How to persuade cat to stop using the litter tray and go in the garden??

[Shinyandnew1]

Our rescue (6.5m)has just started to go outside for the first time and absolutely loves it but comes crashing back through the cat flap in order to use the litter tray!

We already have an older cat who goes outside and I thought the kitten would just watch and learn but it doesn’t seem to be happening. I’ve tried taking one of his poos and putting it outside on the soil and he watched me do it but he clearly thinks I’m a bit mad!

Is there anything else I can try? He enjoys the digging part of using the litter tray and the soil is a bit hard at the moment, I guess. Would it help if I put some compost out in a particular area to give him something to dig?

Bag of compost and fork the contents of the litter tray through it. If you’re happy to have a giant cat toilet in the garden.

Well if cat uses litter tray it’s not crapping in your neighbour’s garden….

As a cat owner I agree.
I say don’t encourage your cat to go outside. Neighbours don’t want your cats crap in their garden.

Put the litter tray outside on dry days

6months is too young to be out overnight. Plus a lot of cats won't go out in the wind and rain. You'd be better giving him the option of a tray.

Put the tray outside while the cat flap is open, or take it away completely when they can get out.

Those that have their cats go outside, how do you clear it up? I find it much easier to clear up a litter tray rather than from the grass. Or are you hoping that it’s not your garden they crap in? 🤣

Personally, I prefer having a litter tray. My cat hates the wind and rain, which is fairly common here. I don’t want him having free rein outside at night. And, if he needs to be confined for health reasons, then I know he’s got no problem with tray.

6.5 months is too young to expect this. Give it another few months then move the litter tray as close as possible to the cat flap. Then outside (hopefully weather will be drier) but no guarantees you won't get the odd wee or poo in the house where the tray was to start with. I don’t let mine outside until at least a year old.

Please don't take away the option for him to go inside. All cats should have access to a litter tray even if they rarely/never use it.

One day your cat might be scared, or unwell, or trapped inside for some reason and need the toilet and you really don't want them to have no choice but to go on the floor or on the beds.

Keep the litter tray - it's part of owning cats.

My cats have always come back from wherever they are to use their litter tray. Like PP I prefer it that way.

Keep the litter tray!

@Furries Those that have their cats go outside, how do you clear it up?
They don’t. Because no cat in the history of cats has ever had a shit in its own garden……they always go in the garden of a home with no cats and an enthusiastic gardener.

Since we moved house and had cats shut in for the obligatory 2 week, smallcat has continued to use the litter tray and I'm delighted. I'd much rather she was doing that than somewhere else, either my garden or the neighbours. I wish bigcat would.

My old indoor/outdoor cats would poo indoors and pee outdoors it was a good solution

After a while (between 9 and 12 months) mine magically started to poo outside. I did put a bit of cat litter in 3 areas of the garden, two secluded and choose by me, one in the main veg patch where the cats had pooed a few times before. Obviously they have chosen to go only in the veg patch!

This for me is much better than the litter tray as I clean it out once a week or so and it doesn't smell in the house. Can't plant any veg there anymore though!!

We still have the litter tray as cats are in overnight at present. I'd like to get rid of it altogether, but reading the comments above we probably won't.

This.

I'd far prefer it if mine didn't come back in to use their tray but that's hardly fair on the neighbours.

Ours go in soil, so I use a trowel to remove poo and put into dog poo bag. Grass would be much more difficult.

Mine was over a year old before she'd start going outside. She has a specific raised bed area down the side of the house that she uses. I'm really pleased she uses my garden and not the neighbours, but this has been luck rather than judgement!

Cats also really like going in sand. A problem for play parks but you could make a small raised bed, weedproof membrane and fill it with sand. The colour difference would make the poo easier to trowel out and wee would wash through in the rain. I tried having a small sandpit for the dc and the cats automatically used it as a loo.

Mine is 14 and still comes back inside to use the litter tray. I’d much rather clean out the litter tray than (a) have a garden full of crap or (b) have my neighbours’ gardens full of cat crap.

I’ve tried taking one of his poos and putting it outside on the soil and he watched me do it but he clearly thinks I’m a bit mad!

TBF he’s got a point 😁

See how it goes as the weather warms up. He might not like a cold bum!

Mine used to always use a litter tray. Then they got used to being outside and now would only do it in an emergency

Why do you want your cat to poo outside when you’ve no idea whose garden it’s doing it in? Unless your garden is cat-proofed and it can’t get out, of course.

You have a cat. You have to clean up after it.

So the poo becomes someone else's problem.

Too many cat owners don't seem to care about their cats shitting all over the place, unfortunately. You shouldn't have a pet if you don't want to have to clean up after them, IMO.