You can have your furry friend litter box trained in no time at all. This way you can be on top of having to clean up too many go-potty accidents because you train your kitten properly, but the key is to begin early. So, try the following cat care tips for training your cat.
Tip #1: Establish the Proper Behavior
Kittens are naturally very curious because they have just come into the world with all its exciting and available things to get into or onto. They also have a natural instinct to relieve themselves at will whenever the urge should strike them. However, just because this is a cat's nature, you do not want that nature on your carpet or furniture. This is why you want to establish the proper behavior early-on with your kitten on being trained to use its box. This is done by making your kitten aware of the box the minute it comes into your home. This is really easy. Simply pick the kitten up and set him or her down in the litter box. This should be done repeatedly throughout the day.
Tip #2: Reinforce the Desired Behavior
This is a crucial point. There will be times when you may observe your cat getting into position to relieve himself or herself some other place than the litter box. If this happens, tell the kitten "no" in a firm voice and pick it up and go place it in the litter box. Many times this is all it would take to train your little friend, but some kittens may need a little bit more time to make the association between relieving themselves and the box.
Tip #3: Litter Box Accessibility
Training the kitten to use the litter box means you must be consistent. It is not a good idea to move the box to some other location once you have shown the kitten where it is and it has actually began using it. Think about that. If you train a kitten to go to a certain spot to relieve itself, then it will continue to go to that spot and urinate and defecate. You certainly don't want that. Also, be sure to keep the litter box where the kitten can easily reach it at any time. Do not have it in a room with a closed door or have any other obstacle present that will hinder the cat from using it.
Tip #4: Clean the Box Regularly
Cats are finicky creatures and some of them will actually refuse to use an unclean litter box. If you don't know this or know anyone else who has experienced this, you can best believe it is true. If this happens, then they will just go somewhere else in the house and relieve themselves or possibly relieve themselves somewhere on the floor close to the box. Keeping a clean litter box will result in the kitten returning to it when it has to go. A good rule of thumb on cleaning is to scoop the box out every day and change it out completely every 7-10 days. Also, wash the litter box out with soap and hot water monthly. These kitten training tips are some of many must-know cat care tips available.