Thinking of getting a kitten.. .question about litter training

It's been a while since we have owned a kitten but my daughter is wanting a puppy AND a kitten for Christmas. Our house has lots of space so we've decided to adopt one soon. My question is how hard is it to litter train kittens? Some people tell me that kittens automatically train themselves when they see their litter box, and others say you have to constantly keep placing them in their litter box until they learn. Any advice or tips?

Congrats on your decision to get two furry family members!

All the kittens I've had were extremely easy to train to use the litterbox. I'd have them in a small restricted area for the first couple of days, like in a corner of the kitchen or in the bathroom. The litterbox would be placed there as well. Most of the time, they'd figure out what it is and how to use it right away. Sometimes I'd have to place the kitten in it - just once, when I see that they are looking for a spot to do their business. After that, they'd head for the litterbox each time.

I really don't have much to add, Rusty basically said it all. I do the same thing. It also depends on the kitten; how intelligent it is and whether or not it has been raised outside or inside with a litter box available. We got a kitten that had been raised outside and we just took her to the litter box after every meal. After a couple of days she was going on her own.

Thanks so much for the replies. We are excited to bring a kitty into the home. Looks like kittens are much easier to train than pups. I am gonna take the advice to keep him/her in a single room for the first few days until he/she gets used to the litter box. Thanks again!

Great advice Rusty! A stray cat we had was a momma cat and we had 5 kittens. We litter trained them all with no problems. We just showed them where and they watched their mom-
I would put the kitten in the litterbox every so often and keep watch of the new kitten to be sure it goes there.

When you do get your new kitty, you may find that she/he is a little nervous and is better off being left alone with some food and the litter tray in another room. I have a utility room, and have always let new arrivals stay intheir for a while before they are ready to come out. By doing that you will also find that they do infact teach themselves where the toilet is right away.

Our kittens just seemed to know what to do. We put the litter down and showed them where it was at. Now if we move their box, they would potty where the box used to be. I try to keep it right where they are used to it.

I have yet to won a kitten who didn't naturally seek the litter box for their business.

I guess there are some who need more help than others, but they are usually so easy to direct that i don't think of this as training. It is more "providing the opportunity"!