I wondered if anyone might have any suggestions to help me train my cats to go to the toilet outside or have I left it too late?
My two cats are about 9 years old and were house cats for the first 4 years of their lives (post-rescue) so always used a litter tray. In my old house, I had a covered tray which I kept in a sheltered part of the garden and brought it in at night or when the weather was particularly bad. As my garden had very little earth/grass, I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to keep the tray.
When I moved house last year, I was determined to get them to toilet outside but have achieved nothing. I tried putting some earth in their tray with the litter and some litter in the flower beds but it didn't work. I then put their covered tray in the plastic storage/shed thing and propped a door open which seemed to work until I went on holiday and came back to hear that they had been going to the toilet in the house which had never happened before. I think other cats were using their tray. So once again, I gave up even though I'd love to get the tray out of the house!
Yesterday while hanging out the washing, Molly was standing there looking at me with a glazed look on her face; when she moved away, I could see she had had a wee up the conservatory wall. I was elated (it's the little things

Anyway, a long story but just wondered if anyone has got any tips or suggestions.......or is it a case of you can't teach an old cat new tricks?