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From: cej@ll1.UUCP (One of the Jones Boys)
Newsgroups: net.pets
Subject: Re: kitty won't use her box (phew!)
Message-ID: <374@ll1.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Sep-85 15:16:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: ll1.374
Posted: Tue Sep 17 15:16:45 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Sep-85 04:16:25 EDT
References: <488@tektools.UUCP>
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> My housemate's 10 week old kitten has started crapping everywhere.
> When we first got her (6 weeks) she ALWAYS used the box; now she
> seems to NEVER use it...
> 
> Liz Vaughan
> ....tektronix!tektools!lizv

	I found I had the same problem with one of three litter
mates born in June.  Got all three to my house at 7 weeks, and at 10
weeks the problem started.  Part of the answer, in my case, was
catching the offending cat in the act.  I didn't want to yell at the
other two for nothing. (Several books, and several people recommended
yelling (screeming?) as the best punishment for cats.  Physical
contact can be mistaken for playing, I guess.  So I ranted and
raved...)  Also, a change of brand of kitty litter to one with a
deoderant seemed to help greatly.  Cats, of course, bury thier waste
to prevent preditors from finding them by the smell.  I guess she
thought it smelled, although I was using two boxes for the three,
and changing both daily.  The litter change was probably 80%
effective, and the 20% was the newly learned "bad habit".  It only
took a week to stop (what a week!), and hasn't happened again.

	Does anyone know, does a cat's sense of smell become "fully
functional" at about 10 weeks?

-- 

	disclaimer: If my ideas were worth anything I wouldn't
		    be giving them out for free!

...ihnp4!mgnetp!ll1!cej		Llewellyn Jones
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