I never had a cat of my own till I got Ernest as a small kitten, when my children were really small too. Of course, I had grown up with cats in the family, the grand aunties and grandmas had them and any toilet training was none of my affair. I recall they would let the cat out to 'do its business' in nearby fields or wasteland, and problems in the house did not seem an issue. So when Ernest arrived, rather suddenly one late Saturday afternoon, I had no books, and nobody to hand to tell me how to go about the litter training. I sought advice on the phone, from my mother and mother-in-law. Both had different views, so I took the best parts and modified as I went along.
The first important point is never to scold or hit, even gently, when a kitten has an 'accident'. OK, it is most annoying when you see puddles - or worse, a little pile of something - on your best rug or carpet. The tip here is to clean this up and put it in the litter tray. Yes, that way, you are telling the kitten WHERE such stuff belongs, and it can smell where it should 'go'. My mother-in-law advised me to prepare myself for many little accidents at first, by covering all floors with newspaper! Somewhat over the top and very annoying in a rustling sort of way, you would agree. My mother said I should rub the kitten's nose in its deposits, then place the animal on the litter tray! Rather harsh, and NOT what I did, or advise anybody else to do. I struck a happy medium. I put the litter tray near the back door and surrounded it with newspapers. Whether I did right or wrong, about half an hour after I fed the kitten, I would set it on the litter tray; rather like potty training a child, and involving repeated patterns. This seemed to work very well.
One tip I read was if the kitten, or cat keeps peeing in the same place, (not the litter box or tray), then feed it there. Because felines are very clean animals, this will put them off going back to that spot and peeing. Well, nobody likes to eat in the bathroom, now do they? If you do this for a few days, maybe less, the message goes home and no more unauthorised peeing. Strangely enough, I have Stephen King, the novelist, to thank for a good tip for getting rid of cat pee smells. I cannot remember which of his books I found this in, I read so many of them, but it worked. Put some white wine on the offending area of carpet or floor, sprinkle with bicarbonate of soda and leave overnight. In the morning, wash this off with a solution of warm, soapy water, then spray with an air freshener.
Because some cats and kittens are very fastidious, a dirty or 'used' litter box can put them off using it. So a good tip is to clean it out twice a day during the 'potty training' period. You can probably reduce this to once daily, when the kitten has become trained. I can confirm that this worked for me and my furry friend.
I know that some people have indoor cats, or live in accommodation where the animal just cannot have access to open spaces or a garden. But if you have a garden, then the ideal is to get the kitten to use outside, and keep the litter box in place for emergencies or during the night etc. That was what I did, with great success, in a short space of time.
Bear in mind, it does not actually take very long to toilet train a kitten to use the litter box, but my aim was to get my kitten to use a designated spot of dug-over earth at the far end of the garden. To achieve this, I began to use garden soil instead of litter in the box, and to move it outside the door. Over a week or so, I gradually moved the litter box further down the garden, till I placed it in the dug-over earth. This was my mother-in-law's good advice in action. Next, I removed the box itself, but by this point, the kitten had got the message and had learned to use the soil 'toilet.'
I have happy memories of a dark, snowy night when Ernest, a grown cat, stood at the back door, as usual, at 9.00 p.m., waiting to go out for his last little prowl around and his toilet duties. The snow had drifted into a three foot high wall, so we got shovels and dug him a path down to his toilet. Off he trotted, performed, and galloped back into the warm.
So, to re-cap my tips:
1. Be patient and have plenty of newspaper and cleaning materials to hand.
2. Put 'unauthorised' deposits in the litter box to raise awareness of its purpose.
3. Feed the kitten at the place where it pees etc. to discourage this practice.
4. Use white wine, bicarbonate of soda and warm soapy water to remove smells and stains.
Remember to say "thank you, Stephen King."
5. Clean the litter box often, fresh is best.
6. Move it nearer the outdoors (if possible and practical) in gradual stages.
7. Change from litter to soil - some kittens actually do not like the sound of litter.
8. Make an earth/soil toilet for your kitten, where possible. (You will need to clean
this up periodically).
My Ernest lived for almost 21 years, and until he grew very old and infirm, when he needed his litter box close to paw, he strolled down the garden to his toilet. Isn't it strange how life goes in circles? Persevere, be vigilant and good luck. It is worth it for the pleasure the kitten and the cat will bring you. Meow.