Training an Elderly Cat to Use a Litter Tray

[chloeekatiee]

We have an elderly cat who is coming up to 14 years old. She has no problem with going to the toilet outside however scratches at the carpets at night to wake us up so she get out and go the the toilet. Normally we put her outside in the evening and she will stay out all night but with her getting older we are worried with her being out in the cold all night (we have also tried putting her out 10-15 minutes before we go to bed and letting her back in but this still doesn't work). We recently got her a litter tray however she doesn't seem to want to use it, i've made sure that it is away from her food and we have tried two different kinds of litter (wooded pellets and the stoney/gravel kind - both non scented). She has used a litter tray previously but this was when she was very young and she has no problems with mobility as she regularly runs up and down the stairs and jumps on and off the bed with no pain.
We have had the tray for about a month as we thought she would get used to it but this hasn't happened, I have also tried to to rub her paws in the litter after she has eaten but still nothing. Up to now she has used the tray once -about two weeks ago- for a wee and I made sure to give her lots of praise and gave her treats but she just seems disinterested still.

Any help would be brilliant,

Cheers.

[lilynmitz]

Some cats like litter trays, some dont, and some refuse to toilet outside and will come in to use the tray instead, and then go back out! All cats are very individual about this, and it can be tough to retrain them. Can you imagine being told that you can no longer use your faithful porcelain flushing toilet that you have used for years, and now have to squat over a box instead? This is probably how your cat views the situation.

Can you not get a cat flap so that she can come and go as she pleases without waking you and destroying the carpet? This would be the ideal solution, but if you can't do this, a few things might be worth trying:

Try a softer clumping litter, such as Worlds Best or Cats Best. Some cats prefer a softer texture under their paws.

Try putting the litter tray right to the door where she scratches at night, so she can make a connection between needing to go out for a wee, and "oh, look, there's something I can use instead!"

Put something down on the carpet that she scratches (eg some old lino) so she can scratch away as much as she wants but won't damage the carpet, so you can ignore her until she gets the message.

This may take a while for her to get used to, and she may never do so. At the end of the day it's not healthy to ask a cat to hold on to its wee too long, as it can result in urinary infection, or dirty protests (as an act of desperation/stress) elsewhere in the house, which would require a Plan B. But see how you get on.

[Kay]

You could try putting a layer of garden soil on top of the litter in case the litter smell is putting her off

I must say that the thought of any cat, let alone one getting on a bit, being made to spend the night outside at any time of the year is a huge no-no for me

[HomeLovingCats]

Lilynmitz is absolutely right. We have come across many cats who do not light like a rough texture under their feet. Such cats invariably have toileting problems. But when they are introduced to a fine particle litter such as "World's Best" or Catsan "ultra clumping litter" (NOT the white coloured Catsan "hygiene" litter), their toileting invariably improves dramatically. Check out: http://www.homelovingcats.com/cat-artic ... g-litters/

[MarySkater]

Has anybody tried using sand in a litter tray? My cats use wood pellet litter in their indoor trays. But now that they have an outside run, I made them an outdoor loo, basically a sand pit with a sheltering box over the top, and now they use that in preference to the indoor litter trays (unless it's pouring with rain, as it is today). I can imagine that sand indoors could be messy, but might it have any advantages?