Litter Box Training

Get your kitten off to a good start with an appropriate litter box. Often a plastic box is the most practical and easy to clean. The sides should be low enough that your kitten can easily climb in and out. Place the box in a relatively quiet area of the home with minimal traffic, where the kitten can have some privacy. Be certain the box is easily accessible, perhaps near to the kitten's sleeping area. Some kittens dislike scented litter; it is usually best to start with an unscented clay or clumping litter. If you already have cats at home, provide an additional box for each new cat. Most kittens will automatically use kitty litter in preference to other surfaces, except perhaps for the soil of a potted plant. To prevent mishaps, keep plants out of the kitten's reach or cover the soil with pine cones or decorative rock.

To ensure that your kitten uses its litter box every time, always keep it within eyesight. If it stops playing and begins sniffing around, gently carry it to the litter box. Praise any sniffing or scratching, and give it loads of praise or a small food treat for eliminating. Whenever you are unable to watch the kitten, restrict it to a cat-proofed room with its litter box. Do this for at least the first two weeks, until your kitten is using the box regularly. Keep the box clean so that your cat will return to use it. Cats are by nature clean and fastidious, and they are reluctant to use a dirty litterbox.Once you have found a brand of litter, type of box, and location that your kitten likes, avoid making sudden changes. If you want to change the litter, place the new box with the new litter in the new location, but do not take away the old box until the kitten is using the new litter. Or try mixing the new and old for a few weeks.

Do's and Don'ts

• Do keep your kitten's litter box clean.
• Do use clumping litter as it is more environmentally friendly.
• Do have more than one litter box in your home.
• Do pay attention to your kitten's litter preferences.
• Do consider sandlike litters.
• Do keep your kitten's litter box in a secluded area.
• Don't use perfumed litters.
• Don't keep the litter box near food or water bowls.
• Don't use ammonia-based cleaners on the litter box.
• Don't allow dogs, children or other cats to deny your kitten access to its litter box.

WARNING
Pregnant women shouldn't change cat litter boxes because cats can be infected with a disease called toxoplasmosis. Cats can carry this disease because they hunt and eat other animals. This disease is rare in house cats but you would be better off avoiding the litter box anyway. A pregnant woman can catch the infection by touching or breathing the particles (such as dust) from cat feces. You can also get toxoplasmosis by eating raw or under cooked red meat or by touching dirt while gardening that has been contaminated by cat feces.

If a woman gets toxoplasmosis during pregnancy it can affect the developing baby and cause birth defects, particularly in eye and brain development. Therefore it is advised that women who are pregnant ask to have someone else change the cat litter box. It is safe to hold and pet your cat however, so feel free to give your pet all the affection it deserves.