# poohing in the flower bed on cat grave :-(



## verity84 (Dec 30, 2014)

Hello
I have 2 cats a boy and a girl and they are 8 months old siblings. I lost my precious boy cat (they didn't overlap) last november, he is buried in a box under the flower bed.
He never poohed anywhere in our garden that I ever saw in his whole life. Wherever he poohed it wasn't in our garden!!
My new cats I got in january and over a period of time weaned them off the litter tray to going outside.
The problem is they pooh all over the flower bed!!!
It upsets me because it looks horrible (If i'd wanted pooh in the garden I'd have got a dog!) but mostly because its right over where I buried my precious boy.
How can I stop them?
How can I encourage them to go somewhere else?
Where do cats normally do it? As I said I really have no idea where my old cat went as I never saw any evidence ever.
Please help, I love cats, and I would never be actually cross at them for it because they don't know any better, but its really getting to me.
Many thanks!
verity


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

Hi Verity and welcome

I'm sorry you've lost your old boy 

I hate to say it but ..... if he wasn't pooping in your garden - he was probably doing it in one of your neighbours  

Did you never wonder where he was going if it wasn't in your garden .... and who it might be just as revolting for them to have to clear up (sorry but it's really not fair to just let them go wherever they feel like it and expect someone else to have to deal with the cleaning up)

I assume the flower bed is nice soil - this is just the sort of thing cats love to go in ..... options are:

1) put gravel on the flower bed, they won't like digging through that 

2) put a litter tray indoors - although now they've got used to going outside they may still prefer to do that. 

I'm afraid I really don't understand why you got rid of the litter tray 

It has many advantages - mainly:

- you know where your cat is going - and it's easy to keep clean as it's always in the same place

- it's often the first hint of medical problems - eg an upset tum, cystitis etc


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## Blackcats (Apr 13, 2013)

You can't really train a cat where to poo outside. They'll pick the flower bed because the soil is nice and soft. 

Sorry you lost your boy.

But it's the flower bed or litter trays need to be introduced again.


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Hi Verity,

I'm sorry you've lost your boy. I lost my old kitty about a year ago. They leave a hole.

In answer to your question, your boy will have been most likely pooing in your neighbours' gardens (unless you happen to have a field or something immediately adjacent to your garden, in which case he may have used that, but neighbours' gardens would be the most likely).

Whereas this won't have been within your control, it is a point of contention for cat owners and non-owners alike, because - as I'm sure you can accept - nobody wants someone else's pets' poo all over their flower beds, never mind their own pets'!

Personally, I would find it very useful if my cat was using my garden, for a few reasons:
1. You do have a degree of control over this.
2. It is much nicer for the neighbours.
3. It gives you the opportunity to monitor your cats' poo - which isn't nice, I know, but is an important part of monitoring their health.

I second the advice to re-introduce litter trays indoors. This is SO important, as they must always have access to a toilet. You may find they never use them. But, in times of illness (just like us), cats can get caught short. And sometimes the weather outside is bloody terrible. Or there might be another cat out there who'll beat them up if they go out at a certain time, and they might need the loo at that particular time. Don't force them to have an accident in the house; that won't be good for any of you. Equally, forcing cats to hold their wee or poo can lead to several health issues.

Next, look at creating a toilet for them outdoors in your own garden. Find a private (but not too enclosed) space, perhaps at the bottom out the way, and place some sand/sandy soil. There's some more info here:

Your Cat | Can I train my cat to toilet outside? | Cat toileting issues | Cat Advice

Cinque Ports Vets - Information Sheets - Improving The Outdoor Environment For Cats

You can then inspect and poop-scoop the outdoor latrine just as you would an indoor tray. It'll be easier if it's outside, because the smell won't be so bad and you can fling it straight in the bin outside. 

As for your boy's grave, once you've set up the alternative latrine and guided them to it (make sure they're using it first!), block his grave off with plant pots or sprinkle some gravel over. Only do this once they're using the proper place. I know you probably won't want to cover his grave long-term, but it should only be temporary while your kitties are learning the ropes with the new place.

Hope you get on okay!

Any photos of anyone? 

Shosh x


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I would put a litter tray on the flower bed for him to use, then slowly move it to a more suitable place.

If you can get your cat to do his business in a litter tray in your own garden then you will save any aggro from neighbours.

A neighbour 2 doors up has recently got 2 cats and they are pooping in the garden of the neighbour between us - he is not happy.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hello Verity, I have to say I think it's really good that your kittens are toiletting in your garden and not causing a nuisance to neighbours, (particularly non-cat owning neighbours). Many outdoor cats prefer not to use their own garden as a toilet, and this can lead to all kinds of problems if a neighbour objects (which they'd have every right to)

As has already been said by others ^^, by pooing in your garden it does give you the opportunity to monitor their 'output' which can be useful and reassuring from a health POV. 

But if you set up an outdoor cat loo in your garden then you will also have the advantage of being able to monitor their bowel health. I built one of these in the garden for my own cats at my previous house, to discourage them from going to neighbours gardens, and it worked well. First I dug a hole about a foot deep, then put a layer of hardcore in the bottom, then put a layer of builders sand on top of that. As long as I scooped the deposits every day without fail the cats were happy to use the cat loo. 

My OH also made a canopy for the loo, so the cats (and the loo) had protection from the rain. A piece of cheap wood, to which he nailed roofing felt, then added a metal pole in each corner for supports, which he then pushed into the soil made it perfect. 

To stop the cats using the area where the grave is, the easiest thing would be to buy a small circular paving stone from a garden centre, and place it on the spot to mark the grave. Perhaps place a rambling plant in a pot on top of the paving stone.

I also agree with the others^^ it would be wise and compassionate to give the cats back their indoor litter trays so they have them if they need them.


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## m1xc2 (Mar 19, 2015)

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