AIBU to expect 4 cats to stay in utility room/study?

I empty the litter tray into a white bin bag and bin it into the black wheelie bin in the garden, then I take the litter tray into the bath and use the shower head to firstly rinse it out, then it is washed with washing up liquid and a washing up brush - i have one in the bathroom just for this reason.
then it gets dried with a t towel.

every single day, every single litter tray.

I also line my litter trays with a newspaper as I find that easier to empty them out when it's time to clean them.
as I have several cats, I buy the cheapest cat litter there is.
My litter trays are the hooded walk in ones, as many cats like privacy.

I do not have random cat poo around my home anywhere. ever !

approx 9.30am every single morning, as I get back from my dog walk then, approx 30 mins every morning. it's just part of my daily routine.

2 of the cats are house cats, 2 go out.

For multiple cats the amount of litter trays you need is the amount of cats + 1, so you should have 5 (at least), and they need to be scooped out at least once a day. Even though 2 of them are going outside I'd get 5 trays as cats resource guard so they need to have the sense that there are plenty of trays for them all.

They also might not use it if they think the litter isn't deep enough, they don't like the shape of the litter box, or they don't like the type of litter, so you could try a few different types.

Your DH also needs to clean anywhere they use that isn't a litter tray with vinegar. If it smells like their toilet they will think it's their toilet (and bleach apparently smells like cat wee to cats). You can get sprays called 'Urine Off' or 'Urine B Gone' that you can spray all the rooms with which should mask the smell for them and discourage them from toileting in those rooms.

I'd also think about trying different food. When I first got my youngest cat he was pooping all over the house because he had diarrhea and didn't have time to get to his tray, now he eats insect-based food and has full control.

They should always have a litter box to go in that doesn’t have poop in it. Think of if you walked into a public bathroom and found it unflushed - you’d walk right back out again, right? How often that means scooping depends how often they poop and how many boxes you have.

Complete changes is a bit more subjective as it depends on the litter. I have kittens (I foster) who aren’t big enough to climb into a big deep box and the litter in their little box gets soggy fast so I change it at least every two days, sometimes daily. At one point when I had babies with a tummy bug it was several times a day. If I had an older cat with a deeper litter box I might be able to go longer between changes. Or not - some cats are picky and will require it more often.

Automatic litter boxes change the game again and I say a relieved little prayer as soon as they’re old enough to use them. Those I just top up and take the bags out every three days or so. It could be longer but babies poop a lot.

Enzyme cleaner spray for the wee patches or they will keep going in the same spot

Think of scooping like flushing the toilet, and emptying the tray is like a deep clean of the toilet
You flush every time you use it but you clean it less often

What are you going to do when they toilet in the pram, cot, nursery. Because chances are they will. They're already stressed a baby, toddler will make it worse.

My friend rehomed her cat for this very reason.

All of them.
They're obviously not happy living with you and your partner and you're not happy living with them.
You have already said you don't like cats.
Do you actually interact with the cats on a social level/engage them in play/show them affection at all?
If the answer is no, then you really shouldn't have cats at all.
Because once you have your baby you will resent them even more.
And the cats deserve better.

I would definitely let them all out. I let my Ragdoll out into the garden, he loves it. Always comes back.

Two of the 4 are stressed. Plus the litter trays need doing at least daily. Send him info on the diseases that can be passed from cat poo, and Jesus the house must reek!

Does he spend time with them? Cuddles, feeding, anything? If not I’m afraid they would have ‘wandered off’ as cats do and sent to cat protection. The last thing you need with a new baby is cats pissing and shitting everywhere. Yuk.

Firstly you need more litter trays in more than one location. I'd choose 2 locations and have 3 litter trays in each one. Secondly use clumping litter.
Poo should be scooped immediately
Trays should be checked and emptied of wee clumps twice daily as a minimum, preferably 3xday given the current issues
The whole tray should be completely emptied and cleaned, then fresh litter put in, every 3 days minimum.
If non-clumping litter instead of scooping the wee clumps he will have to empty and clean the whole tray daily.

He won't do it though. You've been asking him for years and he hasn't. Even though you're pregnant now. He's a disgrace.

In your situation I would get the automatic self-cleaning litter trays. Then they will be cleaned straight after use.

It's also worth trying a different type of litter, for example silicone, as they may prefer that. Going in a bath is similar to a litter tray so it suggests the trays aren't clean enough or they don't like the litter.

Also make sure the litter trays are nowhere near the food or water.

I would also suggest calling your vet, the assistants there will be able to make suggestions too.

This. I feel so sorry for these mistreated animals.

Is he going to change your child's diaper every two or three days?

@notaurewhatusername as I posted above

Scoop every day

How often all the litter needs replacing depends on the type of litter you are using. Can vary from daily to weeks. Would not recommend liners, I tried it, the cats hated them and ripped them all up.

What sort of litter do you have?

Why do you bother with the hassle and expense of pets if you don’t like them that much?

Loads of people have clarified this.

Poo to be scooped daily (preferably more) and top up with a small amount of fresh litter

Full litter change depends on your litter - it may need every 2 days but may be able to last a week. Does it smell? Are there clumps of wet litter inside? Ours lasts about 4 days before it needs a change (and cats are fine with that - but I scoop 2-3 times a day).

Tray must be washed and dried at litter change but do not disinfect (cats may not like the smell), soap and water is fine.

Scoop after each use.

Full change every morning. Use liners to make it easy.

Honestly, have some empathy for the animals. How would you like it??

The other solution to make it easier to do a complete litter bo change is quite simple. Use litter box liners. Get a decent brand as the cheap ones shred too easily, or I find on big trays a dust bin bag fits quite well.

When changing litter, just pick up the bag and take it to the outside bin. Job done and no smears of poop on the tray to upset the cats. New liner in, fill back up, jobs a good un.

Every 3 days to empty and clean the litter trays is disgusting and lazy.
Needs to be daily.

and for 4 cats I would have 5 litter trays. and not altogether in a row either.

@notaurewhatusername As pp have pointed out, cats are naturally clean creatures and pooing inside a house is very rare for healthy cats if they have an alternative (either going outside or a clean, private litter tray). I suspect the pooing is happening because the weather is so bad that the cats won’t go out to toilet - but the litter trays aren’t clean enough or private enough to use inside (unless you have suddenly changed cat litter and that is the cause).

Peeing/spraying is much more complicated and not as uncommon as people think, even with neutered cats. Even clean litter trays, Feliway plug ins, and using lots of enzyme cleanser on the spots where they do it sometimes doesn’t always stop the problem. If the new baby was already here, then I might suggest that was the reason for the stress and that they were scent marking their territory, but unless something else has changed in their lives recently- then it’s difficult to pinpoint a cause of why it’s getting worse.

Sounds to me like you have 2 choices - leave your husband and his cats or improve the utility and study for the cats (more clean litter trays, more beds, cat trees, toys) so that they can stay permanently in there unless they are being closely monitored. If your husband won’t do it (and you aren’t willing to leave him) , then you’ll have to put gloves on and do it yourself, despite the pregnancy.

Once every 3 days??? The litter should be changed far more frequently than that! No wonder your house is minging. Poor cats.

Ok there is a solution but it's expensive!

Have a look at litter robot. Do NOT get the cheap.chinese copies, some of them are very dangerous. They're weight activated - as soon as the cat steps in it sets off a sensor and a few minutes after it leaves it automatically sifts out wee and poo. All he will have to do is remove the bag every day or so. But with four cats you are going to need at least two, preferably three which is going to cost. Depending on area you MIGHT find one second hand on Ebay but they're big so people aren't generally willing to ship.

Cleaner litter boxes will mean they shouldn't poop everywhere.

If the trays are in the bathroom, do you see them frequently? You should be able to tell if he's telling porkies( you'd keep seeing the same turds to put it bluntly).
Unless you have a particular breed of cat that likes to stay in (ragdoll, siamese etc) cats should be allowed outside whenever they want. You have to trust that they will come back, which they will if you are feeding them.

Agree with everyone who's said that 4 is too many and makes for bad dynamics. That's got to be partially behind the fouling everywhere - turf wars. The other reason is of course that your lazy DH isn't cleaning the trays often enough. Our two young cats, as kittens, were so fastidious that if I didn't completely change the Catsan litter in both their trays at least every 48 hours, they would find somewhere else to pee. It was a nightmare. I discovered enzyme sprays (Amazon) to deter them from re-fouling. We went through huge amounts of cat litter. I started using World's Best Cat Litter which is a game changer, BUT it's no substitute for checking the trays several times a day and using a sifter shovel to remove pee clumps (and of course turds - I cannot understand how anyone could stand to have animal faeces sitting around in their living space once they knew it was there). You HAVE to keep removing the clumps and poos, or they WILL find somewhere else to make their deposits, the fussy little darlings.

I am sad. Crazy cat lady. These cats are telling you something about how unhappy they are 😭.

The OP has repeatedly said that she took responsibility and they are all neutered now.

They're seemingly very unhappy though and their owner is uninterested in doing anything about it - and neglectful of their wellbeing and that of his wife and child.