How to teach stubborn cats to go outside for their....ablutions?

[KhaleesiMotherofCats]

Not even sure if ablutions is the correct word

I'm so very sick of emptying the cat tray; my first two cats happily go outside for a poo (in my garden, not other people's).

My latest two, now 10 months old, refuse to understand.

We've taught them the cat flap which they use though they prefer to be in the house mainly. We've moved the litter tray into just in front of the cat flap.

When we're in the house we put the litter tray outside. They complain very loudly and try to shit in the house. After we take them outside about 15 times eventually they go in the litter tray out there.

We thought we were making progress that way over a weekend and so took the tray away (having sprinkled litter around all our borders for encouragement). We came home to shits all round the house

Please help!

I've had many cats but all my previous ones have been happy to go outside and have never missed their tray....

I think you have to have a tray. Mine won't ever go outside, he comes back in if he needs a wee!

I'd reckon they feel too vulnerable outside to do their business. We've had both kinds - LandingCat and his mum used to come hurtling in from the garden to use the tray (or cry pitifully outside the door to be let in) and BiteyCat won't use the litter tray unless the weather is so extreme he'd be blown away. The first two were small, slight and at the bottom of the local pecking order. The current one is a big bully bruiser and fears no one. I think that's the difference. Your two are still young and small, I'd imagine - they may gain in confidence - but I'd don't think you can do much to force the issue.

Leave the litter tray where it belongs, inside. But tip some of the used cat litter into the place where you want them to use as a toilet, and then take the cats outside one at a time and put them there. Do this a few times and you should be good to go. But keep the inside litter tray for longer than you think you're going to need it, just in case.

(We live in the countryside with lots of space for cats to be private, and the cats have a cat flap but they also have two litter trays inside the house, because they're a bit old now and I wouldn't want to have to go out in the rain whenever I needed a wee.)

I've tried all that On...no joy though I did a happy dance yesterday when one took a poo outside.

I think the PP talking about vulnerability has a point. There is a tom cat that comes around here a bit, unneutered and a bit fighty. Even though my tom cat is 6kg he's a total wimp so I think they just like the safety of inside.

Yesterday's poo (TMI) happened while we were outside so I suspect she felt safe because we were there and the tom cat never comes in if we're in the garden.

My happy dance was cut short by the boy cat somehow managing to do a vertical poo up the wall behind the cat tray inside. And getting it on his own head?!

Never seen anything quite like it

If your cats are going to poo in your garden,not anyone else's,why would you want them to??
Two poos a day,365 days a year,that's a lot of poo - how big a garden do you have?
Whatever you prefer,obviously but I hate having to garden round cat poo,it takes ages to break down,you can smell it,litter trays the lesser of two evils for me.
But hope you solve your problem!