Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Can cats manage overnight with no litter tray?

15 replies

toomuchhappyland · 08/10/2017 08:20

We have two cats who are free range with a cat flap. We live next to fields and one of them is a very enthusiastic hunter. She has bells on her collar but that doesn't stop her. She mostly hunts at night and apart from the effect on the wildlife, I'm fed up of coming downstairs to a pile of rodent livers in the morning. I'm thinking of locking the flap overnight and keeping them in to see if it helps, but the problem is the flap is in our living room - it's in the patio door at the back of the room which opens on to the back garden. At night we shut the internal door so they can't go anywhere else in the house. There's nowhere else for a flap to go - there's no external door in the kitchen, only the living room patio door and the front door which can't have a flap in it. The problem is I don't particularly want a litter tray in my living room. We shut them in there because if we leave the internal door open they either come upstairs and yarl all night to get in the bedrooms, or claw the new stair carpet to bits. Do you think they could manage without a litter tray overnight? From about 11pm until 7am?

OP posts:
beekeeper17 · 08/10/2017 08:29

Our cat stays in at night and we have a litter tray but it is only ever used very rarely, maybe once every few months, or even less often. So depending on your cats it might be ok but a bit risky for the one time they do need to use it!

nightshade · 08/10/2017 08:35

Same here...ours is usually out at night but when she is in she has access to a litter tray .she rarely uses it but it's there if she needs to...

Only thing is that if you start bringing them in it might take them a while to readjust so you might need one...either that or lock catalase and leave them out at night.

abbsisspartacus · 08/10/2017 08:37

Depends really if you like your carpet and value your possessions get a cheap one see if it's used

flumpybear · 08/10/2017 08:44

My cats used to break out by battering the cat flap so beware!
Our now cats don’t have a flap and are usually fine overnight

ElizaDontlittle · 08/10/2017 08:46

My older cat tends to keep her legs crossed, and I bring her in in the dark so longer than you are suggesting. But she has the option. A covered, rarely used litter tray doesn't smell or track or take much looking after. I'd not chance it, and equally I'm not removing crazycat's as even one accident would be distressing for her and turn it into a nightmare in the morning!

DubiousCredentials · 08/10/2017 08:49

Could you put the litter tray elsewhere during the day if you don’t want it in the living room? I put ours outside when we have visitors.

Fluffycloudland77 · 08/10/2017 08:50

Sometimes he uses it, it can go a week unsullied then be used several nights in a row.

thecatneuterer · 08/10/2017 11:15

No you can't shut a cat in without a tray. They can't hold it like dogs can. When they have to go they have to go.

NapQueen · 08/10/2017 11:17

Can you shut them out overnight? Pop a dog kennel up in the garden with a catbed in it?

IrritatedUser1960 · 08/10/2017 11:19

No, as I found out when one of mine did a dump under my bed at three in the morning. if I can't manage a whole night without a pee then neither can your cats.

thecatneuterer · 08/10/2017 11:19

Shutting them out at night is an awful idea. For a start night time is more dangerous and it's also cold! Leave them with a tray in the living room overnight and move the tray outside in the day if it bothers you.

DuckOffAutocorrectYouShiv · 08/10/2017 11:25

Mine go out at night without issue. Sometimes they ask (tapping in the windowpane) to go out at night, sometimes they don't. It depends on where they've spent the daytime. There are no litter trays in the house, no accidents. We always call them in before we go to bed but if they choose not to come in, that's absolutely fine. They spend less time out overnight in winter but love the mild spring, summer and early autumn nights out hunting and playing. Average overnight temps in most parts of the UK should be absolutely fine for healthy cats.

notsoperfectlife · 08/10/2017 11:28

No. Mine actually dumped ON the bed, and wee'd on the washing pile.
Its also risky to let them out at night. I've had 2 cats killed that way.

TizzyDongue · 08/10/2017 11:30

Mine rarely uses a litter tray. He's in all night and doesn't go anywhere inside..

Only time he's used it was when he had vet treatment and had to stay in.. Took him over 48 hours to finally use the litter tray (stressful time!)

Oldraver · 08/10/2017 13:33

Ernie stays in at night usually about 10 ish until either when OH comes home at 6.15 or sometime a little later on the weekend. He has very rarely use the tray on a night, but I'm not sure I would like to deny him access to one.

If your cats have been used to free reign at night they may be used to toiletting whenever.

Do they have access to the kitchen...Ern has what we call his en-suite that he never uses but still gets pulled out at night

Can cats manage overnight with no litter tray?
New posts on this thread. Refresh page