From the time a kitten is about three weeks of age, it chooses a site to go to the washroom with a surface it can dig. The kitten will return to its kitten litter box each subsequent time it needs to relieve itself.
Kittens are generally very clean and will use their kitten litter box with very little training. The kitten must feel the litter underfoot, must smell the odor, and know the location of the kitten litter box. It’s also a good idea to keep the kitten litter box well within sight of the animal.
Cats are clean creatures and as such, even kittens have certain preferences about their kitten litter. The feel underfoot is especially important to kittens and this trait has its roots in North Africa where the cat evolved and they acquired a liking to earth and sand for burying waste.
Generally speaking, the finer the feel to the kitten litter, the more attractive it is to them. This is the reason childrens outdoor sandboxes have occasionally been fouled by cats. As far as preference for the type of kitten litter, our requirements are much like our cats.
We both want something absorbent that controls odors. The market has several types out. Clay is one of the more popular types of kitten litter used. It clumps with the feces but should never be flushed down the toilet. Wood and fiber-based litter is a byproduct of the pulp and paper industry and it is biodegradable.
Earth and sand is the kitten’s favorite, but because these substances are not biodegradable, they are not widely used in urban areas. Non-absorbent kitten litter is often made of pelleted corncob and the urine is collected in a special box underneath.