# Weaning my cats off the litter tray



## fairy39 (Jul 26, 2017)

Hello - a month ago I got two 9 year old rescue cats - a brother and sister - lovely affectionate cats, house trained - very happy with them. I was hoping that once they were let out into our garden (they were used to going outside with their previous owner) they would start to 'do their business' outdoors - we have a big garden, lots of soil and convenient areas - but they are going out to explore, and then coming back indoors to use the litter tray.
How can I wean them off the litter tray please and get them to use the outdoor garden? I don't want to have to keep buying litter and our previous cat used the garden soil no problem. (I don't know the situation with the owner they were with before, but I do know they roamed free in fields outside her home, so they are certainly not housebound cats)
All suggestions welcome thanks


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

You must let them use a tray if they want to. All cats must have 24/7 access to a suitable tray, even if they usually prefer to go outside.

Inciting cats to hold their bladder and bowels (even if that is not our intention) comes with a risk of health problems: failing to empty the bladder frequently enough is a contributor to FIC (feline idiopathic cystitis).

We can also run into problems with cats that never use trays, as they often refuse to use them if forced into confinement by injury - leading to more problems.

Cats may not wish to go outside to toilet if the weather is poor, or if they are timesharing the gardens with other local cats. It's not fair to force them, or make them wait.

There is information online on how to make a dedicated cat latrine in the garden:
http://www.catexpert.co.uk/cats/making-a-garden-latrine-for-your-cat/

... but it should not replace suitable indoor litter facilities.

Cats pee and poo - it's a fact of life! We can't - and shouldn't - try to avoid it.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

As above, please continue to provide your cats with the choice to use the litter trays or to go outside. In addition to all the excellent reasons given, often change in litter habits is the first sign of illness. And that's where the litter box and knowing their habits comes in handy. It could save a life..or save you a lot of money, if that's a better motive. The sooner an illness is detected, the less costly it is likely to be to treat.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@fairy39 - it is very possible that even though your cats went outdoors in their previous home they may have come back indoors to use litter trays. Cats quite often do this out of choice because they feel safer using their own indoor facilities. It also means you can shut cats indoors at night for their own safety, knowing you are providing use of several litter trays, which they are accustomed to use.

In addition, your cats have come to you from Rescue where they were penned, and had no choice but to use litter trays. It is possible they had been in the Rescue for a while, and if so, had plenty of time to get used to using litter trays and being comfortable with that.

You may find, come the warmer weather, that they sometimes like to pee in the garden and come back indoors to do their poos. This is what my 2 female cats do in the summer. My garden is cat proofed so the girls can't get out of it, and thus I'm able to observe their behaviour and note any change in their toilet habits, which might signify a health problem. And I can also observe their output in the litter trays for the same reason.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Whether or not cats chose to pee/poo outdoors is not really the issue , they need to be able to have the option of using a litter tray when they want to.
It is not fair to deny them the choice.


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## fairy39 (Jul 26, 2017)

Thanks for the advice. I will certainly keep the litter tray going- though I am surprised as all the cats we've had since childhood have had free access to gardens through cat flaps, and so other than when being litter trained as kittens, our cats haven't had indoor litter trays. (Well I blame my mother 60 years ago for setting a poor example!) Anyway ,situation rectified now and our preceding cats didn't seem to suffer.


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## RufusBiteUs (Feb 8, 2019)

@fairy39 , In response to your question...I'm not sure you can train them or wean them away from a litter box. An outside cat that has never seen litter will usually "go" there if they find it.
The only thing that might work? YOU decide that you want them TO use the litter box. Now that might work. lol


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## Islander (Mar 3, 2019)

interesting topic! i realised yesterday that my cats including the three new ones ( early November) have stopped using the indoor trays except in night emergencies and insist on going out even in a storm. i did not have to do anything; their choice entirely. Maybe that they took time to really feel safe and at home outside in a new place? That makes sense to me. They each have a way of asking to go out eg heading noisily for where they hid their "messages" when they were first here. maybe give it time? a huge upheaval, being rehomed..

and a month is no time at all for this. just let it develop and see? we expect so much of our cats. my three are still developing their individual characters after the traumas of being street cats


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