Our first cat came to us by accident. My father in law found a tiny kitten in the barn, mewing pitifully, and brought her to me. She still had her eyes closed and was half frozen. I had no clue what to do with her, but went out, bought a doll’s baby bottle and started feeding her. Then, came our next task-litter box training. Thankfully, through trial and error, we learned 5 tips to help with litter box training your kitten or cat.
Litter Box Training Tips:
1. Purchase the Right Sized Litter Box. For a kitten, you’ll need something small so they can step in and out of the box. I used a small plastic disposable bowl with our baby, Icy. As she grew, I purchased a full sized litter box.
2. Set The Kitten in the Litter Box. Kittens don’t know they should be using a litter box. It helps to set them in the litter box a few times a day, after eating, after naps, or when they look like they have to go.
3. Keep it Clean. Cats, like humans, prefer to have a clean bathroom. Scoop out the litter box daily and wash it out once a week.
4. Have Multiple Litter Boxes. If you have several cats, like we do, have more than one litter box. Using the same litter box can be stressful to some cats, so multiple litter boxes are the key to not having pet “accidents” outside the litter box.
5. Place the litter box in a “safe” location. Cats prefer to use litter boxes where they will not be interrupted or surprised, somewhere quiet. Once again, cats, like people, prefer their bathroom time to be private.
Even with these tips, it’s easy to have “Stank Face.” What is Stank Face, you ask?
Stank Face (stāNGk fās) n.: The universal expression of disgust often caused by litter box odor. Stank Face indiscriminately strikes cat lovers, friends and family alike, typically in the comfort of their own home. Symptoms include watery eyes, feeling like you’ve lost control of your face, crinkled nose, curled lip, contorted mouth and, in extreme cases, involuntary gagging.
Thankfully, now you don’t have too! We use Tidy Cats’ litter featuring guaranteed TidyLockTM Protection. Lock away those odors that can lead to Stank Face! After all, who wants someone to walk into their house, wrinkle their nose, and ask, “Do you have cats?”
We’ve had this problem in the past when we returned home from trips. Opening the door to the smell of cat litter left us looking like this:
This summer, Tidy Cats is partnering with actress and cat-lover Angela Kinsey to offer awareness of how we can “Stop the Stank.”
What’s different about Tidy Cats litter with TidyLockTM Protection?
It features a new and improved deodorizing system than neutralizes odors. It’s available in light weight (seriously, you won’t believe how light this is!) and traditional versions of the 24/7 and Instant Action Clumping Litter.
Don’t let Stank Face mess with your love of cats! Visit the StopStankFace.com page to learn more about stopping Stank Face and the TidyLock guarantee. Want to try it for yourself? Enter our contest to win 5 free coupons for Tidy Cats Litter!
You might also like:
5 Tips To Bond with Your Cat
Emergency Preparedness Tips for Pets
5 Tips to Help You Cat Lose Weight
4 Tips To Keep Your Indoor Cat Healthy
The best pet tip that I received was from a volunteer pet rescue coordinator. We weren’t ready for a kitten, but we stopped to see the animals she had brought to the pet supply store. There were a few kittens that had been adopted still in carriers and three that were available. We weren’t really sold on any of them, but our children were busily playing with the remaining cats. She could sense that we did not have a connection with any of the cats and reminded us that a cat is someone that we fall in love with and it isn’t fair to a cat to force a relationship that will last (hopefully) upwards of a decade. When we find the right cat, we will know.
lol @ stank face. I wish my apartment building allowed pets, I’ve always wanted a cat. 🙁
These tips would come in handy if I get to have one soon.
The best tip that I can share is if you have a male cat pay attention to their litter box use. If you see them going in and out of the litter box often and crying a lot with little or no urine spots in the litter. Call your vet because it could be that he is blocked or blocking and if left without seeing the vet it could cost your kitty his life.
The best tip I got was to have a litter box upstairs and downstairs so my cat had easy access and didn’t have to go far to reach a litter box when needed.
Best tip is to make sure to feed your pet quality food to avoid unnecessary health issues or weight gain.
With our very first dog, the vet suggested that we always just feed him Iams dry dog food. And we’ve always done so with all our dogs. Best advice ever!
Nice, I might need that to prevent odor. I have some a new black kitten at home! Having a good long-term litter box is what I’ve always been hearing.
Train don’t complain. This is the key to a well behaved owner, that has a companion animal that is a joy to be around.
best tip is to train early and keep at it
Those kitten photos are so sweet! We have a kitten and found your tips& tricks so helpful! Thanks for sharing!!
I am not a cat wonder… my sister in law just adopted a kitty last month 🙂
Scoop daily is my best tip for kitty cat owners!
I have a friend who has lots of kittens in her house. I will share this post with her and I am so sure that she will be happy!
These are great tips. Litter box training can be a lot of work for pet owners.
This is great advice, I always kind of thought they just knew to go to the litter box lol. I don’t know too much about cats and was thinking of getting a kitten.
Best tip is consistency and patience. I take in feral kittens and socialize them. Dogs are tough than cats though!
Just litter trained some wild kittens in the matter of two days. They’re such creatures of habit that it seems too easy sometimes. Now puppies on the other hand…
To adopt a cat from the animal shelter so we are saving them. Plus they are already spayed/neutered, shots, microchipped and saved us so much money in the long run. I LOVE my 2 rescue kitties!!!
This is great, my girls really want a cat. This is very helpful.
Some great tips. Thankfully it was an easy process for our cat and he never had any accidents. Wish kids were that easy to train lol.
This is a great contest. I will have to try Tidy Cats for my fur babies. I have two stinky cats.
I have never had to litter train a cat, luckily. My husband has, and says it is remarkably easy if you just follow a few simple rules. I think you have hit on those rules here, so you know what you are talking about.
The best pet tip I received was to make sure you’re doing preventative measures. It really does help because you can catch issues early.
These are all great tips for littler box training. I have found training kittens and even older cats who are set in their ways to be relatively easy.
I’ve never had a kitten, but I figured it would be hard to litter box train. Thanks for these tips. You make it look effortless.
My kitten went into the litter box on his own, no training needed.
Oh, nice one. I don’t have a cat but definitely, litter box training should be.
My parents have litter boxes for their cats. I need to monitor the stank face and make sure their cats are using Tidy Cats.
I use the same litter and thank goodness, there is no stank face. lol. Thanks for the contest! What fun!
I actually can’t think of any tips that I’ve gotten, usually I have friends or family coming to me, just because I have so may pets, and types. The most important thing for us, has been to always keep the litter box somewhere, where your cat will feel comfortable, to avoid accidents.
Thankfully both my kitties came litter trained! So thankful for that. We do love tidy car though! Best liter ever!!!
These are really good tips! It’s really important that you keep the litter box clean or there might be some accidents!
We’ve never owned a cat, but I like that it has a system for neutralizing odors. One of my family members uses an off brand and it does not mask the odor very well.
The stank face has me cracking up laughing. I’ve never owned a cat but these are really good tips. Your cat is really cute too.
The best tip I have received is to buy a scratching post.
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful cat litter box training tips. My husband and I rescue cats and almost always have foster kittens to train. We clean our litter boxes twice a day and have one for each cat,
Use mulitple litter boxes for mulitple cats! I have 2 cats and 2 litter boxes, 3 when we travel for a long weekend!
What adorable photos! Thanks for the great tips for litter box training! I’m always tempted to get a new kitten whenever I see their cute little faces!
We’re not pet owners…yet. But it’s such a telltale sign when a house has an odor and you know there’s a cat or dog there.
the best tip is keeping the box clean. i have 6 cats and 6 boxes i clean everyday
One of the best tips is not to cut their nails. If they slipped out front door they would be defenseless.
This was a very interesting read. I have never own a cat because I am allergic to them, but to train them is almost like potty training a dog to go outside.
I always use a “multiple cat” formula for my single cat, too. That overpowers the STANK!!
I’ve actually never owned a cat and I was wondering how the road to train them since they are very hard to train. Great tips if I ever get one I will know what to do.
This is a really good guide! I may have to try that litter! We have two cats and two litter boxes and they’re both in quiet places.
What a great article, I do not have any extra tips to offer but wow how cute is your kitty!? Love the photos and what a great giveaway to share!
My favorite tip is to clean cat’s litter box as often as possible
Ha! I always have that stank face! Thanks for your tips to avoid that stank face again! PS: Love your kitty!
These are great tips. It’s so important to keep the litter box clean. I know our cats hate when the box is used more than a couple times. I like to keep it clean and fresh for both of our sakes!
Stank Face! LOL love it. We just adopted four kittens and I have made that face a few times now. Best tip is to clean the litter multiple times a day.
These are great tips! I think the best part of owning a cat is that even though it takes some effort to potty train them, it takes 5 MILLION times less effort than it does to house break a dog.
HA! I love your stank face! It’s all so true, cats need their peace and quiet. It’s important to use a litter that works with you
These are great tip for training a kitten. My friend just got a kitty, so I will share this useful post with her! She’ll definitely find it helpful.
I have a dog but I’ll definitely have to take this tips into consideration if I ever adopt a cat. I have heard that having multiple litter boxes is key when you have multiple cats in a house.
Those kitten photos are incredibly sweet! I am working on convincing the husband to get a kitten. This is so helpful
We haven’t had a cat since our beloved Mr. Kitty passed away, but if I ever adopt another kitten, I’ll definitely use your tips and tricks for litter box training. I love that Tidy Cats has a system that neutralizes odors.