Getting rid of litter tray

Abbafan1972

OK, we've had our cat Mia for a couple of months now. She settled in within the first few days, found favourite spots to sleep etc and (touchwood), we haven't had any accidents.

Now she took longer to get used to the cat flap and seems fine coming in and out. I still have a litter tray, but I don't want to use this forever, it's a pain having to buy the stuff and we will be going away in August, someone will come and feed cats, but don't want to bother them with cleaning the litter out as well.

Mia will go out in the garden for a bit, then come inside and use the litter tray. Perhaps I'm to blame myself for keeping it there for so long, but do I just take the thing away and hope that she goes outside?

Sagz_2

Have you seen her 'go' in the garden? If you have how about putting the litter tray in that place for a few days, then get rid of the tray but still put litter there for a few days. Hopefully she will get the message.

If she is not 'going' outside then how about finding her a place she can use as a toilet outside? Needs to be sheltered and a little private (some cats are very shy!). Start off by mixing a little soil with the litter in her tray and when she is using that start empting it in the place you have selected for her toilet outside. Show her the toilet, I've even had to show mine how to dig in the litter/soil mix outside - take her paw gently and dig a little. It didn't take long for my kitt to get the hang of it (he was kicking it up everywhere with great gusto in a couple of days). I then shut the door on the room where his litter tray was during the day, when he had access to the outside. Eventually he weaned himself off the tray and now uses the garden full time. Whole process took about 3 weeks..... but then he is a boy and they are much slower to learn

kjmtidea

When my kittens were at that stage, I moved the litter box a little bit each day until it was right by the back door then we put it on the doorstep and left the door open for the day (freezing in the middle of winter!) Then we slowly moved it a bit each day until it was on the dirt, next step was take the lid off the litter box, then tip the litter on the dirt.

It was a slow process that took a couple of weeks but they didn't go to the toilet in the house at all so it worked well.

lostinrates

well, I wouldn't get rid of it.

it makes a better neighbour: little nothing worse for neighbours than contending with someone else's cat's mess.

changes in toilet habits are often the first sign of an animal being off colour.

In the summer ours naturally go outside a little more, but it did take them time. when the weather is truly vile or on bonfire night etc, I'd rather there was a place they knew to go than a place thy find themselves.

Yes its a job you have to keep doing, and the expense of litter, but find a good litter for you and its literally a couple of minutes a day.

missmontana

Maybe a hooded tray outside, in a sheltered spot would be an idea, I am going to try this with mine now the weather is a bit better.