Question

My new kitten seems to be afraid of the litter box. He refuses to step into it, and when I try to put him in it, he jumps right out. He has been regularly going to the bathroom on my bed. What should I do?

Answer

Try feeding your kitten close by the litter box to get him used to the area where it is located. Closely supervise your kitten and direct him to use the litter box when you observe him starting to sniff around. You may also try switching the kind of litter to see if there is another brand your kitty prefers.

When you cannot directly supervise your kitten, confine him to a cat-proofed room with his litter box. If you cannot keep him out of your bedroom, place newspaper or aluminum foil on your bed since cats tend to not like walking on that type of surface. If you catch him going to the bathroom on your bed, spray him right away with a water pistol to dissuade this behavior.

It may take a couple of weeks to train your kitten to use his litter box, so make sure to be patient. For more information, see the Healthypet article Litter Box Training.

This question was answered by Dr. Jim Dee, owner of Hollywood Animal Hospital PA in Hollywood, Florida.