As soon as you get your new kitten. Show her the litter box. After all, you just spent a fortune on a self cleaning litter box because you hate cleaning it, so make sure that you get your money’s worth.  The first time that your kitten goes in her litter box, you should gently show her how to dig with her paws.  For the next several days, put her in the box after she eats, wakes up or plays. You’ll see how quickly she catches on.  To get her to keep using the litter box, you’ll have to keep it clean. After all you just spent a fortune on this new self cleaning litter box!  If you don’t have a self cleaning box, you should scoop after every use. Some cats are ok for a couple of days. Always change the box regularly about once or twice a week if possible.  If you need to move the litter box for any reason, just move it a few feet each day.  If your cat has accidents, never hit or punish her. Just clean the spot and go through the steps with her again.

1. jess says:

   September 8, 2009 at 11:36 pm

   thanks for the post – our cats love their automatic litter box. we use a scoopfree box and they took to it without issues (scoopfree.com). I would highly reccomend them. To anyone using a self-cleaning litter box (and switching from a normal box), my biggest recommendation is to let your cat get used to the sounds that the box makes – if they can adjust to the on/off functions of the box, you will likely have no issues. The scoopfree is good because it turns on after the cat leaves the box – eliminating the possibility of a scary encounter with the rake. (or, if you are like our cat, you can choose to try and race with the rake once it turns on… sigh. What a ‘special’ cat.) Thanks for the article!