Teach an old cat new (toilet) tricks?

[lmills75]

Hi

I have two rescue cats who are now 8 years old. They were house cats for the first 3 years of their lives but for the last 5 years have enjoyed going outside, albeit in short little bursts. My garden doesn't have any loose soil (nor do my neighbours) so I kept up with the litter tray for them and found a fairly good one that can stay outside, although where it is so contained, I do worry it's a bit like a gas chamber in there for them!
I'm moving house later this week to somewhere with a much bigger garden and soil that they could dig around in, and my question is, is it too late to teach them to do their business outside?
Does anyone have any experience of this or any advice?
(Obviously I'll be keeping them indoors for a good few weeks post-move.)

Many thanks
Lisa

[catslave16]

When I adopted Rufus Tuftypaws he was 4 and a half. He had no cat flap and had been using a litter box indoors. So I provided him with a littler box, had him micro-chipped and replaced my old cat flap with a n electronic one (so that all the neighbouring cats can't come in). During the winter he used the litter box, but less and less often the more he went outside, until I got rid of it altogether. So if I were you I'd continue to provide a box but see how you go. When my lovely Blake became unwell and I suspected kidney disease, I got some special non-absorbent granules which, when used in a litter box, allow you to collect urine for testing. Although he hadn't used a litter box since he'd been a kitten, 17 years previously, he used it straightaway, bless him. That shows cats don't forget these things, so you can always go back to providing a litter box if necessary (which I did when the weather got bad and as poor Blake was occasionally caught short towards the end he had one upstairs as well as downstairs).