Litter Box Rebellions!

Question

Hi there I really hope you can help.

Long story as short as possible I think I have tried everything with this kitten. She came home Dec, 23,2009 So I have had her for less than a month.

She has only used the litter box once on her own since shes been here.

I have tried different types of litter as well as very little to no litter in the pan.
Ive tried multi pans. Right now I have 6 litter boxes in my house.
Every time she poops around the house I scrub it down and throw a litter box over it.

I'm pretty sure its not that she has trouble finding it because she has no trouble finding my bath tub again and using it for pee and poops.

I started filling it up with water she discovered under my bed had no problems remembering where that was.

I've tried holding her I'm hand picking up the poop taking it to the litter box and "showing" her what she needs to do.

Ive tried just isolating her to one room the bathroom with her food water and litter boxes (2) and she still poops and pees all around but in them.
I have tried scooping the litter boxes more than twice a day, please anyone with any advice plz help I'm about ready to call her a dud sadly and give her up.

P.S. I have two other adult cats in the home but she seams fine with them and she lived with her parents and litter mates until she came home to me so I would think she wouldn't freak out with multi cats around.  

Answer
I'm afraid your mistake was to let a small kitten out into your entire house before you knew if she was litter trained or not. Some kittens seem to be "born" litter trained while others do not get it right away.

First confine her to a very small area such as a bathroom, or a large dog crate (this might be harder now because she is used to being out she may cry). You can also use a pet gate to block off a suitable room - preferably hard floor for your convenience. IDeally this should be a very small area to start with for a few days.

Put the litterbox with her and use Dr. Elsey's Kitten Attract or Cat Attract litter http://preciouscat.com sold at Petsmart and other pet stores. If she goes outside the box, pick up the poop and place it in the box - do not try to show her the box, any confusion or stress about the litter box must be avoided. Once she is using the litter box consistently (usually only takes 4-5 days), you can allow her gradually into larger areas, but it is a good idea to continue to confine her during meals and for 1 hour afterwards - when she is most likely to have to go.

Until your kitten is at least 2-3 month old she is not really old enough to have complete control over her litter habits. Also most kittens are intimidated by using a litter box that larger cats have access to, because litter is a territorial issue. So start her with her own box - easy to get in and out of for her size, but big enough area to be welcoming - and don't allow the other cats access to it.

Good luck!