How to Litter Train Siamese Kittens

Train your new Siamese kitten to use the litter box.

If your Siamese kitten has reached the age of 3 weeks, you need to train it to use the litter box on its own. Older kittens may also need litter box training if not previously exposed to one. This highly intelligent and very vocal breed should learn to use the litter box quickly with instruction and repetition of the training. Use a small litter box with low sides to ensure your little kitten can climb into the box on its own, especially since this breed tends to be smaller than other types of cats.

Things You'll Need

• Litter box
• Cat litter
• Paper towels
• Enzymatic cleaner
• Cat treats

Instructions

1. Place your Siamese kitten's litter box in a quiet location of your home and ensure that your kitten has free and unobstructed access at all times. Place it away from the kitten's food and water dishes and in an area that other pets, such as dogs, cannot access. In a multi-cat household, provide each cat with a separate litter box, plus one extra.

2. Fill the litter box with 1 to 2 inches of litter. Use clumping or non-clumping litter. Clumping litter typically makes the box easier to keep clean; scoop it daily to reduce odors. Avoid using clay clumping litter until the kitten reaches between 3 and 4 months old. Ingesting clay litter when grooming can cause an intestinal blockage, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

3. Feed the Siamese kitten. Kittens usually eliminate after meals, so this should prompt the kitten to use the box. When it finishes eating, bring the kitten over to the litter box and calmly put it in the box. Allow it to smell the box and its contents. Gently grasp its front paw and use it to scratch at the litter.

4. Watch the Siamese kitten for signs that it needs to eliminate. It may pace, go behind a piece of furniture or squat on the ground. Siamese kittens are more vocal than other breeds, so it may also meow to signal it needs to eliminate, especially after meals. At the first signs of this behavior, say "no" and bring the kitten to the litter box, placing it in gently. Scratch at the litter with your finger to encourage it to use the box for its elimination.

5. Clean any accidents promptly to avoid having the scent draw the kitten back to the sites to eliminate again. Soak up the urine with paper towels, rinse the site of the accident with water and saturate the area with an enzymatic cleaner to digest the urine and take away the scent. For feces, remove it with a paper towel, wipe away as much of the stain as possible and douse the area with the enzymatic cleaner. Place the urine-soaked paper towels or the feces into the litter box to attract your kitten to that location to eliminate.

6. Praise your Siamese kitten if you see it using the litter box. Give it a treat to reward the behavior, providing the kitten with positive reinforcement.

Tips & Warnings

• Scoop the litter box daily to keep it clean. Completely change the litter once per week and wash the litter box with a mild dish soap. Some kittens will not use a dirty litter box.

• For multiple Siamese kittens learning to use the litter box together, purchase larger boxes for them to use at the same time during the learning period. Kittens learn by watching each other and enjoy using the boxes together at first.

• Use a litter box without a hood at first as some kittens prefer an open litter box to a closed one.

• Some kittens prefer different types of litter. Give your kitten a few options in different litter boxes placed next to each other. The one your kitten chooses to use the most will determine which litter to continue to use.

• If your kitten continues to eliminate outside of its litter box, confine it to a smaller area with its litter box, food and water. Continue to show the kitten how to use the box and allow it more freedom in your home as it demonstrates it can use the box regularly.

• Never punish your Siamese for not using the litter box by yelling at it or putting into the litter box after the fact. This will only stress the cat and possibly cause it to associate the litter box with a punishment, causing further litter box avoidance.

• Avoid declawing your Siamese kitten. This breed has small feet and this procedure can leave them with residual pain that makes digging in the litter box painful.

References

• PetPlace.com: Litter Box Training Your Cat
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Remedial Litter Box Training
• Cats of Australia & The World: Training Your Kitten to Use the Litter Box
• Iams: Siamese
• Tresor Cats: New Kitten Owner's Checklist
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Cat Litter

Resources

• Declawing: The Cat's Claws