Cat vs Sandpit

[FancyPants20]

We got a new cat at the start of the year. A few weeks ago, I realised she was no longer using her litter tray. We live in the country, surrounded by forest and no neighbors, so I thought she was using some of the many acres of private woodland available to her, like her predecessors.
But no, it turns out she's been using my four-year-old's sandpit.

I've cleaned it out completely and covered the area over for the moment, but does anyone have any suggestions of a longer-term strategy, please? I've put her litter tray outside and uncovered near the sandpit too, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not.

Thanks

you need to cover the sandpit when not in use.
strawberry netting might work (and dc can remove it themselves) or a chicken wire.

Maybe use sand in her litter tray for a little while, then gradually start mixing litter in till it's all litter?

Oh we had heck of a problem with our cat going in the sandpit , he could even get under the cover as it was only looped loosely on the corners

Ended up having to put lots of fastenings round the edge. It would probably be easier to push the cover down and put bricks in the corners

Thanks all. Looks like the cover will have to stay then. I've put wooden blocks around the edges so she can't get under it.
I might try and find something that looks a bit less shit at some stage, but at the moment, it'll stay like that.
Thanks again.

Ah well at least it wasn’t in your raised vegetable beds.

I found what I thought was a large slug near my plants.
It was not a large slug.
🤮
Ah well. The ‘gift giver’ was a young fluffy neighbour cat who moved away so problem solved.