What kind of litter is good for training outdoor cats?

Question

What kind of litter is good for cats that have always been outside but now in and having problems getting used to litter boxes? I use Tidy Cat.

Answer 1

I've actually been told to use regular, unfertilized potting soil for a while. Of course, this will be messy, so it would probably work best if you can confine the cats/litter to an easy to clean area, such as an uncarpeted basement. Gradually, as they get used to using the washroom in the box, you can mix in regular litter and use less soil. Eventually, they will go in the box with only litter.

The point is, cats are used to using dirt as their washrooms, as their natural instinct is to bury their excrements. By starting with a substance they are familliar with, it will make the training easier.

Hope this is workable for your household. If not, good luck anyway.

Answer 2

Our cat is an indoor/outdoor and has always done her bathroom business outdoors. She had surgery and hasn't been allowed outside for the past month so the vet advised us to use a litter box with Yesterday's News litter. It comes in scented (very gentle scent) and unscented variety. Our cat acted like she didn't know what to do about the litter box and didn't use it for the first 2 days, got us worried, and then started using it regularly. On rare occasions, she wants to go outside and stars pawing the door, so then I take her to the litter box to remind her where it is. That seems to have done the trick.

Answer 3

Try a natural clay based type, unscented.