Getting my cats to go to the toilet outside.

[ellenlouise]

Since we have had Trixie and Trinity they have been little angels well I thought!

They have always used their litter trays well with only the odd accident but yesterday I had a clean out of the house and found that someone had been peeing in OH cardboard boxes. This hasnt worried me to much as I have thrown away all the boxes and they seem to have just carried on using their litter trays.

Anyway to get the the point they are both neutered vaccinated and chipped now and have been allowed outside during the day time for 2 months or so now. I understand that I need to keep a litter box in their bedroom for night but during the day I would like them to go to the loo outside. I have moved a litter box outside which they have been using but they do tend to come upstairs and use the litter boxes their instead. What can I do? Any advice would be most appriciated.

[MrsH]

It took a while for my 2 to get used to going outside in the garden. We encouraged them by tipping a bit of soiled litter into the border and getting them to scratch in it. I don't know if this is any help!

[Rosie]

Alfie was allowed outside from being quite small and I have a cat flap so he always has access. I had two litter trays but by the time he was four months old he never used them anymore just went outside. There was a small gravelled area which he tended to use at the beginning but not anymore.

[kado]

I dont have a cat flap. Kado goes outside but all the others wont they come in to use the litter tray and then go back out again.

[dandysmom]

Some cats just won't use the outdoors! My Siamese, Su-ling, was allowed supervised outings in the garden on his harness, but when he had to go he'd insist on going back in to use the box, and then wanted out again.! Lived to 14, and never ever went outside! His mum apparently taught him that the box was the place for that! :-D And he listened to his mum!

[Fran]

Maud, one of my moggies refuses to go outside, she comes in to use the litter tray then goes back out again :roll: I think the best advice you have had is to put some soiled litter out in the garden where you want them to go. Good luck!

[dandysmom]

Maud, one of my moggies refuses to go outside, she comes in to use the litter tray then goes back out again :roll: I think the best advice you have had is to put some soiled litter out in the garden where you want them to go. Good luck!
Interesting, Fran! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's had a weird cat! :-D

[Fran]

Interesting, Fran! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's had a weird cat! :-D


The strange thing is though Eileen, Claude Maud's son is quite the opposite and rarely if ever will use the litter tray :?

[dandysmom]

The strange thing is though Eileen, Claude Maud's son is quite the opposite and rarely if ever will use the litter tray :?
Apparently he didn't heed mum's teaching......:-D

[random]

Oh Kiara is the same, she will be out on her harness on an extendable lead and will paw to go back indoors just for the loo! And she prefers the hooded tray to the open tray so a bit of a snob I think! ;) :lol:

We got Tabs to go outdoors by putting first the tray outside and letting her go in there, and then putting the litter onto the garden and slowly reducing the amount of litter. It didn't take long but BEWARE! She will now rarely go in a tray and sometimes messes on the floor. If you put grass and a bit of mud in a tray however she will go in it! :shock:

I don't know if that is because we had her from a realitively young age and she was never really 'taught' by her mum. Also she was born outside (IN MARCH! :shock: and lived outdoors 'til we got her). Bearing that in mind she did used to use a normal tray with normal litter as a kitten with no problems.

[Amber]

When I got Amber she was already litter trained. We had a cat flap installed so now she always has access to the outdoors. She just started to go outside of her own accord and now she never uses her litter tray! I always have it down just in case but she may use it once every 6 months.

Maybe putting some soiled litter outside like the others have suggested? Or she may go out of her own accord like Amber did?

[Animagus]

My 2 are quite good.... if they are out they go when they are out.... havent had much of a problem in that direction except for Smudge murdering my Aubretia by weeing on it lol