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Cats/Kittens going potty on my bed

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Expert: - 2/1/2010


Question

All kittens
Hello,

I have a young stray cat mother who had five kittens about six weeks ago.  So far, they have been healthy and are socializing beautifully.  The are eating wet food, drinking water, and using their litterbox. They go for their first vet trip tomorrow.

The problem: for the past few days, they have been using the restroom (urine only) on my bed!  I've washed/bleached all sheets and covers and have sprayed cleaner to get rid of the scent, but they continue to do this during the day.  I've moved the litter box closer to the bed and have placed the kittens, one at a time, in it get them used to it.  They play and scratch, but then they go back to the bed.  Help!

Answer
Awwww, look at the little ones!  They're so cute!

Unfortunately, the only way to stop them from using your bed as a litter box and litter train them properly is to move them to an area where they don't have access to the bed.  When I have a litter that's having a little trouble litter training, I like to keep them in a room without bedding or carpeting, such as a bathroom if there's room, or in a large crate.  Fortunately, this is a temporary situation, and most kittens are adequately litter trained within a week or 10 days.  You can let the kittens out for supervised play, of course, as long as you're there to scoop them up if you see them sniffing or scratching an area like they're about to squat.

One other option you could try is a training litter such as Kitten Attract (or Cat Attract if you can't find it).  These are formulated with an herbal attractant to encourage cats to use the litter as their ONLY place to urinate and defecate.  A vet created them specifically to resolve litter problems and offers a money-back guarantee.  You can find a retailer at www.preciouscat.com.

I know moving them out of your room and finding them an area without bedding or carpeting is an inconvenience, but the longer they continue in their behavior, the stronger it will solidify as a habit.  It's really much easier to deal with the inconvenient placement of the kittens for a week or two than to try to deal with firmly set poor litter box habits as the kittens get older.

Best wishes!

Jessica  
    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentThank you so much! Quick and professional response....I will follow the advice!


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Jessica

Expertise

The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.

Experience

I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.

Education/Credentials
15 years' hands-on experience

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