, but many prefer the privacy of a closed tray in the longer term. Some trays are very shallow, but cats like to have quite a deep litter, at least 3 cm to scratch up, so one of the deeper types of tray will ensure that the litter does not end up all over the floor. The tray should be big enough for your kitten to turn around with ease. Also, the location of the tray is important. Cats do prefer to do their business away from public eyes.

When your kitten first comes home with you, try to use the cat litter with which she is familiar with, as the kitten will associate that substrate with toileting. You can then gradually change to a new variety if you wish. There are 4 basic types of cat litter: re-usable litter (this usually consists of wax-covered corn husks), from which solid waste is removed and the litter then washed; Fuller's earth, which is based on clay; lightweight clay litter, which has a consistency like sand; and wood-based litter, which is made of highly absorbent sawdust or paper pellets.

The finer litters may stick to your kitten's feet, so it is a good idea to put a mat by the exit of the tray to catch the pieces. Likewise, the contents of an open tray are much more likely to land on the floor if the kitten is a little too over enthusiastic when covering up her urine or feces, so you may want to put down some newspaper around the tray.

It is possible to use newspaper as 'litter', although this will not be particularly absorbent, and the ink may come off on to your kitten's feet where it may cause harm and also be walked around the house.

Another potential problem is that your kitten may come to regard any newspaper lying around the house as fair game for toilet purposes:-)

You must place the litter tray in a quiet part of your house. Cats feel quite vulnerable when toileting, so you must help her to feel secure and not in danger of being unexpectedly disturbed. Do not place the tray near the kitten's food and water bowls, or near her bed, as cats would naturally move away from such areas to use a latrine.

If you have a dog or a toddler in the house, be warned that both are likely to find the litter tray utterly irresistible, which may affect its positioning. Wherever the tray is, your kitten must be able to gain access to it 24 hours a day

The writer has 7 cats in his household, all of whom were rescued from the street, some of whom whose eyes were not even open at the time. Through nurturing and taking care of them from kittenhood, the writer has learned a lot in cat care from reading resources on cats, and having interviewed several veterianians in cat care and health issues related to cats.

The writer is the owner of the site: [http://www.catsandsuch.com]