I'll be getting my kittens in about 4 weeks. They're from the same breeder but not the same mother and have not met one another as of yet. They're about 2 weeks apart in age. I see it's advised to give the kittens each their own litter tray, but I'm hoping to toilet train them and would like to start right away. I plan to keep them in the bathroom off my bedroom as their safe room to start. Will they really both need separate trays? I'd prefer to put a tray on the toilet and start the habit off right. Of course I'd make sure it was easy to get to.

Also, about the rule of keeping litter trays and food dishes separated: my bathroom isn't huge; will it be enough to keep the food at one end if the toilet is kind of central?

Lastly, I've been reading that it may have been wiser to get a boy and a girl, but it's too late for that. Will my 2 girls have a chance to be close as they grow up or are they likely to be competitive and aloof?

Please do not toilet train them straight away. That could lead to a lot of issues with litter tray problems. Keep them on trays till they are fully settled in (couple of weeks at least). Toilet training does have issues, some cats will not ever use a litter tray after which means they can run into issues if they have to go somewhere else or they don't have access to a toilet when they need to. It is an unatural thing for them to do and, actually, makes it harder to assess any urinary issues.

Anyway, they need at least a couple of weeks to get used to their new home and environment before you start trying to change things. Stress can bring on health concerns as well as unwanted behavior. But as small kittens they may forget they need the loo till it's too late and don't have time to get back to the toilet. They also need to go quickly so also will not always make it back to the toilet on time.

When does the breeder plan to introduce the two kittens? That has a big bearing on how you do. Despite the fact that they are from the same breeder, if they have never been in contact with each other before you get them then you will really need to isolate them from each other. At the moment they are isolated from each other so it is possible they have been exposed to different things... possible.

If they are introduced to eachother before coming to you then i would give them 2 litter tray anyhow. Sometimes kittens like to poo in one and wee in another. Also they may not like to toilet in a tray where another has gone. When you open up you house to them, i would have several trays dotted around so that there is no chance of accidents, at least one on each floor of the house. I would leave them on trays for several weeks really before trying to toilet train them.

If your bathroom is not really big enough to clearly have a separate area for food and litter then it is not a suitable safe room for 2 kittens! I don't think, from the sounds of it, that there is enough room to be hygienic. Kittens scatter litter quite far so will end up in food and water if it's within a meter or so of their litter trays.

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Lollo

I would agree that you need two litter trays. My older kitties used the litter trays without much thought but since the Bengals have arrived I have noticed that the litter trays (I now have 4) are split between wees and poos. Looks like the Bengals have been training the older ones!

Great points. Multiple litter trays it will be. I'll consider the toilet training when they're older and settled in well. I don't want to stress them out, and I do want to be able to catch any urinary tract problems.

I could start out with one in my bathroom and one in my bedroom and then let them have both rooms to share. I like that idea because I'll be able to hang out with them more comfortably and more often. I can cover the nice new bedroom flooring with something cat proof (cheap linoleum or something) until I trust they've got the litter box thing down. This will give them quite a bit more room to be comfortable while my resident cat gets used to their sounds and scents. I plan to take their introduction to her very slowly.

It's so wonderful seeing parents planning in advance for their new additions. Almost like having a real human baby! LOL. Until this forum, it just never occurred to me to "plan ahead." First, congratulations on your upcoming new arrivals. It sounds exciting. I'm sure the gals will get along great. Litter box issues are so common on this forum. You want them to start out on the right track of using the boxes. I know some people train their cats to use the toilet, but I guess unless I could also train them to push the flush button, I'll just be happy that mine covers up his stuff in his litter box.

Thanks :)

I've heard that cat beds (and anything else soft and comfy) can be mistaken for litter trays. I bought one of these for each of them to sleep in: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XJ ... UTF8&psc=1 . I'm hoping they'll be alright, but is there a way to ensure they don't decide they're litter trays?