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The litter tray

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

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Original poster

If the cats are not allowed outside at night do they need a litter tray

90 replies

MrsFogi · 05/10/2018 22:34

Our kittens are about 6 months old, I allow them to go in and out during the day but am keeping them in at night. How do people deal with this in relation to the litter try - do you end up having a litter tray overnight forever?

OP posts:

Vinorosso74 · 05/10/2018 23:06

We have a litter tray and our lad is in overnight. I can't remember when he last used it as it's so infrequent. I would never not have a litter tray-imagine not having access to a loo for several hours?

Vinorosso74 · 05/10/2018 23:12

It is impossible to force a cat to use a tray over the great outdoors. However one thing I have found to stop them going to crap in the neighbour's garden is to keep soil loose in your own garden and ideally in places you would prefer them to use!
Works for our lad and the previous two cats we had.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 06/10/2018 05:18

Always had outdoor cats, always had a litter tray inside. And yes - the little buggers quite often come in to use it.
If you are keeping them in at night then of course you need one.

Jozen · 06/10/2018 05:41

We have a tray for our indoor-at-night cats, they rarely use it but it's there.
One cat prefers to use the toilet if desperate even though the tray is accessible. You can hear him peeing into it and there's the unmistakable stink of cat wee there in the morning. No one has shown him, he just does it. Wish he'd flush it too.

Coolaschmoola · 06/10/2018 05:53

My cat goes outside 95% of the time, but I still have two trays. I didn't want two, but I took away the oneshe had because she never used it, first really rainy, stormy day she peed on the floor.

Reinstated the original tray, but in the event of inclement weather, she kept going on the floor.

I now have original tray near the cat flap, and second tray where she was peeing. She may not use them from one week to the next, but I know the minute it rains heavily she's not going out to pee.

ifonly4 · 06/10/2018 08:45

I wouldn't keep a cat in without a litter tray. As they got older I think mine had a wee 2-3 times and poo once a day, you can't predict when this is going to be. I also have two nearly six month old kittens - they're eating very well, left with clean litter trays at 10.30pm and they'd been filled with three wees and two poos this morning. Rather in the litter tray than on carpet. You can just leave one out at night.

OP, how long have they been going out? Do they go far? Just wondering as mine are a similar age.

MaryBoBary · 06/10/2018 08:49

Some of these comments are ridiculous. Of course you don’t need a litter tray overnight - cats are capable of holding it! I’ve always had cats and never had a litter tray once they’ve started going outside. They would rather hold it and go in the garden than have to shit in a tray and have it there all night.

Vinorosso74 · 06/10/2018 10:39

FFS these comments aren't ridiculous. They are common sense and meeting a cat's basic welfare needs!
Yes ours would rather go in the garden but if he needs to go overnight well he has somewhere to go! Think about that if you don't have access to anywhere to pee and someone tells you you're capable of holding on.

ifonly4 · 06/10/2018 10:57

Not ridiculous in my mind, I wouldn't want to not have access to a toilet for eight hours. Fine if they choose to hold onto it, but can't be any good for the bladder with stale urine held for a few hours - cystitis, infection, crystals spring to mind long term.

princesstiasmum · 06/10/2018 11:08

Yes of course, were theynot trained to use a litter tray when tiny? also 6 months old is too young to be out during the day, they have no road sense at that age,they are still babies,and would probably let anyone pick them up without resisting

viccat · 06/10/2018 11:24

You should have cats if you're too precious to have a litter tray or two in the house.

viccat · 06/10/2018 11:25

*shouldn't!! aagh.

Shouldn't have cats if you're too precious to to have a litter tray or two in the house.

Honeyroar · 06/10/2018 11:44

Of course cats can easily hold it in, just like dogs do. Obviously they have to go out before bedtime and in the morning. My cats tend to come in at bedtime (if they've been in during the evening they tend to go out while we take the dogs for their late night little walk, the male cat usually comes with us and the dogs!). In the morning they usually eat before the female goes on the litter tray and the male goes outside. They haven't used the litter tray all night. The only time my male cat uses the litter tray is on occasions when I won't let him out, like in bad snow or when they're hunting nearby.

redsummershoes · 06/10/2018 11:53

if you have a pet, hamster, cat, dog, horse, you are responsible for it's shit...

Meet0nTheIedge · 06/10/2018 12:01

Whether or not they can hold it, unless you live in the middle of nowhere getting rid of trays is not fair on your neighbours.

BoundByBriars · 06/10/2018 12:06

We have two 15mo cats and we have 1 covered Catit box. They are in/out during the day and stay in 9/10pm to 6am.

When they were kittens they would use it all the time and then they started using it for their morning business before they went out. Now they have settled into a routine where they mostly go outside and prefer to do so but I do notice the odd wee in there and every now and then one will have a runny poo in there (both hunt and scavenge) and I’m so glad we have it because it would be nasty to have to clean that up first thing in the morning.

For you and your cat’s peace of mind, I’d keep one.

TheTurnOfTheScrew · 06/10/2018 12:06

always keep a tray, even with outdoor access on demand.
our last cat would go for weeks without using one, but if there was stormy weather she'd prefer to stay indoors.

I know a few owners who don't have trays, but I don't think it's a coincidence that they deal with occasional cat piss "accidents" and we never do.

Honeyroar · 06/10/2018 12:18

I do live in the middle of nowhere, I already said that. I also said I still have a tray become one cat insisted on it. I also have two bunnies that use litter trays and provide much more poop than the cats.

Out of interest, how do you dispose of your dirty litter trays? We have land so it just goes onto a muckheap in the field next to the house.

ThisBitch · 06/10/2018 12:46

I can't believe how many people are adamant they need a plastic box for their grown cats to leave their adult shit and ammonia scented piss in you lot are absolutely fucking disgusting.

Cats do not need litter trays unless they are too young to be outside to do their business, and they are more than capable of holding on till you let them out in the morning.

Methe · 06/10/2018 12:52

We don’t have a litter tray and we lock the cat flap at night. Our eldest cat is 5 and she’s got us up maybe 3 times in her life to get us to let her out for a poo. the other cat never has. I’ve caught them both weeing in the toilet occasionally.

Litter trays are grim. I’ve got a massive garden so plenty of places for my cats to use the toilet without having a tray of shit in my kitchen

ferrier · 06/10/2018 12:52

There's a bit of rubbish being spouted on this thread.
In years gone by, in the days before cat flaps, my family had cats, they were kept in all night and they never had a litter tray except when ill.
I have a cat flap. My cats are free to go in and out every day (usually). They are kept in at night. There is a litter tray but it's a complete waste of space because they never use it. I don't know why I leave it there to be honest ... but at least I never have to change it
Cats are usually very clean and usually quite capable of going all night without a tray. Mine often come in around 6pm. Have tea. Go to sleep and don't surface again until midday. Then they have a late breakfast(!) and saunter off out in no hurry at all it seems to relieve themselves.

MycatsaPirate · 06/10/2018 13:01

We have six cats and they are all called in by 10pm each night. Two of them rarely venture out and none go much further than our garden. But we have four litter trays and they get used.

Even the boys who prefer to wee outside will use the litter trays on cold and wet days rather than getting their feet wet!

BoundByBriars · 06/10/2018 13:03

ThisBitch, Methe etc We don’t KEEP the tray full of shit you idiots!! If it’s been used in the morning we clean it out FFS.

It obviously depends on the individual cat and their preference. If yours don’t use it that’s fine, but some do. If the op has kittens, it’s obvs worth keeping one until they settle into a routine as they will be unreliable for a while yet.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 06/10/2018 13:06

I really hope that one day some people on this thread are locked inside with no access to a toilet until someone lets them out.

Mind you there seem to be a lot of new posters in the Litter Tray today, I thought I'd strayed into AIBU...

MaryandMichael · 06/10/2018 13:09

Your cat needs a tray or trays unless you want stinky piss and poo in random places around your house.

There, see. Sorted.

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