How to teach a kitten to the tray?

Some people would like to take a fluffy (or not so) pet home, but the thought of having to accustom him to the tray forces him to postpone the dream until better times. The thing is that there is no information, or to be more precise, the correct information about training the cat to the tray. The process is not the most difficult, although it involves a number of components that need to be considered.

Cats are very clean by nature. But the little kitten is only a child, and he is lost in such simple things. If he lives with his mother, she will teach him to take care of himself, but the cat torn off from his mother is helpless in that sense.

Age is very important: not every kitten can be quickly accustomed to the tray. It is believed that if the animal is already one month old, the learning process will be transient. But experts argue with this statement. At this age, the cat is still not so familiar with the device of the world around him, he may not be ready to obey someone who demonstrates strength (in a good sense of the word). With a two-month kitten, the situation is easier: a new place and people do not frighten him. With a three-month seal, as a rule, training takes place quickly.

Schooling involves three actions:

• tray selection;
• filler selection;
• Choosing a permanent place for cat litter.

And only when all this is done, you can acquaint the little cat with a toilet. You can not act from the position of cruelty. Some owners do this: they think that excessive severity will immediately put everything in its place, and the cat will obey unconditionally. Give yourself and your pet for three days, and until this “trial period” passes, do not try to scold him and make premature conclusions.

The breeder's first mistake is a small tray. For some reason, it seems to many that since the kitten is still quite a baby, then the tray should be miniature for him. But your baby can grow very quickly, and when the time comes to change the tray, he is able to show character. So you should not condemn it to stress: chose a normal-sized tray, defined a strict place in the apartment, and try not to change anything.

There are certain nuances in the choice of the tray.

• Trays come with grids and without. The grill covers the filler, the kitten becomes on her, so that his paws will not be wetted. It would seem to be an ideal option, but everything is not quite so: an instinct will cause the cat to cling to the lattice with its claws. It happens that this leads to injury to the baby. Therefore, experienced breeders do not always use the net - it is easier for them to buy a quality filler that dries quickly.
• What will be the shape of the container, no matter. You can teach a baby to a triangular tray, and to square, and to oval. Make sure that the tray has a protective rim: it protects the form from spilling sand when the kitten begins to clean up after itself.
• It is desirable that the purchase of the tray was not sudden. Even before the fluffy family member crossed the threshold of your home, the tray should already be in the “honorable” place. If today he sees the toilet, tomorrow a filler appears there, and the day after tomorrow the owner finally explains what it is - there’s no good end.

Do not choose trays that have a smell. This happens with low-quality plastic. The stronger the plastic, the better. Extreme colors also come to nothing, it just seems like a bright color will attract the baby. The visual system of the cat is different from the human, because your efforts may remain invaluable.

The requirements for a kitten tray filler are as follows: eco-friendly, not smearing the baby’s feet, without a harsh smell, and able to moderately restrain the smell.

Let's estimate the most popular fillers.

• Silica gel. Well blocks the smell, the paws of the cat remain clean, does not smell. But! If this compound enters the kitten in the digestive tract, it is dangerous for its health.
• Woody. It copes well with the masking of the smell, does not stain the feet, not dangerous for accidental ingress into the esophagus. It has a faint smell of needles, most cats do not care or even like it. But some cats refuse to go to such a toilet.
• Mineral. The smell masking is almost zero. Paws get dirty, for the health of the cat is harmless, has no smell.
• Clay. It restrains the smell of urine, the feet get dirty, it is harmless to the digestive system, it does not irritate the pet with the smell.
• Corn. Almost copes with the disguise of unpleasant smell. But small particles of filler can stick to the kitten's feet and scatter around the toilet. Accidental ingestion of the stomach is not dangerous.
• Paper waste. It badly keeps the smell, does not stain the paws, is not dangerous for the gastrointestinal tract of the animal, has no smell.

If you take a kitten from the house where he already used the toilet, the filler should be taken of the same type. Subsequently, it can be changed, but for a new schooling, this is not necessary. Wood and corn filler is chosen more often, it is believed that they are more suitable for kittens. Be sure to monitor the condition of the kitten: an allergic reaction is not excluded.

Sometimes the cat refuses to go to the toilet, because the filler is too small. Such a way to cover his tracks seems unconvincing to him, and he continues to look for a better place.

Finally, Do not buy a very expensive filler: spending is not a one-time, but system, it will not be very easy to change later. The product must be available, if its purchase implies a search throughout the city, give up unnecessary difficulties.

So, the tray is purchased, the filler is selected, it remains only to quickly and properly accustom the pet to the toilet. Select the location where the tray will stand. The passage or corridor is not suitable for this purpose, because the intimate zone really should be quiet and secluded. The best option is a bathroom and toilet. They are always open, the cat can go there, without being embarrassed by anyone and do not hesitate to do their work.

Step-by-step training looks like this.

1. The best time for the first hike is 20-40 minutes after a meal. Take the baby to the toilet, put his paws right in the tray. At the same time, iron the cat, politely “purr” with it, it should not have a sense of danger.
2. As soon as you talk to the kitten, leave it in the tray, stand back. No need to "stand over the soul." The animal should look around and sniff a new place for it.
3. If the cat is ready, he will do his work. As soon as you see success, calmly (no need to shout and jump to the ceiling with joy) stroke the kid, praise him. Waste must be prikopat fresh filler.
4. Do not rush to immediately remove waste. The cat must hear the smell in order to once again come to this place for coping with need. But the tray is not left intact, the place is buried.
5. If the cat does not write, do not be angry. Give it a walk up, try to take it to the toilet again. If the kid has done his business in the wrong place, without anger and aggression, easily tap his finger on the nose, tell me exactly what he blundered. With such a gesture, the cat mom gives the kittens to understand that they are wrong.After the child was scolded with just a slight knock on the spout, put it in the tray - you need to fix the logical chain.

And, of course, do not scold the kitten for an oversight, if it is already irrelevant. This happens: the cat has long gone "by", and the owners scold him for what he does not remember. Screams and physical abuse are unacceptable.

If it does not work out for a long time, you will have to carry a naughty kid in the tray more often. Saw a handful of in the wrong place, take the trouble to transfer it to the tray, so that the capricious saw. If in the wrong place a puddle, blot it with a napkin, and then place the napkin in the tray for a while. The place where the cat has blundered should be disinfected - this will help the problem not to repeat.

The greatest difficulties arise when the owners are trying to teach the toilet to a street cat. From an early age they, as they say, have a different idea of ​​life, environment, method of obtaining food and comfort. And their toilet with a tray, of course, is not connected in any way. How to help such a savage? The answer is one - you need to try different options, change something.

Let's see what recommendations experts give in this regard.

• Move the tray to another room. Maybe the kid for some reason is scared in the bathroom, and he does not want such an intimate process to trust this room. For example, there is a strong smell of detergent, which can easily scare a pet.
• Remove excess sources of flavor. If in a room where there is a cat's toilet, even unobtrusively smells of citrus, the cat can take a strike. Cats do not tolerate these smells, because you should not tease them.
• Look at the place he prefers the tray. If there are small children in the house, and they also sometimes pee in the wrong places, the characteristic smell will attract a kitten. There is only one way out - thoroughly wash and clean the places of child miscarriages. And do it even before the animal appears in the house.
• Change the tray. It happens that he is extremely uncomfortable for the cat. For example, the sides of the tray are high, it is hard for a kid to climb over them, and he seems to go to the toilet, but sometimes he passes by. According to reviews of most cat owners, pets prefer trays with low sides even as adults. This is understandable - many cats are rather lazy, and sometimes they prefer not to make unnecessary movements in the form of climbing through the sides again and again.
• Change the filler. It also happens this way: the kitten comes up to the tray, but does its work not into it, but side by side. Probably, the pet understood where to go, the tray itself suits him, but for some reason the filler is embarrassing. Have to change.

Did not manage to teach for three days? Do not panic. If a street cat, and when he came to your home, he experienced stress, the baby may need much more time. But you took it in order to love and rejoice, which means you have to sigh and start anew. But how proud you will be when the Fuzzy is finally accustomed to the toilet!

Any teaching is a system. And to teach a cat to go to the tray is also nothing more than a system. In addition, science does not stand still, and various devices that help cats do not overshadow the owners with their disobedience, in active sale today.

For example, the following tools may help you.

• Aerosols, discouraging cats to foul in the wrong places. They need to handle the place where, despite your dissatisfaction, the cat often goes to the toilet.
• Acetic acid, ammonia. This is a worthy replacement for aerosols, but they do not discourage the cat to spoil the place, but only neutralize the smell.
• Small pebbles for the earth in flower pots. Many cats love to go to the toilet in flower pots instead of a tray.It is necessary to protect the soil from such "fertilizers", and this can be done precisely with the help of decorative pebbles.

The main thing that you need to remember is that every cat is trained. At a certain stage, it will seem to you that it was not the kitten that got you, but the punishment that he was stupid and worthless. But then you will most likely understand your mistakes. Another baby has to be trained for 1 month, but the result is fixed well and firmly. There are intelligent cats (as a rule, those that are more mature), they quickly grab everything, and after a couple of days they run to the toilet in a clearly marked place for it.

If the kitty is still quite small, you can make her relax. Kittens do not always walk around the house, prefer to be in the same room. There and put the tray. And then, when the pet grows up, move the tray to the right place. It will also take your observations of the kitten: see how he spends time after eating. During games and fun, the baby can stop, alert. Once the crumb has done this, transfer it to the tray.

A three-month-old cat usually seizes everything much faster. He has already become accustomed, he has already understood who is the owner here, the cat is ready to “cooperate”. Try not to miss this time, because as you grow up it is difficult for an animal to acquire new habits. If you are going somewhere (to the country for the summer, for example) take the tray with you.

No matter how much time it takes to study, it is worth it, the result is of great importance. Do not chase after records, do not listen to friends who boast of their clever and intelligent cats - perhaps their successes are a bit exaggerated.

Detailed tips on how to teach a kitten to the tray are given in the following video.