Can we nudge the cat to go outside not in litter tray?

[drspouse]

She's been with us a few weeks, very happy cat, but the litter tray is sooo smelly!
After breakfast (i.e. when we're eating ours) is prime time for her to go.
She usually looks at the cat flap, decides it's cold out, and uses the litter tray.
But she also goes out to survey her territory later in the day and comes in to use the tray.
Can we put the tray outside the back door?
Unfortunately there isn't room inside the door as it's really narrow just there.

Start by putting the tray outside or tip some litter where you want her to go outside.

DH has pointed out if we leave the tray outside the back door permanently it will get wet.
So maybe only for short periods.

Ooh now the litter outside could work!
Thing is, she happily goes in the plant pots inside

Just ditch the litter tray! She has a cat flap - sorted.

Just ditch the litter tray! She has a cat flap the pot plants - sorted

Wasn't it this time last year that people oldraver were digging paths in the snow and defrosting outside toilet sites for their cats Ernie?

Tough love eh?
There was a light smattering of snow on some surfaces this morning but we are in a warm sheltered coastal area so she'd have had plenty of clear newly dug flowerbeds to go on.

we don't have a little tray, we have a cat flap and a designated flower bed (designated by the cats, obviously, not us).

However - one cat is quite precious about getting her dainty little paws wet and has been known to take a dump behind the TV, for example, if she doesn't want to go out. Not often - like a dozen times in 10+ years - but it has been known.

You can get covered litter trays, a friend has them.

I fear she may decide outside is too wet, as when she first came she did a) use the plant pots and b) occasionally miss the litter tray (not sure if because it was smelly or she literally just missed).
But we will give it a go...

The trouble is she may prefer to use a litter tray. It is actually recommended that cats have a litter tray at home so they have somewhere safe to go to the toilet. By taking it away you are forcing her to use other peoples gardens or go into other cats territories.

I would recommend getting her a covered tray (they contain the smell better). By all means encourage her to go outside and she may find somewhere else to do her business. However truthfully I think its only fair and responsible for all cat owners to have a litter tray so she knows there is somewhere safe to go.

do you have a shed that you could put a cat flat and litter tray in?

You need a litter tray for when the cat is in overnight or if it’s unwell. Also to prevent your cat going in neighbour’s gardens.
Perhaps put some used litter where you want the cat to go.

While it's bastard cold and wet outside you may be stuck with a litter tray. We have one for our old cat, but while it's sleeting the younger ones use it too.

If you can absorb the expense, get high-end cat litter - stuff like Tesco's Premium or Catsan, basically anything that's white/grey, clumping, and has little blue deodorising crystals in. And costs about a fiver for a couple of week's refill.

She doesn't really like going in used litter, she only likes it if it's fresh! But fresh litter on an out of the way corner of a flower bed could work.
Our sheds are too small for a cat flap sadly.

Not if you like your neighbours. Mine did this to me

Please don't do this. We have a cat and I realise dealing with litter isn't very nice but you are possibly passing the problem onto someone else if you take away it's litter box.
We use wood pine litter and just use a small amount and change it over every single day. It really takes less than a minute to do as it doesn't clump. We also remove any poo straight away and have a covered litter box. I honestly believe in changing a little litter each day instead of leaving it. It makes life easier in the long run and your house won't stink like most places do with litter boxes.

We have new neighbours that moved in a few months ago. On the other side of us is an elderly lady with a very small neat garden with a tiny patch of grass. When I look out my window I can see that the neighbours cat has just covered her little front garden in poo. It looks disgusting as it's not buried at all, and the lady can't tend to the garden herself so it just keeps building up.

We do change it every day.. in fact often twice a day because it's so smelly near where we eat. I literally had to take my breakfast out of the room because I couldn't bear it, and I didn't have time to change it before taking the DCs to school.

None of our neighbours have grass (I'm not completely sure what one side has, because I can't see into their garden, but the other side has a patio and pots). We are the ones with a comfortable flower bed and then the next choice is the alley behind that has a lot of shrubs grown up to hide behind.