cat pooping

Question
I just got 2 9 week old kittens from my mother. They are both females. For some reason the one kitten is not using the litter box she is pooping all over the place. When she was at my moms she wasn't doing that at all and i don't know what to do. I have tried rubbing her nose in it. I ha e tried giving her own litter box. I have also tried to isolate her too. Please help me

Answer
Nicole,

I'd like to start off by saying this: PLEASE don't rub your kitten's face in her poop, that's disgusting and it won't help to stop the behavior... If anything she will begin hiding her accidents because she doesn't want a nose full of poop... She doesn't understand WHY you would do that to her...

At 9 weeks old your kittens are still a little young to be away from their mom... Typically I don't suggest that kittens under 12 weeks old leave their mom unless it's absolutely  necessary since mom is still in the process of teaching them basic life skills that will help them be happier, healthier and better socialized cats later in life. That being said, I suspect that what is happening is that your kitten is stressed from moving to a new environment without her mom and siblings...

It's going to take some time, patience and maybe a few disposable aluminum lasagna pans pressed into service as kitten litter boxes to help solve this problem. Anywhere that your kitten poops outside of the box should be cleaned up by picking up the poop, using an enzymatic cleaner (pet stores sell these and they permanently remove the smell of accidents even for sensitive kitty noses)... You can relocate the stray kitten poops to the litter boxes - it will help her understand where she needs to potty. That's step one... Step two is anywhere she poops outside of the box is now a new location for a temporary litter box... She will get the hint.

IF you catch her in the act of pooping outside of the box, please don't get angry or frustrated with her... She is still a baby and just learning. Calmly, gently go and pick her up and take her to the nearest litter box. If you are patient and persistent about taking her to the box and maybe even gently using her front paws to scratch at the litter every time she has an accident she will make the connection in time. Don't get upset - it's kind of like a toddler having an accident in their pants... It happens. You don't want to scare her into hiding her accidents.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me again at any time - I am more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali