Cat Chat Feline Forum

I got my cat from an advert on gumtree.
She is 4 years old,has had several litters of kittens and the previous owner said she needed to be neutered and had always been a house cat.
I had her neutered and chipped and after a while allowed her to go outside into my enclosed garden via the cat flap which she loves.
My problem is I cant get her to stop using her litter tray and do her business outside.

Les

It's not uncommon for cats who have always been indoors to feel that the litter tray is the only place they should use, even if it means coming inside to do it. You could try offering her an additional litter tray outside - put some used litter in it to give her the idea. I have an outside litter tray which I keep under a spare compost bin, to shelter it. One of my cats always uses this litter tray, unless the weather is really foul and she stays inside. The other cat now prefers to dig in the earth at the end of the garden.

I tried putting the litter tray outside but she came in and messed on the carpet.

I tried putting some cat litter on the garden but that didnt work either.

Honestly, it's not a bad thing them using the litter tray inside, you can pick up on certain health issues a lot quicker that way. Some cats just prefer the security, and as you have found out, moving the tray outside means they'll just use the carpet instead.

les747 wrote:I tried putting the litter tray outside but she came in and messed on the carpet.

I don't think you'll be able to stop her using the inside litter tray altogether; she's too used to toileting inside. I would leave the inside one in its usual place, but give her another tray outside. Put her usual litter in the outside tray, and sprinkle some used litter from the indoor tray on top of it. Possibly start off with the outside tray close to the door, so that if she's on her way inside, she'll see/ smell it and might decide to use it. If you get her to do that, gradually move the outside tray further from the house, towards whatever bit of the garden you want her to use. If you get that far, then you can think about persuading her to use the ground.

She's got 4 years of established habits, and won't change immediately. You need to aim for a gradual change. Try to get her to use the outside tray some of the time. They say cats don't like to eat near a litter tray, but maybe a few treats next to the outside litter tray would draw her attention to it.

You could try using some additive free peat compost mixed in her indoor tray being like garden soil she may get the idea

I've had cats that always prefer to come inside and use the litter tray, and others that will only toilet outside whatever the weather. You can't force the issue, it's just the way some cats are.

Cats will only toilet where they feel safe, and if she's always been a house cat and being outside is new to her, this is such unfamiliar territory to her that she may always prefer to use the tray. To try to put a perspective on it, it's the equivalent of asking you to go to the loo in the middle of a shopping centre full of muggers. That may be how she sees your garden at the moment. Please be patient with her, and don't force the issue by taking the tray away, as this will only result in accidents inside, and stress will only makes toilet issues worse. (Try imagining how you would feel if someone denied you access to a decent toilet?) And cleaning out a tray is a whole lot easier than scrubbing the carpet! She's not being obstinate or difficult, it's just the way she is.

As Booktigger says, being able to monitor their toilet habits is a really useful way to spot early on any ill health, one of the first indicators is often litter tray contents. I wish some of mine had done that, as I could have picked up their health issues much quicker and got them treated sooner.

Most of the cats I’ve had have preferred to use a tray indoors too, even coming in after being out a few hours just to go to the loo. However, my current cat prefers to go outside, but she’s in most days from lunchtime onwards, and will use a tray if she needs to go then. I would always have a tray indoors, for the reasons others have mentioned but also, if she needs to go to a cattery, or ever needed to stay in the vets, she’ll be happy to use it then.