Housebreaking a cat can be a frustrating process. Many cats become litter box trained naturally. A surface that allows the cat to scratch and bury their waste has natural attraction. Kittens often learn to use the litter box simply by watching their mother use the litter box. Some cats will need to be trained. In those cases, rewarding a cat for progress made towards being litter box trained will help. Scolding or punishing a cat for soiling the floor will only teach the cat to fear you.
Keeping the litter box clean will help the cat training process. A litter box that contains dirty litter discourages cats from using the litter box. Even cats that have been trained may resort to soiling nearby carpet rather than entering a dirty litter box. A kitten should not be left to roam the entire house before it is litter box trained. Keeping the cat in a restricted area with a litter box will allow the kitten to learn to prefer using the litter box where it can bury its waste.
Rewarding positive steps towards litter box training will help the cat’s progress. In the beginning of training, kittens should be rewarded for stepping into the litter box whether they use it or not. The idea is to help the cat associate the litter box as a positive thing. The worst thing to do would be to place a cat into the litter box as a punishment for soiling elsewhere. That would teach the cat that the litter box is a negative place. The cat would naturally think that being in the litter box is a punishment and therefore something to be avoided.
Reward the cat’s use of the litter box. Call the cat to the litter box after they have eaten, played, or slept for more than two hours. Feeding the cat on a regular schedule can help the cat owner learn to predict the times that the cat needs to use the litter box. Encourage the cat to enter the litter box. After the cat uses the litter box, give it a treat and praise the cat. After repetition of the praise and reward for using the litter box, the cat should begin to use the litter box on its own.
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