My cat is now 7 months old – he regularly uses his litter tray inside the house – and we have a garden that’s over 4,000 square metres (nearly an acre).
He’s got a cat flap that he uses to come and go without any trouble.
We’d really like him to start doing his business outside now.
How can we get him to understand this?
Thanks for your help!
Translated from French
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Hello,
We’ve also always started letting our cats out from around 9 or 10 months old, and the question of an outdoor litter tray has never really come up. We still keep a litter tray in the house, but it never gets used. Once they get a taste of the joys of going in the fresh air, they’re converts! 😁 I don’t think there’s any need to encourage them, to be honest...
Mind you, as others have pointed out, it is a bit tricky to keep an eye on their poo; but anyway... if there’s a problem, it’s straight to the vet for a check-up. Plus, if you ever need to, you can always keep them indoors during the day and check the tray in the evening.
Hi there,
It’s absolutely vital that you provide an indoor litter tray for him. Not only is it necessary so you can monitor for any bowel issues or cystitis, but he might also be frightened of an entire cat outside. He may refuse to go outdoors because he doesn’t want to be tracked by an aggressive cat through his scent.
There is no situation where it’s justifiable to not have a litter tray available indoors.
Hi there,
Solène is right, a litter tray is actually really handy for checking their poo and wee (for those who don't end up with it stuck to their bum anyway – shout out to Plume! 😘). Once they start going outdoors, you can't really give the vet an answer if they ask how everything is looking.
Hi there,
If your cat spends several hours a day outdoors, there’s a good chance he’ll start doing his business outside in a few months’ time once he’s an adult. He’ll figure it out on his own, so it’s best not to force him. For now, he’s still a kitten and with winter approaching, you’ll just have to be a bit more patient.
My cat spends a few hours outside every day, he’s got a cat flap, and has been going exclusively outdoors since he was about eighteen months old. When he was a kitten, he used to come back inside during the winter to go to the toilet in the warmth.
Put a second litter tray outside for them and dig over the soil in a patch of the garden; that’ll attract your cat (and all the neighbours’ ones too! 😂). Don’t put it right at the far end, though, because cats are really lazy. Never take away their indoor litter tray(s), even if you’d rather they didn’t go inside.
Hi there,
First of all, keep in mind that the main benefit of using a litter tray is that it makes it much easier to monitor your cat’s health: is he constipated? Does he have diarrhoea? Is there any blood in his urine? etc.
Just be aware that this training process can take quite a while.
If you want him to start doing his business outside, you should first find a slightly secluded spot (against a wall, under a tree, etc.) where the ground is quite firm. You can put a bit of his used litter and some of his poo there. Give him plenty of praise if you see him using that area.
You can also give things a bit of a push by taking him to that spot right after he’s had a meal.
Finally, if none of that seems to work, you can try gradually moving the litter tray towards the door and eventually outside.
All the best,
Solène
