Let me start by saying I NEVER cared much for cats so I know nothing about them. Well, a few months ago my daughter rescued a cat from the park. We brought her home and she was an outdoor cat living mostly in the garage. We let her in thru the day and she would come in to sleep and play a little then back out for the evening. Well she quickly became pregnant and had her kitties 2 days ago. Now obviously she is living indoors with her babies- they have a big closet to themselves. The problem is she has never seen a litter box til now and she does not seem interested. She keeps wanting to go outside to use the bathroom and I really dont want her out there- (for many obvious reasons) So how do I litter train her? Do I keep the box near her, or by the door she keeps going to? I just have the pan type box right now but I am going today to get one that is enclosed- maybe she will like that better.
Any tips or tricks or greatly appreciated.
I would keep the litter box near her, and if she allows you to hold her, gently place her in it and take her front paws and simulate making a digging motion in the litter. According to my vet, a cat only needs to be shown once or twice what a litter box is for, and then they will teach their kittens how to use it as well. Good luck.
You could try to use something other than litter, like sand, in the litterbox. We had an outdoor cat once that didn't really take to the litterbox, but found an old pot in the garage that still had potting soil in it but no plants, and she used that. This cat is an outdoor cat at heart, and she is always going to want to "escape" to go outside, so it will be important for you to get her fixed as soon as possible to avoid more kittens. Especially when she is in heat, she'll really put up a fuss to go out. I know here in Chicago, there are pet clinics that will fix your pet for free or for a low cost depending on where you live, so maybe look into that. Good luck!
When we first got our cat she was a kitten and I pretty much locked myself and her in the bathroom until she used it. Then she got a treat whenever she used it.
Usually the Momma cat will teach her babies to use the litter box. Maybe if you can put some cat urine or poo into the litter box she will smell it and figure out she is too use the litter box.
Since she is a feral cat she should be seen by a vet. She could have any number of parasites. Please get her fixed and keep her inside until you do. She will go into heat as soon as her babies are weaned. Cats, unlike dogs, will go into heat every 4-6 weeks until they are preggers again. A cat can have 4- 6 litters a year, and can go into heat at 6-9 months of age. So if you multiply it all out in a 2 year period that one cat can become responsible for over 100 cats being born.
Keep a little box near - but not too near. Animals won't poop close to where they live - and since she's now got kittens she's going to be staying very close to them for the time being. So I'd say the litter box should be at least 5-6 feet away. To get her to use it you put her in the box and take her front paw and paw at the littler as if to dig a hole. Cats bury their refuse - unlike dogs - so she'll get it eventually. If she does make a turd in the house - put it in the litter box and use her paw to bury it. She will get it.
Now that she's had kittens you'll have to get her fixed in a little while - or she'll have kittens every spring. Also get flea medicine quickly. Costco sells it for the best price anywhere - "frontline plus" - a packege of three treatments is $31 - one treatment every 30-45 days. A tiny vial that you empty and massage into their skin jsut between their shoulder blades - keeps them flea and tick-free! A wonderful invention.
Once you get to know cats you'll like them. Our boy cat thinks he's a dog - he comes when you whistle, sleeps at the foot of my bed, "protects" the house - and our girl cat will watch and wait or one of us to sit down and jump on our laps to be petted and loved.
Good luck with this endeavor!
Also call a local vet clinic to see how long do the kittens need to be with mom cat and how long after giving birth do you need to wait before getting her fixed. If she seems like she is being a good mom, then I wouldn't worry about letting her outside for awhile after the kittens are a week or so old - she'll come right back.......
She'll probably always prefer going potty outside.
The best way to litter train a cat is to put them in the box and literally hold their paw and do a scratching motion in the litter. I wouldn't buy a new box. The covered box might actually make her nervous. Also, when the kittens are old enough, you can do the same thing with them so they can litter train. Mommy might take to it too. I can't remember how young they will litter train. I think it's pretty young though. Look it up online.
You have a couple of ways to go here. If you're keeping her as an indoor/outdoor cat, let her keep going outside if that is her preference. Be happy you don't have to deal with a smelly litter box. She won't stay out long with kittens to take care of. She'll train the babies herself, and very quickly normally. For them you might want a litter box.
If you're turning her into a strictly indoor cat, which is a lot safer for her, then try different brands of litter. If she doesn't take to the box, and "goes" somewhere in the house, put the litter box in that spot. She should get the idea.
When kittens are old enough to start eating on their own, showing an interest in Mom's food, I used to wean them with a mixture of high protein baby cereal (human baby, not kitten food) with chicken broth. This is gentle on their systems and inexpensive. They'll love it. Add in a bit of kitten chow gradually and you won't have kitten digestive upset.
For now, let her keep them in the dark until their eyes are open for a few days.
Do not declaw her, even if you're keeping her strictly indoors. A cat who has been used to roaming will find a way to get out, and she would be totally defenseless against dogs and other predators without front claws.
Please get her spayed after she's weaned the kittens. That will save a lot of trouble. She won't go into heat while she's nursing these, but you would know if she did. She would yowl loudly to be let out. You can't mistake it for anything else!
Good luck, and enjoy the kittens when they get old enough to play.
Sometimes it can be hard to get an outside cat to use a litter box. We had one that NEVER used one. We always had to let him outside in order to go to the bathroom. But it is worth a try because I think most of them can be trained. Make sure that the litter box isn't too close to her food or to where she sleeps with her kittens. Cats are relatively clean and they don't want to use the restroom where they eat and sleep. Make sure she knows where it is and the next time you think she is going outside to go potty try putting her in it. She might like one with a cover on it better (and it keeps things a bit neater because she can't spray the litter all over when she is covering her "business". )Make sure to keep the box pretty clean some cats are picky about that. Cats make wonderful pets I hope you can get her trained.
Put a little sand or dirt in the litter box. Don't keep it too close to their eating, sleeping area. I don't like the suggestion of shutting her into the bathroom and keeping her there with the litter box. She is a mommy and her babies need her. She will freak out if you close her up away from her babies.
Just patience and leaving her alone with the box may help. Cats don't like to be watched when they do their business.
Keep the litter box near her. May be she will like the kind that is enclosed. I would try to keep her in the room with the kitties. May be close the door to the room she is in,if she is in a bedroom. After the kitties are weened then get her fixed so she does not come home pregnant again. Good luck
She should take to the litter box pretty easily. I would place it somewhere that is easy for her to get to but not too close to where she and the kittens are hangin out. Your best bet would be to put it fairly near the food and water source.
Get her to the vet before you give the kittens away, especially because some cats carry diseases but never have symptoms of them and can pass them on their babies (not to be scary, but we adopted a kitten who had feline leukemia and because she was never outside for us, the vet was pretty sure the mom was a carrier without symptoms and it passes through the milk--our kitty did not make it).
You could try putting some dirt/soil in the little box at first so it is something she is familiar with. Commercial cat litter is not always "natural" so might be too weird for her. She should litter train her babies (most moms do) but sometimes another cat will (we had a neutered male who box trained one of our litters since the mom didn't care). If you can keep it is natural as possible at first, she might get used to the box itself and then you could try a more natural commercial litter.
Cats usually go in the litter box all on their own. I would feed her then put her in the bathroom with the litter box. Leave her in there for 30 minutes or so each day so she can get used to it. I'm sure it will work. Because when they gotta go, they're gonna go and she'll sniff out the litter box as her best option!
Keep sticking her in the box and pawing it. Mix dirt in with the kitty litter so she'll understand better. I hope you plan on having her spayed after this... her kitties too! Many places offer free to very cheap spaying and neutering due to the severe population explosions of feral cats.
You also need to feed her kitty food now as well as supplement with a daily cat vitamin and some wet food. Lactating takes a lot out of a Mommy mammal - humans too - so if you do not feed her better calories and vitamins - she can have seizures and die.
