my 7 month old kitten

Question
I have a 7 month old siamese kitten and recently she has stopped using her litter box properly, i.e. Not burying everything. I have a question, is this normal for cats or is there a way I can train her to use it properly?

Answer
Denise,

If there is a sudden change in litter box behavior it could signal an infection or other health problem. I would suggest an immediate visit to the vet to rule out medical causes for this behavior. If there is no medical reason found for the change then you have to look at what may have changed in her environment. If you recently changed to or routinely use a scented kitty litter she may have a sensitivity to the perfume that makes her want to get out of the box as soon as she can. If this is the case I would switch to an unscented version of the same product. If you are using anything but clumping kitty litters it may be that the cat is uncomfortable with the texture of the litter (it may be too sharp or feel foreign to her). I would also suggest that if you have an air freshner in the vicinity of the litter that you remove it, the best way to prevent litter box odor is to scoop the box a minimum of once a day. If you have multiple cats the problem could be that she is insecure about her place in the household and she is signalling that she needs more litter boxes, in a multiple cat household I usually follow a rule of thumb of one litter box per cat plus one. If you live in a multi level home and she is your only cat you should have at least one litter box per floor. You should also be sure that the litter box is in a quiet, low traffic, private location, cats are kind of like humans in that they really don't want an audience when they are using the toilet. I hope that this offered some insight. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.