Stray cat has home back, struggling with litter tray

[TheCatReallyDidComeBack]

Looking for some suggestions here. Our cat went missing for ten years and we got her back 2 weeks ago. She’s probably been straying for most of those ten years and is 17 now. She’s currently confined to our house because she had a ton of dental work and I don’t want her to immediately go missing again.

I am having some litter tray issues though. She’s doing fine with wees in the litter tray and I get the odd bit of poo. But when she has a big poo the tray seems to be bothering her and she races around a bit as if she’d like somewhere else to go. She has on three occasions now done a poo on the bed instead.

I think it’s obvious she’s not comfortable with the litter tray, but I’m wondering what to do. Bigger tray? Covered? Different sort of litter? I’m sure she’d like to go outside to do it but it’s too early to let her out. I wondered if anyone has rehomed a former stray and maybe dealt with similar issues and might have advice?

Also, if it makes a difference we do have another cat. He doesn’t use a litter tray and they have very little to do with each other.

Wow. Returned after ten years. That's incredible! Does she recognise you?

You got her back after 10 years! Fantastic. It sounds as though your cat is unhappy with the other cat, so is marking her territory. Is the litter tray away from her food bowl? Also, is she fed away from the other cat? Ideally, feed one cat in the kitchen and the other in the hallway or somewhere.

Tray is away from her food bowl but maybe not far enough away. She was nervous so sticking to one room, there's only so much space to put litter tray and food but they are in separate bits of the room. The two cars barely see each other most of the time, fed separately and he's not been around when any of this has happened. It honestly seems more like an issue with the litter tray itself.

Honestly I don't know. She was an independent cat when she lived with us initially and barely gave us the time of day at the time! She seems happy enough to be here.

Could you put soil in her litter tray? I know it's messy

Can you set up another litter tray with a different litter or as a pp suggested soil?

I did wonder about trying soil, my reluctance is mainly that she’s mainly sticking to carpeted areas for hanging out. Maybe a new litter first and then try the next thing if it doesn’t work. I’m not sure how long to keep her inside for and therefore how long it will be an issue, my instinct is forever!

And maybe two trays. Perhaps she doesn’t like doing everything in the same place? I think I’ve still got a covered tray in the shed so I could have an open one and a covered one in case she likes the privacy.

It’s been a very unexpected addition to the house so my mind is fried! I still find it hard to believe she’s even here.

I know you don’t want to let her out, but I can’t help thinking that getting her to use a tray is going to be difficult, given that she probably hasn’t used one for at least 10 years! Did she use one when you had her before?
Our cat came to us aged 2, having only ever used a litter tray, which of course we kept on. I noticed one day that it hadn’t been used, and started worrying about retention etc. although the cat seemed fine. It transpired that he had decided to go outside with no encouragement from us at all, and nothing has ever induced him to revert to the tray. We always put it there if it’s bad weather or freezing cold, but he always insists on going out. Sorry, I know it’s not very helpful, but once cats make up their minds on something, it’s sometimes difficult to shift them!

@watcherintherye she is using the litter tray, she's using it perfectly for wees and has used it for some poos. So it's not a case of not using it at all. It's just a few times when she has done particularly large poos that she hasn't wanted to use the tray.

I've had cats for years and always found they've reverted fine to using a litter tray if they initially used them. All of mine at times have had to for some reason or another.

One of mine preferred separate trays for wees and poos, and quite deep litter for poos. So if you have a 2nd tray I think it would be worth trying that. You could also experiment with quite deep litter in one and more shallow in the other perhaps?

Thanks, that's a good idea about separate trays, although our other cat has now decided litter trays are brilliant so is also using them. I think mainly to piss me off assert dominance. I did swap her litter to Cat's Best because I think the big wooden pellets of the wood litter were uncomfortable for her. We've not had any deposits elsewhere since, thankfully. And I'm amazed to have finally found a clumping litter I don't despise.

The other cat using the tray is very annoying though as I don't think she's impressed. I've got two trays set up and am going to dig a third out of the shed so we can do the "one tray for each cat plus one extra".

Cats can be funny about their litter and trays! Girlcat has to have a tray with a broad lip to it (PaH do one with a soft curved removable rim about 1.5 inches wide) as she likes to half stand up with her front paws on the rim to poo.

FWK (friend with kittens) has to have 5 trays for his 3, despite the old lady going mostly outdoors. One boy will pee & poo in any tray whatever litter is in there. The other boy will only pee on one type of litter & poo on a different type, and then only if the right type is in the right location!

At 17 she may be finding any harder litter uncomfortable on her feet, or be getting stiffer. OTOH, she may well be saving her biggest poos for marking her "new" territory!