Hello, first post so thanks in advance for any and all responses.

My cat is onto her second litter. (A mistake, she ran away over the date for her op). The first litter she had four kittens and, though I wasn't around - my ex had her - as far as I know she did well training them and everything. This litter she has three, and they're now just over five weeks old. They're cute beyond cute, have boundless energy and are in rude health except for the following ...

Over the past week they've just started to poo and pee. All natural, and I'm not too squeamish. The trouble is their favourite place to do it is on one of my two sofas. So far it's good that they've only soiled a throw. I'm now washing and alternating the throw every evening. One of them likes to poo on the kitchen foor in the corner too.

I got them a low-lip litter tray. It's filled, clean and ready for them. It's next to mum's. But they won't use it.

How can I encourage them to do their business in their tray? Or mum's tray (they can get in and out of it)? I've moved both trays from the loo into the living room now, thinking mum's example might work. Mum seems disinterested in teaching them and I'm not usually around to catch them doing the deed (and therefore put them into the tray). I have tried putting their poo into it to encourage familiarise them, but ... no joy. They poo on the sofa still.

Should I worry? Is this normal? Will they eventually learn to use their litter tray? Can I encourage them? Can I encourage mum to teach them? I've put them in it a couple of times, but they just look up and play in it before running off.

Not sure what to do, or what should be happening. Any tips/advice very much appreciated.

Mark.

I think you may need to confine them to a smaller area until they are trained.

Taking a poo from behind your couch and putting in in their litter tray, you can get litter to atrract them to use their tray also.

Also ensure you are washing where they are pooing with washing powder as if they have their scent there, they will continue to do poo there, perhps theycan still smell under the throw at the moment ?

Confine them for a few days to a smaller room with food, litter and allow mum access and see how you go, try putting them in the tray too and scratching their paws forward, so they get an idea of what they are supposed to be doing.

Echo this - my kittens didn't get house roaming rights until using litter tray and then until bigger I had trays in every room where they had access to avoid mishaps and we still had the odd one....They started using tray at 3 weeks watching their mum in the kitten room

It was only as they got to ten weeks I cut back on litter trays to their normal places and one in the lounge too as by then the kittens were fully trained.

I would assume they are weaned? If so, once you have fed them - wait about 15-30 minutes afterwards and keep popping them into the litter tray. You could get some Kitten Attract cat litter. It isn't cheap but it may just help get them started and then you can revert to normal litter.

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Kaz

For kittens, joy is for the asking and smiles are for the giving

Can only echo what's been said. You need to almost surround kittens with litter trays while they're learning and keep them off soft furnishings.

Hiya when my kittens are 4-5weeks old I keep them and mum in a crate in the day mum can come out but overnight I shut the door so they can watch mum use the loo, I also leave the light on and about 15times a day I put them in the tray and dig with there paws, Only ever had 3 accidents in all my litters so I think this works!

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Thanks all.

As if by magic, they started using the tray. Two have for sure. I saw them use it. Hopefully they'll carry on with that!

I might reduce their 'roaming rights' as someone else put it. They were confined to the kitchen, which is separated by five steps from the rest of my flat. Now they're able to leap steps they can get into the living room too. Any more 'issues' and I'll keep them in the kitchen for a while.

Thanks again for the responses.

When our kitten was small he came litter trained. We use Catsan and he would happily use that but on the third day, he decided to use a throw on the little settee I had in my cat room. The throw was white, then after I shifted that, later on when he had the full run of the house, he made an attempt to have a poo on a white sheepskin rug. Never done it since, although the older cat did the same thing a couple of times. I wondered at the time if it was the colour that drew them and they thought it was cat litter.