Cat Litter Tray Training

While some kittens may have already been litter tray trained before they become a new part of your family, other kittens will lack the potty training skills and will need to be taught how to use a litter tray. Litter tray training a cat is necessary for all indoor cats so that they will know where it is acceptable to go to the bathroom and where it is not. An accessible and clean litter tray will cut down on accidents around the house and help keep you and your cat in harmony. To litter tray train a cat, you'll need a litter box, cat litter and a litter scoop.

The litter tray that you choose for your cat should be determined based on the size of your cat. While kittens will only need a small tray with low sides, a larger cat will require a larger litter tray or box. The cat should be able to comfortably stand and urinate or defecate in the litter tray without struggle and also have enough room to cover their droppings without pushing the cat litter outside of the tray. Choosing the cat litter is personal preference, although many owners choose to go with clumping or crystal cat litter to cut down on smell and messiness. Clumping cat litter is not advised for use with kittens, however.

When beginning to train your cat to use a litter tray, first start by choosing a location away from their food and water dish in a semi-private area. Cats like privacy and quiet, so a room that doesn't get a lot of traffic like a laundry room or bathroom would make a good spot for the litter tray. Put the cat in the area where the litter tray is and remove any other tempting spots where the cat could urinate, such as a rug or plant.

Cats are clean animals by nature, so if you make the litter tray the only enticing area to urinate, they will be more likely to use only the litter tray and learn that the litter tray is their area to urinate and defecate. After feeding times, place the cat in the area with the litter tray so that he or she can continue to use only the litter tray. If your cat is starting to sniff and scratch at a place other than the litter tray when you think he or she is about to urinate, gently lift the cat into the litter box until they urinate in the correct place.

To increase the chances that your cat uses a litter tray instead of having accidents around the house, provide one extra litter tray per cat in the beginning stages of training. If you have a large house, you might want to consider keeping two litter trays in different parts of the house to make sure no accidents occur. Also, be sure to clean any messes out the litter tray once a day and regularly change out the cat litter. Cats like to be clean, so providing them with a clean area to use as a toilet is important. If your cat has an accident outside of the litter tray, never punish him or her, as this will only lead them to fear you and not to use the litter tray.