Cats mark their territory by peeing and spraying on surfaces, particularly upright objects. They do not respect property so, your doors, walls and furniture might be their main target. That mainly happens each time you introduce a cat or kitten in your home. Your cats will continue using the litter boxes you provide normally while leaving the markings around your home.
If you realize that your cats are doing that, you have to deal with the problem in a similar way you deal with pooping or peeing outside the litter tray. However, the situation is different for newly born kittens.
One of the important tasks is to help the kittens poop or eliminate the poop. For newly kittens, the ability to poop depends on the help from their mother. Kittens below the age of three weeks rely on their mothers to eliminate.
The mother stimulates them to pee and to poo with the aim of controlling where and when they make waste. Kittens are more vulnerable at that age and the mother has to protect them from the common predators.
That means making a kitten poop should be one of the important tasks you should do when caring for your newborn kittens. You will have to act as a surrogate mother. Here are the tips you need to train the kittens to use litter boxes when they are ready for that.
The procedures to follow when making a kitten poop
Gather several light-coloured warm washcloths. Ensure that they are moist.
After you have bottle-fed the kitten, hold him with the belly on your palm.
Gently massage the entire abdomen and the hindquarters with the warm moist cloth in circular motions.
That way, you will recreate the tongue bathing of the mother. When doing that, the kitten should start peeing. The whole process will take less than one minute. Start stimulating the anus area so that the kitten can poop. Continue with the motion until he has fully eliminated. Wipe up the waste gently and clean your washcloth. Do not use any soap for the cleaning part. Use warm water alone.
You have to be patient during the elimination process. The use of a light-coloured cloth will help you identify the colour of your kitten’s poop. The poop of a healthy kitten should be brown and the consistency should be similar to that of toothpaste. If the kitten eliminates anything else, you will have to visit a vet.
Diarrhoea is detrimental to newborns and it might arise due to overfeeding or parasites attack. The condition is known to cause dehydration within less time and you can easily lose your kitten. If you notice any form of diarrhoea, you should take the kitten to a vet as soon as possible.
In case of constipation, you should know that you are providing the kitten with an imbalanced diet. The other cause might be a deadly obstruction. If he is not pooping, you should buy some Karo syrup and add one drop to the diet formula. If that fails, dilute the replacement formula with several drops of water. You will have to visit a vet if the adjustment of food does not produce any good results.
Making a litter box for your kitten
When your kittens are 3 weeks old, you will not have to stimulate them manually to eliminate. You will have to train them on how to use the litter box. For the training to be successful, you will have to buy the right equipment and maintain a watchful eye. Here is the procedure for making the kitten poop in the litter box.
Take a tiny cardboard box, a foil baking sheet or a Tupperware-type item Sprinkle some litter on the container – just enough to cover the bottom. Do not use any fragrant litter or clumping litter.
Take a soiled tissue or cotton ball (one that you have used to clean the pee or poop of the kitten) and place it inside the container.
Now, place the kitten inside the container. It should naturally remain there.
You have to continue placing him in the container throughout the weaning period, particularly if he fails to go in without help.
Some of the things to remember when setting up the litter box. Set up a litter box for each kitten. Remember to clean the box at least two times a day.
Leave the litter boxes in quiet places and ensure that the kittens can access them easily.
If the kittens are finding it hard to use the litter boxes, you will have to add litter box attractants or to switch the litter boxes with better ones. Some kittens will have a hard time entering lightweight, fragrance-added boxes. The problem is easier to solve.
If the issues do not go away with the fast tweaks, the issues might be bigger than you expect. Litter box problems might occur due to stress. You can try herbal remedies or pheromone therapy. If that fails, know that it is a symptom of underlying medical conditions. Take the pet to a vet for a full examination. If the cat is physically fit, you can engage the services of cat behaviourists.
Getting the perfect place for the litter box
Getting the right place for your litter box is simple. Most individuals will not eat their food when sitting near the toilet, so you have to consider that during the setup. Put the litter box as far as possible from the water bowls and foods of the cat. Placing it far from the human’s food is also important.
If you have an established utility room, hallway or storeroom, it would be the right place to store the box. However, ensure that your kitten will find it easily. But if the cat continuously goes to the toilet in other places of your home, then place the litter box in one of the places and leave it there for several days.
Clean any mess but do not clean completely until the cat uses the litter box at least twice. Choose litter boxes of the right size for your cats and come up with a reward system for good behaviour.
