New Kitten Questions@!

[happily single]

I just adopted 9 week old sister kittens from the pound. Boy are they full of engery! Anyway, I have brought them to their litterbox at least 5 times to show them where it is. But now I"m smelling "poop" and I'm no where near the litter box. Aren't kittens automatically litterbox trained? They did have a litterbox at the pound and were confined in a small crate.

Thanks!

 

[nexttrip4us]

By nature cats want to dig and bury their business. When we got our two cats about 1.5 years ago, for the first several weeks, unless we were watching them, we put them in the bathroom and shut the door (that's where the litter boxes were). They were great--never any problems, although they were a bit older when we got them (about 4 months).

 

[justhat]

We adopted 2 kittens in the fall and they were just 8 weeks when we got them. They were fully litterbox trained, but 1 did have, I think, 2-3 accidents on the couch, which turned out to be an issue with his box. He and his brother share a litter box (and they had a sister in their shelter cage, so 3 of them in one litter box smaller than the one we own) and he had issues with that in the beginning. We remedied that by setting out 2 boxes next to each other and eventually we were able to take one away and now they share again.

But, if you are saying you can smell it, not that you mean they aren't using the box, well, I find the pine litter does the best job at odors. We were told we had to use that in the beginning (though I have no idea why) and we hated it, but when they hit 6 months we switched to clumping litter, both wood and clay. We HATE it. After 3 months of that we are done, very done, and back to the pine pellets. No smell with that and they don't track it around the house like the fine grit stuff.

 

[DMRick]

Are you keeping them in the room with the litter box until they get used to it? Kittens are like little kids..they get playing and sometimes they forget. They also aren't real good at getting it all out, and sometimes some sticks to them. My four fosters do a lousy job at covering it..thank God the bigger of the four steps in and finishes the job. After a few days in their litter room, they should be fine, but again, they do forget soemtimes. Be sure, if they 'go' somewhere other than the litter box, you scoop it up and put it in the box, and cover it..that will draw them there.

If you are using scoopable, be sure it's one safe for kittens. Most are not, the clumping powder gets into their little lungs.

 

[EMom]

I've raised a LOT of kittens. A lot. They are naturals at the litter box, but I did adopt one from shelter that had been brought in at 6 weeks straight from her mommy without being weaned and having never seen a litter box. I got her home and figured that part out FAST by her actions. God bless her, she'd just lay down in the litter box like it was a cat bed. I knew to feed her what I call "kitten gruel" to teach her to eat. For the litter box, I'd stick her in there right after she ate and I'd move her little paws to imitate the way she should scratch/rake at the cat litter. After doing that a few times, she caught on. She'd never seen her mommy do it and she just had no idea.

BTW, she is now 19. Good luck!

 

[Scurvy]

At that age they are likely to be litter trained; they do tend to pick it up on their own without being trained by a person. The smell - especially from two cats - can carry, though. Look around and be sure they haven't been using some other spot just in case, but I would be surprised if they had been. As mentioned, you might want to try a different kind of litter to control the smell.

You should also examine the kittens themselves. It's unlikely that it would be a health issue, but it's possible. One kitten I adopted smelled terrible. The litterbox smelled bad after he used it but he also smelled bad. Several times I noticed he had fecal matter on his fur, though he smelled bad even when that wasn't visible. He turned out to have worms which were causing serious intestinal issues. Most rescue organizations and shelters do test for worms, but sometimes kittens get sent to their new homes with worms anyway. It's an easy fix if they do turn out to have worms, but if left untreated it could be a life threatening issue. If they seem to be losing weight, continue to have a strong odor or signs of intestinal problems, or just generally seem lethargic or unhealthy, then they need to see a vet.

 

[walkerag]

But, if you are saying you can smell it, not that you mean they aren't using the box,

This is true. Kitten poop smells especially horrible

 

[justhat]

This is true. Kitten poop smells especially horrible

Ugh, doesn't it!! Our 2 kittens smell worse than our adult cat did!

 

[Sparx]

Most absorbent litter deodorizes, when used correctly. This means that the cat must dig, do their business and bury it. If the poop is still exposed, it will STINK.

The kittens might also have gas which can smell just as bad as their poop.

 

[SC Minnie]

This is true. Kitten poop smells especially horrible

And there is sooo much of it!!!!

We got a new cat/kitten in February and they think he is about a year old and still acts like a kitten. We kept him confined in the bathroom for a week or so at first them let him in the bathroom/bedroom. I thought I smelled poop but couldn't find anything. Though it was just the litter box and his smell. Well, I had some clothes on the corner that I wash on delicate. When I went to wash them there was cat poop in them. That is the only 'accident' he's had. He uses and uses and uses the litter box now without a problem. He actually goes so much DH asked the vet about it yesterday when we took our other cat in.

 

[EMom]

Coccidia can be very common in kittens. And boy, will it cause poop to smell to high heaven. Both my pound kittens had it. It MUST be treated ASAP if they have it. You might want to check out that possibility.

 

[surfergirl602]

Most absorbent litter deodorizes, when used correctly. This means that the cat must dig, do their business and bury it. If the poop is still exposed, it will STINK.

The kittens might also have gas which can smell just as bad as their poop.

Our feral cat that we took in a year ago doesn't cover his poop, and oh my god! does it ever stink! You can smell it upstairs its so bad! I clean it every day, but you'll always know when Boo just went... he's worse than my husband!

 

[DMRick]

Coccidia can be very common in kittens. And boy, will it cause poop to smell to high heaven. Both my pound kittens had it. It MUST be treated ASAP if they have it. You might want to check out that possibility.

And sometimes they aren't shedding them when tested, so they don't realize it. Coccidia generally goes away as they get older, but can be pretty debilitating for kittens. I tested my fosters today, and they were neg, but after almost 400 fosters, I recognize the smell, and I'll treat them with albon anyway.
Soft food also gives off a 'nice' aroma in kittens.
These kittens had a feral mom, and I think she was a slob..none of them knows how to wash their own butts. I use cotton balls, and then quickly drop them in the litter, since the cotton balls makes them go LOL. That was my second clue to coccidia..one of them had a little blood.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

if you get them from a shelter they GENERALLY are litter trained from the beginning.

i have 3 cats now, 2 of them we got then they were only 8 weeks old, and we only had maybe 2 or 3 accidents when they were babies.


talk to your vet, there could be other reasons why they're not using the box like maybe a stomach virus or something where they can't make it to the box in time. it's usually nothing serious and can be treated with antibiotics.


congrats on your new additions!

 

[happily single]

GOOD NEWS AND MORE GOOD NEWS:

1. I found the poop; way behind the fridge!
2. I bought Tidy Cat (I had previously bought pine litter) and my dd12 reports "lumps and smell" from the litter box!

But I can agree about the kitten gas. Wow We!

 

[chager]

My first thought was stinky gassy kitty! LOL I fostered a momma that was horrible stinky when she was petted. We kept her boy and if someone picks him up wrong he let's audible farts!! LOL next guess was coccidea which some of my crew also had. Not too fun.