Help with Kitten training

Does Dash have a litterbox?  You might have to bring him over and introduce him to the box.  Through instinct/smell my Baby Scotty found the box instantly (which most cats do).  And I got him at about 2 months old.  It seems too early for kitty to be marking his territory.  Cats do need to be fixed by six months. 

Has he been to a vet and been checked out for a urinary tract infection?  Inappropriate urination is always sending a message and it's your job to figure it out.  Do you have one of those automatic litter boxes? Some cats will never use them.  If the cat is leaving little piddles in many spots (you didn't mention it), then it is an infection.

Unfortunately once something has been marked once, it's hard to get the smell out and since it was a pillow, I'd suggest getting rid of it, otherwise the smell is an invitation to repeat.  I'd also suggest a trip to the vet.

Never strike a cat, that won't communicate well.  Try a squirt bottle.  The can't didn't react to clapping hands or shouting?  Any chance it's deaf?

You know, this is a kitten, it's a baby.  Your last idea could be true.  Every time this happens, pick him up and put him in the litterbox with a soothing voice.  Pet him in the box.  Do this even if he's already completed the job.  If you see him using the box tell him what a good boy he is.

I would suggest for the time being buying some very cheap pillows  Second, start taking him to the litter box 2-3 times a day and stroke him and tell him what a good boy he is, whether he pees or not.  If you find him using the litter box, do the same.  Get him to associate the box with good feelings.

Have you changed the type or brand of litter recently?  Are there any changes in the household that might be bothering him?  If you're using an automatic litter box I'd recommend not using it.  Many cats aren't bothered by them, but some are and will avoid the box.  With only two cats I presume the boxes are generally clean and odor free.  Clumping litter is recommended because when you scoop you are removing all the urine.  Cats want clean litter boxes.  I know I'm stating the obvious, but I want to cover all the bases I can think of.

Does he seem agitated or nervous.  Your vet might be able to prescribe something to calm him.  When a cat is inappropriately peeing and not sick, he's talking to you.  Unfortunately, it's hard to understand pee language.  Try think of anything that would be bothering him.  If this continues, a trip to the vet is in order.  Since he's recently been neutered check his scrotum for inflammation or other sign of infection.  This is usually not a problem, but it's surgery, after all.

Do you have a single litter box that both kittens share? If so, try adding a second litter box. We had a similar problem when we had two cats -- in our case the female would sometimes decide to pee on a rug in our entry way. Once we added a second litter box, she stopped the behavior.

You can usually find lots of information about cat behavior at

http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Too bad most of them are examples of bad kitty behavior. 

I like this idea.  It might solve the problem.

I know it's already been suggested, but first have the kitten checked for a UTI or kidney infection--if this is a new problem it could be medical even though you don't think it is.  Second, you should probably have a box for each cat.  Some cats don't like to share.  One of ours will, the other one won't.  Is your box covered?  Some cats don't like those, either.  They are great for us as we don't have to view the waste and it keeps the smell in.  But, from the cat's perspective, it keeps the smell in!  Try an open box.  While the kittens are still so small you should probably have a box on each floor of your house that they're allowed to be.  I don't know how far the box in the basement is from their play area, but it may actually be too far for a baby to make it.

About a month after we got our second kitten she started peeing everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.  Including on your lap if you were holding her.  She had been using the box prior to this, so we knew she would.  Unfortunately the vet concluded there was no medical reason for it and nothing we tried worked and we tried everything--clumping litter, non-clumping litter, scrubbing the box daily, giving treats if we saw her in it, placing her in it.  Nothing.  She nearly became an outside only cat!  One day I went to a small pet supply store for dog treats and for some reason I told them about our cat.  They suggested a litter called "Cat Attract."  Holy crap was that stuff expensive!  $20 for a small bag!  But it came with a guarantee--said my cat would use it or I'd get my money back.  I figured we'd try it and I'd come back in a couple of days to get my $20.  Nope, the cat liked it.  She started using the box and hasn't had a single (urination) "accident" in over a year.  Fortunately we were able to slowly use less and less of the cat attract.  Now we put in regular litter with a thin layer of cat attract on top to draw her in--but we still have to clean the box daily, and immediately if we see the other cat use it.

Your temp litter box on the first floor is a good idea, and it is recommended that you slowly move it closer to the one you want them to use before discarding it altogether, but that assumes that your kittens are using it and also moving closer to the main box each time they go.  If one of your kittens is not using it consistently why are you planning to remove it in a week or two?

He's still pretty young, sounds like he may just be excited from all the playing and hasn't quite developed the bladder control he needs yet.

As for not marking, getting him fixed won't necessarily stop that behavior. I had a male cat about 15 years ago, fixed at six months (vet wouldn't do it any earlier) who still marked his territory.

Strictly a house cat, but he would mark whenever he saw another cat out the window. Thankfully it was a sliding glass door, so easy to clean up, but the instinct was still there.

As Stan says, neutering does not eliminate marking. Some will still do this occasionally.

I've also read that you should have one more litter box than the number of cats in the household.  So if you have two cats, the recommendation is that you should have three litter boxes available.

Today, at least with recently educated vets, they will spay/neuter much earlier.  8 weeks or or a weight of at least 2 lbs seems to be accepted.  If a cat has started marking before neutering he may develop the habit so that when the biological imperative is removed, he continues the habit.


What is removed is the biological urge to mark.  There may be other issues causing the cat to urinate.  It also takes about a month, I think, for all the hormones to dissipate.

Go to a pet store and you will see cat/dog doors.  The ones we have used in the past have a hard panel that slides into slots from the top and lowers down and blocks the door.  If your cats can remove the panel, then they deserve their own tv show.  These doors also have a (optional) heavy plastic sheet that fits inside the door.  The cat pushes thru it to come and go.  You would have a training period to get them adjusted to this and we don't bother with it as our only cat doors are interior.