Kitten help needed please -- also in SB

jesterfaerie

jesterfaerie

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I have a kitten who is around 11 weeks old, she is from my cat so have had her since birth.
She has been eating solid food for a while now and is fine without her mum (if she stops outside all day and night etc) however occassionally she is still trying to suckle.
My cat allows it and I am sure she is pretty dry by now.
Will she eventually grow out of this?

Also despite our best efforts she still isn't getting the hang of the litter tray
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I am at a loss with this as every other kitten we have had in the past has been fine, her mum and my other cat does use the tray (although they do usualy go outside) so she has seen it be used.
Whenever we put her in it she jumps straight out of it or fights if we keep hold of her, she only stops in it if she has already started doing her stuff when we put her in it.

Any help will be appriciates.
 
With regard to the suckling, we kept our cat's two kittens and they only stopped a few weeks ago and they are now 4 months old!! Mum didn't seem to mind and there wasn't really much we could do about it apart from seperating them permanently which wouldn't really be fair. So I'd really not worry about it, she should grow out of it.

Not sure about the litter tray. I would say, if she is going elsewhere make sure you clean it up as soon as possible (not with household cleaning products as a lot contain amonia and will only prompt her to go there even more). I found quite a good recipe online which uses baking soda (this is recommended loads) white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (weak stuff) but it would be worthwhile having a google and seeing what you can find. If there is nowhere else to go then she should use it. Otherwise it might be useful to have a second litter tray and keep them as clean as possible. My male cat really hates using the litter tray if there is literally anything else in there so we have to clean it all the time, but you get into a routine and its not biggy.

Sorry if this isn't much help
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She goes in the same place every time, which is actually only a foot or so away from the tray so thankfully she only ever goes in the kitchen. So I would be worried that because she has the run of the house we will have to do the entire house to make her go in the tray.

I have tried putting a tiny bit in the tray to just having paper in there and it doesn't matter.


Would cutting the sides off one and putting it in her corner encourage her, so she is going on her paper in her corner but with the bottom part of the tray under it then possible tape the sides back on so she gets used to being inside it gradually?
 
try having a second litter tray, when you have more than 2 cats using 1 tray (even sporadically) it sometimes can cause issues...

As for the suckling, I have 3 cats, one is 4 months older than the other 2 (all boys) ... one of the younger ones started to suckle the old one (yes.... they are all boys !!) .. who would simply lie back and let him .. to the point where he was getting a sore tummy! this went on until he was 8 months old (I think his father was also his brother .. hence the brain issue!) So I would not worry too much about yours.. at least the kitten is suckling on its mother :-)
 
If she is going to the loo near the litter tray what would happen if you moved the tray to that place, or put a 2nd one there? Might be worth a try.

I wouldnt worry too much about the suckling, I am sure that will stop naturally over time
 
We've four 7 week old kittens here at the moment. I've got several litter trays dotted about the place and they seem to use them. Must admit, moved one of the trays away this morning and forgot to put it back down and one of the kittens has just pee'd where the tray usually is! Duh, wouldn't mind but there are another 3 for her to use within the 12 x 14 foot room she's in.

If I were you, I'd put a few litter trays down (preferably where she is already prefering to go) and see if that helps. Most cats instinctivly want to dig in something before they do their business so hopefully she'll learn to use the litter in the tray rather than the floor soon.
 
Wouldn't worry about the suckling jesterfaerie - mum will tell them all to b**ger off when they get too demanding or their new teeth start hurting! Re the litter thing: it's right what others have said. Litter trays in a "multi cat household" (as my vets say) should be like haynets in a field, one per moggie + one spare. And with some cats you have to keep them scrupulously clean or they will refuse to use them. Worth experimenting with different types of cat litter, eg sawdust, pellets, clay pellets, even plain sand or earth from the garden. If the kitten would pee on some newspaper where she goes NEXT to the litter tray, then put that IN the litter tray as a base. Also as Booboos says, some cats prefer covered litter trays but as an experiment that might be rather expensive so try putting the tray in an old cardboard box with a hole cut for a door. One other thing to be aware of is that cats don't like to eat where they defecate so if you're feeding next to the litter tray, try moving the feeding station. It's really worth trying to sort this out as adult cats that practice "inappropriate elimination" are a nightmare. My rescued moggie gets terribly anxious over odd things like another rescue cat joining us or (unbelievably) me putting a new flipping catflap in! When he gets anxious, he exhibits inappropriate elimination (google it if you want to see how your home/life could be wrecked!) ie starts pooing and peeing EVERYWHERE in the house. Favourite spots when in the grip of this angst are my bloody side of the bed, duvet, mattress, carpets, clothes. The list is endless. Love to know if you succeed x
 
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