Chances are, you might have found my blog through Yahoo! Answers. I enjoy contributing answers to cat-related questions. My expertise is in cat psychology/behavior/training, so from time to time I will post here answers I've given that have seemed to hit the spot!
First, and most importantly, put kitty in a bathroom with food, water, something to scratch, and the litterbox. You can also add a soft place for her to sleep, but take care that she doesn't use it as her toilet! Keep food/water/scratching post/bed far away from the litterbox. Make sure to remove anything else that's on the floor/anything breakable from bathtub our countertop, and close the toilet lid. If you have a shower curtain, remove it or loop it over the curtain rod, out of reach from kitty.
It's a good idea when introducing a kitty to her new home, to start her out in a very small room, such as a bathroom. She's terrified, presumably because she's in a totally new space, and your house is uber-big to her (even if not to you!). It sounds mean to keep a kitty in a small room, but it's actually very calming, because there is a finite amount of space to explore and become accustomed to. Spend lot's of time with her in there, so that she gets used to you, and has company.
In a bathroom, the litterbox will likely be the most attractive place to use the potty (linoleum/tile is no fun!). If she does use the bathroom outside the litterbox, pick her up (hopefully interrupting her potty-time) and put her in the litterbox. Any time she goes in the litterbox, give her a treat. And any time she scratches on the scratching post, give her a treat. Don't give her a treat at any other time--really let her come to associate treats with the behaviors you want.
Keep her in the bathroom for at least 24 hours (again, with frequent visits from you). After 24 hours has passed, leave the door cracked open, and let her explore the rest of the house in little excursions. After she's had a little time to explore, always put her back in the bathroom.
After about a week of this, you may see that she is becoming more and more comfortable with the rest of the house. Leave everything she needs in the bathroom for a little while longer, so that she doesn't get disoriented.
Eventually, you can start putting water/food/scratching post where you would actually like them to be in the house, but keep re-filling her food and water in the bathroom until you know she's found the other place you are putting out food and water for her.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
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I agree: The small space idea is really true. I had a lot of trouble putting our kittens in the bathroom. It felt like we were jailing them, but it worked out really well. They seemed to have a lot of anxiety when they were allowed roam the big house on the first day. But in the bathroom, they slowly made themeselves a home.
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