Does anyone know how...

[Barbel]

to teach a fully litter box trained cat to use the bathroom outside?

We have three cats right now (hopefully we'll be down to two soon which is a whole other story!) who are all very good with using their litter boxes. When we move in a few months, I would really love to get rid of the boxes and have the cats use the bathroom outside in the backyard. I am not sure how to make the transition though. The last thing I want is for them to pee all over the place and ruin our new house because they don't have a box, but I am really tired of having the boxes indoors.

The cats are 6 months, two years and 9 years old. I am mostly worried about the 9 year old cat since she has only ever used a box. The 2 year old goes to the bathroom outside occasionally, but still mostly uses the box.

Any tips about this would be greatly appreciated!

 

[monkeytechahoo]

I'm not sure if you can really train a cat to go outside for that. I've had at least 2 cats all my life and they've been in/out cats with a box inside for those days/nights they're stuck inside.

My 3 cats now, ages 13yrs, 3yrs and 1yr, all use their box and go outside. Well the 13yr old has stopped going outside since our move to Texas, but he did go out for quite a while.

From what I know of cats, they're going to go when they need to and they'll use a pile of clothes to a bed if they feel like it.

I have heard & seen of trainin a cat to use the human toilet..*lol*

 

[DragonBeards]

We have 5 cats. Two of them are in/out, and one of them came to us as a stray. Even she uses the box indoors too though. If we didn't have boxes for the outside cats, I know for a fact that they would start to mark up the house. I don't think its possible to teach a cat just to go outside. Boxes are a necessary evil with cats, it seems.

 

[jemjdragon]

My dad's cat only went to do her business outside because my dad though it was "dirty" to keep a litter box. He always had to keep a door open, and when he didn't the cat left presents in our shoes. Its been 2 years and my shoes still smell like cat pee, even though I washed them several times. Sometimes stray cats and skunks wander into the house because i guess its a warm place to stray and there was cat food. He got a litter box eventually and all the accidents stopped and the door could be closed at night so we didn't need to be worried about the living room smelling like skunk again. This was my experience when my dad was to stubborn to get a litter box.

I feel that if you are going to try to get your cats to only do their business outside, get one of those electric cat doors that only open to your cats. Other than that, a litter box is a definite must, even if its only a just in case thing. I never liked finding presents in my shoes =P

 

[JordanAng420]

I don't ever recommend a cat to go outdoors under any circumstances. The minute your cat sets foot outdoors, it's chances of contracting Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) among other nasty diseases, such as Scabies, Herpes, fleas, ticks, loads of intestinal parasites, not to mention fights with other cats SOAR off the charts.

I understand it's a pain to keep litterboxes, but that's just a part of keeping cats. You wouldn't expect your leos to start living in a tree because it's inconvenient for you to have multiple hides, would you? Same goes for kitties.

 

[Krow]

I don't ever recommend a cat to go outdoors under any circumstances. The minute your cat sets foot outdoors, it's chances of contracting Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) among other nasty diseases, such as Scabies, Herpes, fleas, ticks, loads of intestinal parasites, not to mention fights with other cats SOAR off the charts.

I understand it's a pain to keep litterboxes, but that's just a part of keeping cats. You wouldn't expect your leos to start living in a tree because it's inconvenient for you to have multiple hides, would you? Same goes for kitties.

:main_thumbsup: Totally agree. We have 2 cats, their litter box is out in the utility room & our utility room door has a cat door on it, they HAD to start using the cat door because we also set their food out there, so they are perfectly fine doing it that way now.

 

[Barbel]

I don't ever recommend a cat to go outdoors under any circumstances. The minute your cat sets foot outdoors, it's chances of contracting Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) among other nasty diseases, such as Scabies, Herpes, fleas, ticks, loads of intestinal parasites, not to mention fights with other cats SOAR off the charts.

I understand it's a pain to keep litterboxes, but that's just a part of keeping cats. You wouldn't expect your leos to start living in a tree because it's inconvenient for you to have multiple hides, would you? Same goes for kitties.

I understand and am aware of all of that, but there are certain circumstances where I believe it is safe, and even healthy, for cats to venture outside. Fresh air does everybody good, even cats. It is the owners responsibility to make sure they do so in a safe manner, which I intend to do.

My parents have 3 cats who spend probably 80% of their time outdoors. They are well taken care of, spayed/neutered, have their shots, etc. and always have a clean bill of health at their vet check ups. (Yes, they take them in once a year.) They do not have litter boxes, but they NEVER had litter boxes and because my parents didn't need to transition them, they aren't much help.

My cats would ONLY be allowed to go out in the backyard. The front would not be a safe option as there is the possibility of them encountering other animals as well as cars. The house we are hoping to buy has a securely, block-fenced backyard which in itself if difficult to escape (or enter) and each entrance is double gated. There are also no trees to climb up.

Secondly, my cats are fully vaxed and are all spayed. (Well the youngest one isn't yet, but I am smart enough to know that she shouldn't go outside until she is spayed and we won't be moving for about 5 more months. Aside from that, she is the one I am hoping to rehome soon.)

I do not see litter boxes as merely an inconvenience; I have been cleaning boxes for about 6 years now and though it is definitely not my favorite thing to do, I don't mind it. There are a lot of other things that factor into why I would like to get rid of the boxes.

I have a baby now who is almost a toddler, so keeping up with the boxes has become a bit more difficult. Plus, even though the boxes are gated off, I do worry about her getting into them if she is down in an area where the boxes are located. They also stink at times (they are cleaned about every other day) and I hate that litter smell, especially around my baby, and I hate having to constantly sweep litter off the floor; it's just dirty. Lastly, our litter boxes are in the laundry room and the den as of now. In our new house there won't be a good place for the boxes as the laundry room is outside, the bathrooms are smaller and the den doesn't have a doorway that can be gated off to keep my child and my dogs out of it.

So as you see I have thought about this A LOT!

My 2 year old cat has asked to go outside to use the bathroom and come right back in. She has only done it a couple times and I don't know why she started doing it. I am more worried about the 9 year old as a box is all she knows. I was just hoping that someone might have transitioned their cats before and maybe had some tips for me. I guess I need to look elsewhere.

 

[BalloonzForU]

I've never had a cat that was indoor and outdoor. Just felt once they were inside they were safer inside.

 

[jemjdragon]

I think it would be much harder to get your older cat to get trained to go outside. Have you thought of looking into the litter boxes that look like dog igloos? I think there's called a Booda Clean Step Litter Box. Its a little larger but it might help with keeping litter off the floor.

If you could some how attach an electric kitty door to it so only the cats can use it, your toddler shouldn't be able to get into it.
I'm not sure what you could do about the smell. Maybe put baking powder into the litter? Or hang one of those smelly trees that you put in the car near the box?
Anyways, one way you "could" try to get your cats to start going outside is moving the litter box closer and closer to the door that leads outside then putting the litter box outside. I've never tried to teach a cat to go outside and I wouldn't get rid of the litter box completely because at night if the cat has to go and its in the house with no way out, they might go in your plants or shoes.
Also, cats still have the ability to climb fences, so you might want to build a "cat run" with a roof if you are thinking of just letting them be in your yard.

 

[Barbel]

^^ Well, thank you for the suggestions. I will consider those ideas if I am able to get them both to go outside consistently.

As for the naysayers, I have found a few websites with helpful tips on training litter box using cats to go outside. It will take some work and some time, but I think I can train them.

I know I must be a horrible pet owner for wanting my cats to spend about 30 minutes per day outside in an enclosed area to use the bathroom, but it is the best thing for my family and the best option to keep our cats with us.

 

[JordanAng420]

Nobody said you were a horrible pet owner. :main_rolleyes:

I was just trying to make you aware of all the HORRIBLE things that can happen to them while they're out there...even it's just for 30 minutes a day. But you're right, it's your decision, and I wish you luck with your challenge of re-doing potty training.

 

[BadKelpie]

I grew up with indoor/outdoor cats. Given the choice, most of these cats preferred to go outside once they'd done it a few times.

I think your best bet is to make an area in the back yard (that your toddler can't get into later on), dig up the dirt and mix some sand and maybe some leaves into it. Make a nice attractive (to cats), easy to dig, outdoor "litterbox".

 

[JordanAng420]

The cat can learn to use a litterbox inside. I fail to understand the reason as to why the cat can't use a normal litterbox? I also fail to understand as to why the cat needs to go outside?

The only reason I can come up with is because it's inconvenient for the owner to have to deal with litterboxes...

 

[kathryn]

Well, if the OP is still reading, there are numerous reasons beyond what everyone else was saying as to why your cat should be going outside. Sorry, I have 12 indoor cats and usually run 6-7 litterboxes at a time and I deal with it.

Fresh air is good for everyone, sure! Why don't you leave your kid unattended outside for a bit? Because if you are willing to let your cats run around without any supervision then why not your kid?

I would recommend World's Best Cat litter if you are worried about tracking and whatnot. I use that and add baking soda. It works great. Much easier to clean.

And while spay/neuter is 100% effective when done properly, there are is no vaccine against getting run over by a car. Not to mention the various parasites your cat can pick up AND give to your toddler. There are no safe parasite repellents for cats. Sure, Frontline will kill pests once they BITE your cat, but if a tick hitches a ride in their fur you are exposing your kid to Lyme disease or other horrible diseases (depending on where you live). Also tapeworms are transmittable to humans and are a risk for your baby because they a passed from ingesting tapeworm eggs/larvae (think your kid petting the cat then sticking their hands in their mouth). Those could potentially kill your kid if passed. Hmm also the various other things like toxoplasmosis so if they get that and pass it to you if you decide to have another kid.. well that's bad news.


Also depending on your area, if your cats are not properly identified (collars fall off and chips aren't visible unless scanned), your cat is fair game to-

-Animal Control (some shelters kill pets if unclaimed in 72 hours, and depending on where you live some states still use gas chambers to suffocate animals)
-Hunters (some areas allow shooting, beheading etc of 'stray' cats)
-Collectors and Class B animal dealers. These are the people that snatch animals and sell them to laboratories for experimentation,vivisection or to pump them full of chemicals and sell them to schools to be dissected.
-Just random crazy people.. like the kids who like to set animals on fire or shoot them with pellet guns. My friend actually found a cat that had been shot through the face with an arrow and had to have her eyeball removed. I also had found a kitten that my neighbor tried to kill and broke it's spinal chord and he was paralyzed until he died at about 6 months old.
-FIV and FeLV. Those are transmittable between cats. I have a cat with it because someone let her go as a stray and I adopted her from a shelter. She's probably going to die this year. She's only about 5 or 6.
-Rabies (depending on region). Even if vaccinated, if your animal is bit by a suspected rabid animal, the animal control in your area has the authority in alot of cases to take your pet from you, euthanize it and chop its head off to send out for rabies testing to the state (I found a stray kitten that started having seizures and foaming at the mouth. I had to have him euthanized and drive him up to the state testing center for my state).
-Fines. You can be charged for abandoning an animal, breaking a leash law, animals running at large etc.
-Parasite.. tapeworm, roundworm, hookworm, heartworm, fleas, ticks...
-Panleukopenia, although vaccinated there is still somewhat of a risk of contracting it. Also, certain other virus's can still be passed. Feline Herpes Virus to name one, which is a lifetime disorder. One of my cats has that and his eyes leak gunk constantly. It's not serious, but it is pretty gross and we've spent well over $1,000 trying to correct it.

So in short, nobody said you were a horrible pet owner, but if you seriously are willing to risk your health, your pets health and the publics health because you are too lazy to clean up some kitty litter.... :main_rolleyes:

Oh, and here is the cat my friend found, for good measure.


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[catvettech]

Unless you plan to put each cat on it's own harness and walk it around the yard, you cannot assume that they will stay in the backyard only. A cat is a cat! Litter boxes need to be scooped twice daily, not every other day. I have raised two human babies and had cats and arranged everything so that both could be well taken care of - I would not have had it any other way. If I had to move to another residence, I would have done as my friend did - find a home that would accommodate everyone.