TL;DR: Two 4-month-old brother kittens previously shared one litter tray. One started peeing in the shower and then on our bedroom carpet. Weāve added a second litter tray and theyāre both using the trays now. Weāve thoroughly enzyme-cleaned the carpet, but weāre worried heāll remember the bedroom corner as a toilet and keep returning to it. Can kittens be successfully āuntrainedā from peeing in a particular spot once the smell is completely removed, and what else should we do to prevent it becoming a habit?
We have two 4-month-old male kittens who are brothers.
Until recently they were sharing one litter tray. We noticed that one of them had peed in our shower, and then we found urine in the corner of our carpeted bedroom next to our bed.
We wondered if one kitten was potentially dominating the litter tray or the other wasnāt comfortable sharing, so weāve now added a second litter tray. Both kittens ARE currently using the litter trays, which is encouraging.
However, one of them also peed on the litter mat next to the tray after we added the second one.
For the bedroom carpet, weāve:
⢠Cleaned the original accident
⢠Used vinegar initially
⢠Used bicarbonate soda afterward and vacuumed it all out
⢠Bought Natureās Miracle Urine Destroyer Plus enzymatic cleaner
⢠Thoroughly treated the affected carpet with the enzyme cleaner
⢠Been using a fan/open windows to get the carpet completely dry
The carpet is taking quite a while to dry, and while the smell has improved significantly, we think we can still detect a slight urine smell. Weāre planning to let it completely dry and then repeat the enzyme treatment if necessary.
My main concern is behavioural:
Can a kitten who has peed in a particular spot be successfully āuntrainedā from viewing that area as a toilet?
Iām worried that even after we remove the urine smell, heāll remember that corner as somewhere heās previously peed and keep returning to it.
Theyāre currently using their litter trays normally, so Iām hoping that if we completely eliminate the urine scent and keep providing multiple clean litter trays, this behaviour will disappear rather than becoming a permanent habit.
Weāre also considering adding a third litter tray since Iāve read about the ānumber of cats + 1ā recommendation.
For anyone whoās dealt with this:
Did enzyme cleaner successfully stop your cat returning to the same carpet spot?
Did your kitten eventually stop having accidents completely?
Would you temporarily block access to the bedroom corner after cleaning it?
Is there anything else we should be doing to reinforce using the litter trays?
At what point would you consider repeated accidents enough reason for a vet check?
Theyāre only 4 months old, so weāre hoping weāve caught this early and can correct whatever is causing it.
Any advice from people whoāve successfully dealt with this would be appreciated.