Can I train my cat to toilet outside? Q How can I persuade my eight-month-old cat to give up her litter tray and go to the toilet outside? I have had her since she was eight weeks old and although she explores outside, she still comes in to use her tray. Behaviourist Francesca Riccomini answers: Some cats do take a while to start going to the toilet outdoors and a number of things can influence them. If there are a lot of other cats around, she may not want to stay outside while eliminating because she feels vulnerable. You can often help by looking at your outdoor area to see how many hiding places she has near to her exit door where she can wait and adjust to the new environment before she moves further afield. If there are few or no hiding places, move large plant pots and garden furniture into the area. If you don’t think this is affecting her behaviour, make sure that she has a suitable latrine site that is not too far away. Sometimes there is nowhere suitable, or if there is, it is firmly in another cat’s territory. The ground should be good quality soil, easy for her to dig. Provide privacy with mature shrubs that give lots of cover, and you could also help by constructing a dedicated latrine in a suitable area of your garden by digging a pit, placing gravel in the bottom and mixing the soil with good quality playground sand (not builders’ sand!) Preferably construct a roof to keep the substrate dry and maintain it as you would a litter tray. When you have found a suitable site for her latrine, place some of the soiled litter from her tray in the area — but be patient and don’t be tempted to remove the tray until she is reliably using earth outside as a loo. Remember, in winter weather many cats are reluctant to go outside to the toilet so it’s always a good idea to have emergency facilities indoors just in case.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 22:15:00 +0000
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