How to teach a kitten to use the litter box?

Check the litter - some kittens are picky about it. Mine refused silica gel, but everything worked out fine with wood-based litter.

The litter box should be in a quiet accessible place, not next to the food bowl. and wash it without bleach, bleach scares them away

I agree with all the advice above, it works. I'll add from my own experience - I had a problem with a kitten that was peeing in the corners, until I put an extra litter box right where he liked to go. After a couple of weeks I removed it and the problem was solved, apparently I just needed to break the habit. One more thing that's important: if he missed the box, you need to thoroughly treat the spot with an enzymatic cleaner (like Nature's Miracle), regular chemicals don't completely kill the smell and the kitten will keep coming back to the same place. I had that happen to me until I figured it out.

At two months old, a kitten is still just a baby, so accidents are totally normal - you need patience. People above already gave good advice about litter box placement and smell, I'll just add that the box should be big enough - roughly one and a half times bigger than the kitten itself, otherwise the little guy just won't fit properly and will end up going outside it. I'd recommend an open litter box without a cover at this stage, that way the kitten will find it faster. And yeah, about the bleach thing - that's right - I only wash mine with warm water and vinegar, and you usually see results in a week or two.

The main thing is don't scold the kitten for accidents, it'll just make everything harder 😊 At 2 months old he's still tiny and just learning. I'd also suggest getting a bigger litter box - a lot of kittens miss simply because they don't have enough room. And it makes sense to watch where exactly he tends to go to pee most often, and put a second box there until he gets used to the main one.

After 13 years working with animals, I noticed this thing - kittens often miss the litter box simply because the sides are too high for a little guy. Try using a tray with low sides temporarily or just a plain pan without a grate, it's way easier for the kitten to climb into. Once he grows up, you can switch to a regular one. And here's another important point that not many people mention - don't move the litter box around constantly. The kitten finds it by smell and gets used to that spot, but if you keep moving it, the animal gets confused.

So mishaps are totally normal, don't worry about it. The main thing you've already figured out is that the scent in the litter box works best. But I'd add this: if the kitten keeps peeing outside it anyway, try getting a bigger litter box than you think you need. A lot of people go with the standard size, but it's harder for the little guy to aim properly, so he misses. And another thing - wash the litter box often, but use plain water with baking soda or cat deodorant, because the harsh smell of cleaning products really does scare them off.

Maybe the kitten just doesn't understand where his litter box is yet? At this age they often miss the mark not out of stubbornness, but out of absent-mindedness. From my experience with dogs, I know that rewards work in training - try praising and even treating the kitten when he finds the litter box himself and does his business. Here's another trick: if the litter box is in one spot but the kitten has taken a liking to another, don't rush to move it - sometimes it's easier to temporarily put a second litter box next to his preferred spot, and then gradually shift it toward the "right" place. Usually everything sorts itself out in a couple of weeks.

So misses are totally normal, don't worry about it. I'd add that if he keeps going to the same spot past the litter box, the problem might be the size of the box itself - for a kitten you need a smaller one, otherwise it's hard for him to figure out exactly where to jump, and he can get confused.