New kitten, need help!

janellemj928 · December 2014

Anyone who knows more about cats than I do...

We got a kitten this weekend and she will be inside. We used to have a litter box in DDs room over two years ago. The kitten keeps going in there to go to the bathroom! She has a litter box in her crate (she's staying in there during the day for now, it's a crate that my 90lb dog fits in so plenty of room for a tiny kitten). I feel like she holds it all day and as soon as I let her out she makes a beeline for the bedroom. What can I do to correct this behavior?

hlm184 · December 2014

Natures miracle on the carpet where she is going. It gets the smell (the one they can smell that we can't) out. Does the litterbox stay in the crate when you get home?

janellemj928 · December 2014

Yes, it does. Should I put another one somewhere in the house? The crate is in the living room and I leave it open when she's out.

Twirple · December 2014

If she has her food and the litter box in the crate, that might be part of the issue. Cats are very clean, and they do not like to go potty where they eat.

Other than that, clean the heck out of the carpet in your DD's room. Any lingering smell (that she can smell, not necessarily you) will tell her that is the place to go. Urine-Erase (https://www.amazon.com/Urine-Erase-Solution-16-oz/dp/B000FUMI28/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419378245&sr=8-2&keywords=Urine-Erase) has worked better for me than Natures Miracle. You mix up the enzymes with water right before you apply it, so they are fresh, and the step 2 takes care of anything that might linger.

Being in a new place might be stressful for your kitty. There are pheromone calming collars that can help you kitty to adjust.

Congrats on your new kitty, and good luck!

lokimau · December 2014

if you have a large house, you really need two litter boxes.
the kitten might be smelling the residual litter/car smell from the previous cat box. so maybe a deep steam clean of the carpet or just puta box there.

janellemj928 · December 2014

I steam cleaned the carpet last night and she ran in there again tonight. She's using the litter box, too. I'll try temporarily putting a box in there, but DD sleeps and plays in there so I'm trying to avoid that if I can.

Here's a pic of the little stinker with DD and me.

SoulTermination · December 2014

You could try laying down sheets of tin foil on the floor there, though that may just shunt the issue somewhere else. Most cats hate the feel of tin foil crinkling under their paws. I agree with others about an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle. Let it soak the area for a while so it can work down into the pad where odors from the previous box may be trapped.

janellemj928 · December 2014

Unfortunately that won't work, @Acers‌. We didn't put carpet in there until last winter, so I think I'm screwed on getting rid of any scent. We laid the carpet over the (crappy) hardwood floor that was in there so any smell is under the carpet/pad. :-q

Teresa1896 · December 2014

Could you just shut the door to keep the cat out? Or put something else in the place the cat is marking to deter her?
I agree with Pp that I would move her box away from her bed/food. Enzyme cleaners work but sometimes they're not enough.
Whatever you do, I wouldn't put a litter box in the spot where she's marking since it's the baby's room. We had the litter box in my DD's room and I really grew to hate having it there; I could never close the door. And then the cat thought that was HER room.
You also might want to be sure that wherever you put the box, that it's in a private place, away from the bustle of your house. Cats like to do their business in private. :-)

nicole mackenzie · December 2014

I agree with all the advice you've been given.

It can take a couple weeks for pets to acclimate.

Good luck

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