Kittens and litter trays...

[miri]

I have two kittens, they've been with me for a week now and are 8 and 9 weeks old. They diligently used their litter tray for the first few days...and then Loki, the little boy cat, developed diarrhoea. This has been successfully treated and he's full of beans again (thank goodness!). However, while he wasn't feeling particularly robust, he took to doing the occasional wee in the corner of the room. He still poos in the litter tray, and wees in it for the most part, but every so often, especially if he's been running around like a little mad thing, it's as if he forgets where he is, realises he's going to be caught short, hurries off to a quiet corner and, unless we are really quick, manages to do what he has to do and then marches off proudly!!! His sister Freya has joined in once or twice, but it's mainly Loki who's the culprit...

We have cleaned the area throughly and sprayed it with a solution from the vets. Fortunately, so far, it's only happened on hard floor rather than carpet! My question is, how do I get him to use the litter tray only? Any tried and tested methods you can suggest or products/tips that work? How do you chastise a little kitten that looks as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth?

Thanks in advance!!!

[pookyandjo]

you should probably have more than one tray to begin with.... and the other thing i have always done with new babies is when i replace the litter i keep about a tablespoon of the soiled litter and mix it in with the new fresh litter... that way they recognise it as "their tray"
you could always make the area that Loki has decided is "his" spot for a wee unappealing by sticking a bit of tin foil to the floor with sticky tape... you wouldn't need to leave it there for too long because he will probably decide (if he's like the majority of cats) that he really doesn't like the tin foil....
I have also used orange peels in areas that i didn't want my cats to go... and i have had some success with that..
im sure that many of the others will have their own tried and true remedies
good luck

[calismum]

Same advice as above.

If he favours one corner - would it be an option to have a tray there? We did that years ago for a cat that decided it liked a particular corner - luckily it was in the hall so not a big issue.

[dandysmom]

All of the above!

[angieh]

Same advice as above.

If he favours one corner - would it be an option to have a tray there? We did that years ago for a cat that decided it liked a particular corner - luckily it was in the hall so not a big issue.

I would certainly try that as a starter.

[miri]

Thank you all! We will certainly be doing all of the above, as otherwise we are at constant risk of stepping into little puddels and parcels that the little monsters are leaving us...I'll report back with the results!!!

[dandysmom]

Good luck, let us know how it goes.