LitterKwitter arrived... still waiting for the cat.

[devora]

I saw this product a long time ago, but as my cats were older it was only a dream.

Last year my 17 year old died of cancer and not long after the 16 year old died.

We are now ready for a little bundle of joy. So I remembered the LitterKwitter and ordered it.

First question, the new kitten will be about 5 months old, as he has no association of a litter box in this home is it necessary to start it on the floor or is it ok to place a small stool near the toilet and use the LitterKwitter as a litterbox until he is old enough to start training. I can't see the point of getting him used to a litter box in one place only to have to change him in a month or so. I am changing the guest toilet into the cat toilet so it is his and time for training is not an issue.

Second question, because of weight problems for my previous cats (and constant lectures from the vet) I do not want to use treats for training. I was thinking of using a red light toy with the game routinely finishing with the red light drawing him to the LK. Also standing him on the seat for a little light grooming (if he likes it) to reinforce the idea that the toilet is not an unpleasant place. Or should you not mix toilet with play or grooming.


Third question, why is the placing of the toilet set the last thing. I would have thought that it would be best to get him balanced on his permanent seat during the red phase, while he still has the litter to land in, instead of the toilet bowl.

Last question for now, I notice from the posts that it takes a lot longer than on the video. is it best to not bother trying to move him up a phase for a lot longer, maybe a month on each phase, Can you leave them on a certain phase for too long, causing more problems when trying to move up.

[Norwegiangirl85]

Hi, welcome to the forum :)

When I got my new kitten I didn't want to start on the floor again so I tried to show him the red LK on the toilet, but he didn't get it. I don't know if this was because it was on the toilet or just that I didn't use the same kind of litter as the breeder...If I were you I would try to see if he would use it, if not I would put it on the floor..If he is 5 months old he must be used to a litterbox where he lives now? One thing you should think about is to get the cat used to flushable litter as early as possible...If he/she doesn't want to use it with only the flushable at once, you can mix it with the old and slowely put more and more of the new litter...

I have used treats so I don't know what you should do instead, maybe just alot of cuddles when he/she is on the toilet...You could use treats only the first week at each stage maybe? Or playtime after using the toilet?

I have had the toilet seat over the LK from day one and think that is much better than trying to get them used to it later so I recommend that :)

I think that the longer you can keep your cat at one phase, the better...Your cat will form a habit on using the toilet and see it as a safe place...Moving to fast and it could ruin everything so if you have the patience, yes, stay as long as you wish...I think that if your cat is using a stage two weeks with no accidents, no jumping up and down, no holding it in, no stress...then the cat is ready for the new stage...

You should read this thread before you start training:
http://www.litterkwitter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2662

Good luck ;)

[devora]

It was a false alarm, it was only some documents I forgot about.

Still no litter kwitter, still no cat.

How long does it take usually for the litter kwitter to arrive, I only have a week left, I want it here before the cat

[Norwegiangirl85]

I bought mine from a norwegian web shop and they were very fast, but I don't know how long it takes from the LK people...Did they estimate a time when you bought it? If it has taken a long time maybe you should contact them? (I sent them an email a few months ago and they still haven't answered so I don't know if there is something wrong with the adress or if they didn't want to answer me...)

[Bing]

I have praised my kitten without treats and it seems to have almost the same effect as treats, I usually only give him raw or cooked small pieces of chicken as treats, he loves them and they're not fattening like some of the commercial treats.

I started training my kitten on the LK when he was about 3 months and he has taken to it really easily I only had the red stage on the floor for 2 days and then showed him where it was on the toilet and he took to it straight away. I would suggest a small stool as it makes it easier for them to get up while they are small.

I also purchased my LK from the website only to have my money refunded about 2 weeks later because it was in USA dollars and I am an Aussie resident so I ended up buying a new one off ebay and it worked out cheaper. Hope this info helps you with your LK journey.