Help with training adult cats to toilet outside please!

[ShutUpAlex]

My SIL has gone away for the week, she’s pregnant and when she gets back my brother is going to be working long, 12 hour shifts.
She wants the litter tarts gone as she can’t deal with them being pregnant and after 12 hours they absolutely stink. My cats were trained to go outside but we did this from when they were kittens, brothers cats are 3+.
I said I’d help him over the next week. He is useless, probably should t have the cats in the first place but he is too soft and has taken them all in off other people. 6 cats altogether.

Does anyone have experience with this?

This is a boyfriend problem, not a cat problem.

Let's hope her poor neighbours aren't pregnant either then, huh? Deal with your own cat's shit or get rid of the cat. Why do people think it's ok for other people to clean up after their disgusting animals. If she was my neighbour, I'd be knocking on her door and telling her to pick it up from my garden.

Neighbour's with a small garden put their cat litter trays in a storage unit for garden chairs. They fitted a cat flap in there, and a lid that lifted up to access the trays for cleaning. They did this when their first baby was born.

Wood litter
Hooded litter tray with carbon filter
Neuter cats.

6 cats?!

My cat doesn’t have a litter tray inside.

@ShutUpAlex

She doesn’t want to deal with the litter trays whilst pregnant and that’s absolutely fine. I wouldn’t either. But something needs to be done as it’s effecting their relationship.

Why are you doing this? It's your brother's job. His wife can't cope with the cats he adopted. If it is affecting his relationship, he needs to step up and deal with it.

Irresponsible cat owners at its best 👏🤬

Six cats is unfair on the cats, the neighbours and your brothers partner. He needs to find suitable homes for at least 4 of them. As for encouraging them to shit outside ... please don’t do that. They are HIS cats they should shit in his house and they should deal with the smell and mess. I am sick of selfish cat owners encouraging their pet to shit all over the gardens of others. I had to give up my much loved flowerbeds and turn them into paved areas due to the neighbourhood cats mistaking my lovely garden for their personal toilet. It’s disgusting and should be banned. You own a cat you deal with the shit.

My cats still have litter trays inside even though they go outside also.

It is needed when you have cats if you want to avoid any accidents when the cat is inside. Cats can have dodgy tummies and need to go urgently as well as humans! Some accidents will obviously happen from time to time but litter trays are definitely needed.

They shouldn't smell the house out though.

I would be changing litter brand completely as obviously the one that they are using are not up to the job! Also a poop scooper is handy for disposing of the obviously to avoid the dreaded poop smells!

The trays obviously need replacing and decent litter that will do the job. You get so many different types so basically trial and error for the one that works best for the cats.

Scented liners are also available if someone prefers to use them under the litter.

I change trays regularly as wear and tear happens obviously and also clean it out on a regular basis.

With six cats they will need to change it even more so. I grew up with lots of cats and it was kept on top of. It also wasn't a case of growing used to any smells either!

Use decent cleaner and ensure trays are cleaned and dried thoroughly before litter is put in.

There are also many different styles of trays available.

Also I had a very similar amount of cats while growing up and I'm shocked at some posters saying some need to be rehomed!! As long as they're well looked after that's what matters.

Some cats do just do their business outside. - natural for them. - whereas others only in a tray or mix of the two.

Please don’t encourage them to shit outside - I.e. elsewhere.

Unless they have a garden that the cats can escape from, that’s knowingly pushing the problem onto their neighbours which is disgusting and antisocial. They could be pregnant too.

Sort out the litter trays, the litter and her partner. This is their problem and no one elses.

can’t escape from

The issues in their relationship aren't your responsibility.
Three trays for six cats is nowhere near enough.
What litter are they using and what style of tray?

I cat-sit for someone with five cats - the litter tray never smells. It's a covered tray and gets cleaned out twice a day. The cats are let out in the morning and come inside at night.

No smell whatsoever, happy cats. Something is wrong if the litter trays stink after 12 hours.

Well, they’re using the trays outside so fingers crossed.

@ShutUpAlex

From what I’ve seen, only 3 of them are using the trays, but the smell is bad. It’s the first thing you notice when you walk in. She’s too embarrassed to invite people round and is worried about when the baby arrives and starts crawling etc. I honestly don’t know anyone other than by brother who has litter trays for adult cats. They’re long haired cats too so despite all the different mats she’s tried they drag the litter all over the house too. They are a nightmare, my brother has done no training what so ever. They’re all over the sides, they fight all the time. SIL had to get one of the neutered as brother hadn’t bothered to do it and it was spraying on her stuff when she moved in. I do really deal for her!

They are not dogs, they are cats, you know you don’t train cats don’t you? 🧐. Cats fighting is probably play, you would really know about it if it were a true cat fight. They can’t play cards, they play fight instead.

With regard to house training there isn’t usually much human intervention required, they pick up litter tray training from their mother and if they are outdoor cats, they normally just decide for themselves that they will start to go outside. That said, I would start by putting litter trays nearer the door and then just outside the door.

I really don’t understand your comments about the smell. Obviously a litter tray is going to smell if it is left unattended but it really doesn’t take much. We have a new kitten and we have two litter trays in the house at the moment. We remove solid waste as soon as he leaves it and the clumps are removed every day or two, there is no smell whatsoever. I would suggest they need to review what litter they are using and considering the number of cats, increase the frequency that the trays are tended to.

Yes you can train cats, I have trained all of mine. And they are not play fighting, they are fighting. If my brother won’t rehome them then they have no choice but to try a different arrangement. No animal is worth the breakdown of a relationship.

I think all cats should be should be trained to use litter trays, if you dont like dealing with their shit imagine how the neighbours fee dealing with it when its not even their pet! Dont own a cat if you dont like dealing with it. Fed up having to check my own garden for shit all the time and still having my kids step in it.

I have found natusan has reduced the smell from litter trays and your brother could then just do it in the morning and evening. Putting the trays outside may mean more accidents in the house so do monitor it carefully.

6 cats shitting all over the neighbour's gardens? 🤮
Selfish arseholes.

I have trained mine to go in their trays or in my garden and I’ve trained them to come home when I do a specific whistle. I have created an area in the garden for them. I know they use it because I’ve seen both of them. But also my cats don’t go out at night and they tend to poo early in the morning so it’s usually done in the trays.

How many are not neutered/spayed?

I have 10 cats and I use one large storage container as a litter tray. All cats use outside as a toilet, except one. They all 'ask' to be let in and out. A litter tray should not smell if it is taken care of properly.

I have up to six staying in at night and the tray is there as an emergency if they need to use it during the night.

They’re all neutered now. She’s been considering re homing her cat because he’s so unhappy but she desperately doesn’t want to and thinks it’s his cats that are the problem so why should she. It’s all a nightmare really. I’m helping out for this week, he’s doing all the moving and cleaning (I’m also pregnant) I’m just dictating what to do. He is very dim my brother but is just trying to exhaust all options before giving up the cats.

6 cats is way too many cats for a normal size house. It's ok if you've got a smallholding or a farm or live in a detached house in the country. I've had 4 some years ago and it was too many. I only ever have one now because of the expense.
It also means that unless you are exceptionally well off you cannot afford veterinary care for them or vaccinations or flea and worming treatment so there could be parasites in the house.
I just took my 11 year new rescue cat to the vet for vaccinations, flea and worming treatment and an old cat blood screening plus dental treatment and it's cost me £500.

Your brother is a selfish knobhead who is mistreating his cats, his girlfriend, his unborn baby and his pregnant sister. The cats will be stressed living together. He's risking his girlfriend catching a disease just so he can keep his overinflated ego belief that's he's some kind of bountiful pet rescuer.

The writing is on the wall with this one. There's no way his girlfriend will want her newborn to live with a load of feral, fighting cats. He needs to shape up instead of expecting the women around him to facilitate his whims.

This is reading more and more as “how can I convince brother to get rid of some of his cats” more than “how can I teach cats to go outside to toilet”