I have 3 cats that use my dog door. They are indoor/outdoor cats. I have 2 VERY large litter boxes inside. As in the boxes hold 40 pounds of litter. I pick the litter ever 3 or 4 days. I am wondering if I can not have the indoor boxes to encourage them to use the great outdoor world. I have lots of gardens with mulch.
Previously I had a crew that ONLY used the indoor boxes unless it was totally snow/ice covered.
Would I be mean to remove the current boxes for a few weeks to get them to use the great outdoor world?
Please do not get into the debate on if cats should be allowed outside. This is more a by-product of my dog not being stuck inside for more than 10 hours and the cats have figured out the same door the dog uses. The cats are safe from cars due to the property layout.
So back to my original question, can I remove the litter boxes to encourage them to use outside? I am happy to set up a box if the weather really sucks
The risk is they start getting creative on where to go inside.
Your call.
Have you considered an automatic emptying litter box for them. I found the Whisker Litter Robot 4 to be a life changer for me.
I have a similar situation, but my newest cat hasn’t gone outside yet. I am willing to keep them, (I have 3 boxes), I think Tater mostly goes out, but I would rather keep the boxes to be sure of no accidents. I bought a 40 lb box of litter a month or two ago, and I haven’t even used it yet-well, maybe once. I keep them about 2 inches deep. They don’t throw it around much, well behaved boys.
Get some play ground sand bags and dump them outside in a spare litter box. Once they consistently go outside in the spare box, eliminate the boxes in the house.
Otherwise you are just asking for issues like peed on laundry and you definitely don’t want that problem.
My cats have the same set up and I keep my litter boxes. I’ve noticed that the cats go in phases as to how much they use the inside boxes. It can be weather dependent or if the ground is too hard. I definitely don’t scoop everyday. My cats all come in for the night too so I would hate for them to not have their own bathroom. I’d rather be safe than sorry.
I have 2 litter boxes on the first floor that hold 42 pounds of cat litter each (Thank you Costco). I pick every few days. Gardens are mulched, so this time of year there are areas outside that they are able to easily bury things.
I may eliminate one of the indoor litter boxes and add an area of sand outside.
I agree with everyone who says keep the litter boxes. I have 5 cats, all indoor/outdoor. They mostly go outside, but they also still use the indoor boxes. I have one cat that likes to come inside to use his toilet and another cat who likes to use the horse stalls as a litter box. They have their preferences, and they consider it my job to accommodate them.
I got little Muffin litter box trained. She is a star! She doesn’t like to play outside much but she always scratches to come in when she has to poop or pee. You don’t do that outdoors. That is what the box is for. I can’t get mad at her since she is doing what she has been trained to do. Missy almost always lets me know she wants to go outside instead of using the box. I appreciate that when I am cleaning the boxes.
I will be the outlier and say that we have indoor/outdoor housecats as well as indoor/outdoor barn kittens. We have zero litter boxes in the house or the barn. We’ve never had an issue with accidents inside, and we’ve done this for years and years.
