Any advice on getting an old cat to use a litter tray?

[cattawallawalla]

Hello Baggy -

Hmmm. Have you tried moving the tray? It may be too close to the food as well as being too close to too much activity in the kitchen. Can it be put in the bathroom? I think it will be hard to convince Proot to use a box if he, (or she), has the option to go out during the day. If the cat is used to going outside, it will continue to seek that out until the access is cut off. There is a product here in the U.S. called Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter. It really does attract the cats, and I am told by people it is because there is catnip formulated into the litter somehow. I used when my skittish guy had errant urination.

Esther

[Baggy]

Thanks all - put some soil in the tray yesterday afternoon and have just checked this thread again - will go home, remove soil and replace with compost!

Proot wasn't impressed with it anyway    headed straight for the front door this morning!  Will try again......

[Christine (Blip)]

I Woudl go with the soil option - although I have read you shouldn't use garden soil unless it has been baked first, I just can't remember why, and I know we had this debate on CC, and cant' remember the outcome!!!

I can remember because it was me with my first ever post on CC! Blip won't use a litter tray either.   I bought a bag of multi-purpose compost to use in her litter tray - it was to avoid the bad bugs in garden soil.

It didn't impress Blip at the time, but I might give it another go and it would be definitely worth a try, Baggy...

[Desley (booktigger)]

I Woudl go with the soil option - although I have read you shouldn't use garden soil unless it has been baked first, I just can't remember why, and I know we had this debate on CC, and cant' remember the outcome!!! You can then gradually increase the litter - it can be hard with stubborn cats though, Ginger had lived as a stray for 3 years when he came, he took to a tray no prob for a short while, and would then prefer to hold it in all evening rather than use the tray, and then kept finding himself caught short during the night, so took to the tray again!!

[Amanda (mad4moggies)]

Baggy, i agree with you. I think maybe using soil at first might help him realise that he can use the tray for his wees/poos.

[Ela]

but have a feeling he'd still not use it.

We take in numerous cats a year many of them have near used a tray in their life but all do use the tray once provided.

[Baggy]

Thanks, I'll give that a try.  Normal Catsan is what I tried first - I think it hurt his paws.
Wonder if mixing a bit of grass/soil in might help too.
Our garage is filling up with bags of litter.....

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

I would try a very fine litter .... catsan ultra (clumping)  is very very fine .... like silver sand.  Make sure it's the clumping type not the normal catsan white lumpy stuff.  He may prefer this to wood based stuff (none of my lot like wood based).  I would try shutting him in one room ... with the litter tray until he uses it. 

[Baggy]

I'm trying to encourage the Proot, aged 15, to use a litter tray so we can shut the cat flap at night (otherwise we are invaded by stinky cat).

I've tried two different types of litter, one of them wood based.  Tray is under the table in the kitchen, about 2 metres from his food dishes.

Have tried picking him up and plonking him on tray when he asks to go out.  Result - evil look and gets straight off tray....

Have put some of his wee on to the tray.  Result - sniffs, looks horrified - evil look and gets straight off tray.....

He's a bit unusual in that he wees on grass and doesn't ever attempt to scratch to cover it up.

Have thought about shutting him in the kitchen until he's bursting to go, but have a feeling he'd still not use it.

Any ideas?