My cat doesn't appear to go to the toilet outside

[Graham]

Hello. I could do with some advice please

Our 10/11 month old seems to only want to go to the loo in his litter tray. He's been going out for a couple of months now but he'll ask to come in just to use his tray then will go straight back out.

He's quite a shy cat and doesn't tend to wander that far. He hangs around with another couple of cats (they have regular stand offs) but they don't seem to have shown him the way or there appears to be no instinct to mark his patch.

Is there anything I can do to encourage him to do it in the neighbours garden I thought about putting his tray outside when he goes out but the association would still be with the tray, or am I wrong?

Any one have any ideas?

[Lilith]

Errm well...

Sorry, but, your cat, and his 'products' are yours too.

I spent a miserable winter a year or so back cleaning up after 2 households with 2 cats each, whose owners seemed to think it was ok to toss the poor little devils out every morning to do their business all over my astroturf and gravel. I'm certain these ignorant soandsos knew what was going on - but they expected me to make my secure garden safe for their cats to get out etc...believe me, it WASN'T funny, especially as I was doing trays for my own cats inside - and I have 14 snakes, who are equally mucky. In the end I installed ultrasonic cat deterrents which are switched off when my cats go out. That put paid to the problem.

Your cat has the right idea - and if you come up against the inevitable whingeing neighbour, you can say with pride, my cat uses his tray, he won't foul your garden.

I know a tray is a chore and a bore, but at least if you have to leave your cat in for long periods, or if he's ill, you know he can go to the bog in comfort.

Truly, I do think it's best that a cat uses a tray. It's civilised!

I mean, would you like to do without your inside loo and have to skulk outside and...well, I leave it to your imagination...

[Graham]

I was joking about doing it in someone elses garden but it's just weird that he seems scared to go outside, he'll come back I'm to do it!

Snakes? I've got a royal python. What do you keep?

[Lilith]

Ahh a fellow snake-person!

I have 6 corn snakes (they're the mucky ones but such sweet natures. Such as my butter corn, Saffron and my ghost corn, who had to be called Spooky of course lol.)
5 royal pythons - the senior one is Shahi, which is the Urdu for 'royal'. They're all wild-type except for a mojave lookalike, what they call a 'dinker' and a spider morph who's called 'Sharif' which means 'virtuous' - he is lol.
A dwarf (Irian Jaya) carpet python (though she's outgrowing her 4' vivarium) - they say these are 'nippy' but she's really gentle.
A Northern pine snake who is also totally soppy - I call him the 'lonesome pine'
AND a 7' gopher snake, the dreaded Ziska, who acts dead evil, hissing and tail rattling - then curls up in my sweater and goes to sleep for hours...she's soppy really.

Errm sorry, I get carried away when it comes to snakes - what do you call your royal btw?

[Graham]

Brian!! he's a 'normal' royal. I don't really like the morph thing

When I was younger I had a couple of corns, 2 Blairs kingsnakes and a carpet python. All really well behaved. The CP could his a bit but never aggressive

[Mrs Kane]

As for the litter tray problem, I think that every neithbour that has recently noticed their tomatoes coming up is probably queueing to shake your cats paw at this point. There's nothing worse than finding a cats business in your hard work.

If he's not a big outside toilet man I wouldn't worry about it. He's coming home regularly to see you and the loo and that's nice. Just keep his little place nice and clean and he'll keep coming back.

[Crewella]

Sorry, can't help butting in, but I used to keep snakes many years ago and I rarely get to 'chat' about them now. I had two Royals, a Hog Island Boa and a one-eyed Burmese python, all rescues. I did have a 16 foot Burmese for several months until we found him a good (large!) home.

I always wanted a carpet python!

Oh, and for a while I had a little Hog Nose snake. He was the cutest thing with his little upturned nose, and when he first arrived he did the full repertory of mimicking bigger nastier snakes - he did the cobra flattened hood thing, and the pretending to be a rattlesnake all curled up like a walnut whip with the 'rattle' at the top, and he also rolled over and played dead! It took a lot of restraint not to hassle him just to see the 'show', but it's not fair to make them feel threatened just to see them do it.

[Lilith]

Aww, Brian - one of mine used to be a Brian - he came from the US via a big Lancs reptile shop but his owner couldn't keep him because her son made a fuss...he got named Shiva here after the Hindu god who's depicted with a snake coiled round his neck.

Yeah the morph thing can get pretty stupid I agree and some of the poor little devils are scarcely fit to live...I fell in love with the spiders though despite the notorious 'wobble' - which occurs in the wild, at least it's not man-made and the snakes lead normal lives - and I've been lucky with Sharif, scarcely a wobble at all. (For non-royal python people, the 'spider' patterned royal pythons are prone to a genetic tremor for which there's no apparent reason; the spiders developed naturally in the wild, and usually have good appetites and gain good sizes...the fancy outcrosses, the 'pedigrees' or morphs bred from them don't seem to have been so lucky though; most of them seem akin to the 'teacup kittens' )

Ah Crewella, I wish I could keep a big Burm but I haven't the space or the physical strength although those guys are usually so gentle - makes me mad when they get a bad press. I have an errm, one-eyed snake (oh boy did I get some wacky hits when I bought him 5 years ago and googled THAT lol!) He's supposedly a Miami corn, only he's not, but I had to buy him because I was afraid nobody else would. The right hand side of his face is normal; the left is flattened with no eye-socket, only skin. I was told that he had feeding difficulties because he couldn't see; my reaction was, can't he smell? But it was true - it took me years to get him to feed normally; I think there's some extra disability, but in the end he learned and now he's a tiger for his grub. My ex said, call him Cyclops, so he goes by the name of Cy.

They mix very well with the cats - obviously I observe basic commonsense - cats are not allowed to see them as toys and they're kept out of the way at feeding time, which is when the snakes will bite if they mistake anything for their food, and my largest snake Ziska only comes out when there are no cats in the room or garden; it's possible she might see a cat as prey so I take no chances. The cats like to watch them though, and the warm top of a vivarium is a favourite roosting spot

Lol - it is nice to chat about snakes - the reptile forums tend to get a bit rowdy so I steer clear. Love to Brian from my lot Graham; Crewella you'll have to get another snake or three

[Crewella]

My Burmese, Phonda, was the same. She came from a batch of hatchlings that all developed with bad spinal deformities and one or no eyes, just a flat surface. All were euthanised, but she was the least deformed and the breeder let me take her on the understanding that she might not live long and I had to promise to ensure nobody ever tried to breed from her. She died suddenly after 5 years, having made about 11 foot.

Her aim when feeding was pretty abysmal, and she was a pig so would lunge as soon as you opened the door - she got me by mistake several times, but otherwise was a sweetheart and used to love a tickle under the chin.

There weren't so many morphs around in those days (all mine were 'normal'), so I just had to Google 'spider morph'. I agree about the morph thing, but I can see the attraction - they really are very pretty. I'd forgotten how cute the faces are on royals, all curvy and smiley with big eyes.

Anyway, back to topic. Cats do feel very vulnerable when doing their business outside, and a couple of mine are the same and come in to use the tray. Personally, I don't mind as it's easier to spot health problems, and I lock my gang in at night so would always have a tray indoors anyway. I wouldn't try doing anything to discourage use of the indoor tray, but it might be worth trying to prepare a spot for him in the garden to tempt him. A sheltered spot with a patch of freshly-planted seedlings should do it ......

[Lilith]

Ah poor Phonda. I've had a couple who've died young, despite every precaution just seemed like they were poor doers, but they were tiny enough to bury in outdoor flowerpots. (What on earth did you do with an 11 footer?) You must have been heartbroken. I think reptile breeding's in its infancy; poor incubation temps can cause deformities and so many people inbreed if a morph's rare.

Yeah the royal python face! Sort of like a smiling badger! Even now Shahi gives me his 'little boy lost' look and I melt. The trade in them is terrible though - I didn't realise when I first bought Shahi that he'd been harvested as an egg in Ghana and hatched and then exported to the UK. He was in a clutch of hatchlings in the shop and they didn't even know who was feeding and who wasn't...when I got him he wouldn't and in fear and trembling I had to 'assist' which as you'll know isn't feeding by force but gently placing the rodent in the snake's mouth and hoping the snake does the rest...bless him, he did!

Lol, feeding - the last time I fed Shahi he was poised to grab! The times the snake's overshot the feeding tongs and rat and got me! Yeeowch! Mind you the worst bites I've had were one of my retired tom's, Ali Kat's, if I stroked the wrong ear. Antibiotics...

[Graham]

Yes the threads on reptile forums usually turn into arguments!

[SarahT1 [PLLE]]

Nothing useful to add about snakes, but I have enjoyed reading these posts. How interesting! I laughed about reptile forums getting rowdy - you should have seen how CC used to get sometimes.

As regards your boy and his toileting habits, Graham, I concur with everyone's comments. Ours can use the (enclosed) garden but 75% of the time prefer to use the trays indoors. We have 5 trays for 3 cats so there is no competition. Our oldest girl is quite fond of the garden facilities but as much as its part of her pottering outdoors routine rather than anything else. She will use her tray in the night or when we are out. Sometimes the younger two actually come indoors to use the trays, so it clearly means something to them which makes them feel secure.

[Lilith]

I've just remembered (sorry, hijacking the thread back to snakes) this vid. It sums up corn snakes for me - only don't watch if you happen to be eating lunch!

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/55edfc ... -snake-poo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Never trust a corn snake!

[Cussypat1974]

Crewella, I have a carpet python! A coastal carpet, possibly jaguar in him. He is a rescue from a tattoo shop and was my first snake. Adam lol. Eve is a cornsnakes and was my second snake. pewter was an accidental hatch in Donegal and is number 3.

Snakes are VERY like cats.......

As for puss only using the litter..... Encourage it! No pooh lying around for kids/other animals/pregnant women to become infected (think toxoplasmosis and worms). If you ever deciðe to have a child it can safely play in the garden. Your future possible pregnant wife can grow pretty flowers/herbs/cauliflower if she wants.
If the cat won't go outsiðe, it is likely due to feeling a bit insecure. Nervous cats can be like that. Toilet ting leaves us very vulnerable!

[Cussypat1974]

Oh...and I have been kicked off a few reptile sites for speaking up for the actual reptiles!

[lilynmitz]

Back to the original topic, but you say he's a shy cat. Most cats will only toilet where they feel safe. To be honest, wouldn't you? Particularly if you were of a nervous disposition? I know of quite a few cats who have free access to outside but still come inside to use their tray.

If you remove it, I can pretty much guarantee you'll be mopping up cat wee and poo off the floor, so it's easier just to be kind to your cat, and your house, and leave the tray down. I know it's nicer not to have to do it, but it takes a couple of minutes a day to clean out (I use Cats Best clumping litter, which has virtually no smell and is a breeze to clean out - just remove the lumps and wipe the soiled bit of the tray down), and your cat will love you for it, and you will love your cat for not piddling on your floor.

[Cussypat1974]

Yes, I agree with lilynmitz completely. If you remove the tray you could REALLY upset the cat, to the point that reintroducing the tray later will not work, and he will still go on the floor or furniture. Truly, don't try to fix what isn't broken, because you really could be setting yourself up for a whole host of future problems.

Experiment with litter types to find what suits you both best. If changing litter, do it gradually. They REALLY are that sensitive and fussy! You can get different types of litter box too, hooded, with filters for smells, and even self-cleaning ones I believe! The waste will always have to be cleaned up, but it is far easier to clean a box than locate and clean other areas of the house!

My aunt once had a cat who would hold it all in till he got home. She would find him roaring at the back door to get in to the loo, just like a human!