Litter tray loiterer...

[Hayles]

ok, looks like I'm prob going to have to live with his indoor toileting

Had a word with other half last night, and he apologised and said he'd never turn Charlie out so I can relax a little bit on that front. He knows how much I love him and I know that, really, he loves him too (he's told me, and Charlie, several times!! He's a softy really).

I'm going to give your ideas a try. I dont think covered litter trays will work as Charlie doesnt like being in covered / confined spaces.. I think he must have had a bad experience once before becasue he really doesnt like it. I've bought him beds that are the little igloo / teepee type and he just refuses to go in. He absolutely adores his radiator beds and cushions though. I had planned to section an area of the yard off for him, plant some catnip etc. to encourage him into the area. he does like to bask in the sunshine. So that is one I will work on when we get to remodelling the yard!! We have limited space but I will make some of it his

I am going to try different litters too.

Charlie is going through almost a second kittenhood at the moment. Something I think may have been hard for him first time round. He wants to play play play and he's quite scratchy/bitey. He's very lovely though and I dont mind because just to be able to see him run in from the cold and cuddle up safe and warm makes it all worthwhile. I really wish I could help other cats in the same way but Charlie wouldn't cope well with another cat.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions, really really helpful as always xx

Hayley & Charlie xx

[Ambi]

We use covered litter trays & cats best litter - both worth their weight in gold!

We had tried just about everything & have a cat that unless herblitter was clean & fresh every day wouldnt use it. She would go outside it. Even buying cheaper litter was costing a fair bit each week. Jollyes had a demonstration one week of cats best & although it cost a lot more initially it is tge first clumper that we have used that really does what it claims to do & it does last 4 weeks with top ups

We scoop usually twice a day & any pooh lifted immediately & there is no smell at all & i am the worst person for detecting odours

Complete change once every four weeks unless tray gets soiled which happens with Tim / he is enthusiastic at scraping & sometimes bits of his pooh ends up on the sides in which case its a scrub job

We use detergent (washing powder) with disinfectant added & gOod scrub with washing up brush kept for the trays. Rinse well, dry with kitchen paper then spray with Johnstons bacterial spray, let that rest for 10 - 15 mins & dry off with kitchen paper - theyre spotless

Amber is our expert re clean trays & she is very happy to use cats best every day oh even with the outside run, ours still come back indoors to use their litter trays

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

I'm very much of the same mind as Susanne and Gillian on the pluses of indoor trays, but appreciate your concerns about not wanting your OH to be put off Charlie. 

Just a thought, but I wonder if you could try a covered litter tray and place it in a sheltered part of your yard away from prevailing wind direction?    I suspect the house in his mind is a safe place for him to carry out his toileting activities in his tray unmolested, so it may not work, but might be worth a go.

[Gillian Harvey]

I use wood based litter as I like the au naturelle element, but might start mixing it with a clumper

Is it the wood pellets you use? just in case you didnt realise Cats Best clumping is also wood based - just in granule form, so still a natural product if thats what you prefer. Worlds Best and chick crumbs are both corn based, so again fairly natural. 

Yes, I suspect you are right about him prefering his indoor litter over a flagged yard - so good idea about putting some of the yard over to beds with soil - I'm sure he'll use the soil. What you could do is make an area for him specifically perhaps, topped with sharp sand to encourage him - you'd need to keep scooping to keep it fresh though.

[Hayles]

Thank you to everyone for all of your help   

I do clean out the tray regularly and scoop every day, however, Charlie's outdoor antics are not so much these days and he doesn't want to go out much at all. he's become quite lazy since his neutering. Because of that he's often in all day and even though we have several trays dotted around, the first person home is greeted to a noxious aroma!!!

The bicarb is a good idea, I'll give that a go as that obviously isnt harmful to the little blighters. Hadn't thought of that one, so thanks.

I too scoop regularly, morning and evening and every time there is a 'solid'... I use wood based litter as I like the au naturelle element, but might start mixing it with a clumper and one that has a deodouriser built in...another idea i didn't think of!!!

We have a couple of trays, but I also like the idea of having a few more to swap litter into when cleaning the others. I tend to clean with boiling water, washing up liquid and then a blast with pet friendly disinfectant too. I think the smell builds up because he is in most of the day, the doors and windows are shut etc.

I agree that him going indoors is good due to problem detecting etc. but my other half was a bit anti cats anyway until he met Charlie. Charlie is 'His' cat (I believe there is at least one for everyone!). I dont want him to feel resentment towards him at this stage!!!

We dont have a garden, we have a  flagged yard, so it could just be that he doesnt have enough of the right material to make him go outside (although there are plenty of options around us, but may have been claimed by other cats). This is going to change as i'm digging up the yard and putting in flower beds etc. so he might feel like going outside when that happens.

Many thanks to you all for your suggestions, really appreciate your ideas
 

[Gillian Harvey]

Agree with Susanne, even if cats have outdoor access,  its still a good idea to keep a tray indoors. Mine all have outdoor access, but will regularly come in just to use the trays lol!    but I'm glad they do really as I can tell immediately if theres a problem.

I also use chick crumbs, they are very similar to Worlds Best, but cheaper if you buy online or at somewhere like Jollyes or other animal feed warehouses. I also rate Cats Best, similar to WB but larger granules (I don't use it now though simply because the tracking across the carpet drives me mad!) - both are clumping, so you only scoop the clumps of wee and solids and the remaining litter stays clean and therefore doesnt smell.

I clean my trays with hot water and washing up liquid, then a quick squirt of Trigene disinfectant (ok with animals, vets use it) When the trays are dry I sprinkle Bicarb of Soda in the bottom (helps with any smells) and then add the crumbs to a good depth. I  have a stock of clean trays, which I simply switch over once a week, tipping the remaining clean litter in and topping up if necessary.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I would consider his returning to use the tray a good thing.  It's much easier to pick up on any problems in that department if he is using a tray.   Plus it keeps him close to home if he has to return to use the tray.  If you really want him to go outside you could try gradually moving the tray nearer the door until eventually you can place it outside (you can get outdoor litter trays that prevent rain from getting in) to get him used to going outside again, or if he doesn't at least he'd be using a tray outdoors!   You could also try putting soil in the tray to get him used to that as a substrate, although probably best to do that gradually otherwise he might refuse to use it. 

re cleaning - I scrub the tray with washing up liquid, rinse and then use Johnsons litter tray cleaner.  With something designed for the purpose you can be sure it doesn't contain anything that will harm a cat.   I generally scoop as it's used (the open tray at least) and it only smells if there is a fresh poo sitting on the top!  Weekly I empty the tray and give it a bit of a clean and then put the scooped litter back in.   Approx every 2 months I empty it all out and start afresh with clean litter.   I usually use world's best but at the moment I'm using chick crumbs from PAH as they're cheaper.   

[CatGirl]

I check the trays all the time,so never any smell.I use wood litter +white one(can't remember the name lol) mixed.

[Dawn F]

what kind of litter to you use?  I use cats best and scoop daily and honestly there is no smell

[Hayles]

Hi folks,

It's been a while for me on here, but I have asked questions before and you've been really helpful....

I've adopted a stray, we've had him for nearly 2 years now. he's lovely (if a bit aggressive and unpredictable at times, but that's to be expected) and we had him neutered about a year ago and since then he has become a lovely clean boy, very attentive to his coat etc, and he no longer roams. However, he also wont go to the toilet outside. He goes in his litter tray, and will even come back in from outside to go.

I've thought that maybe he's lost his territory outside since he stopped wandering, and that bigger cats have scared him from going anywhere else. I love him to bits, but my other half is fed up of the smell of the trays. i wonder if there is anything i can do to either encourage him outside to toilet, or deodourise the litter tray safely, without causing him harm. I've looked at commercial deodourisers but to be honest, dont fancy them as I dont like the idea of him licking some chemical off his paws when he's stepped in there... any ideas??

Hayles xx