Converting stray to house cat: Litter pan issues

Before anything, I am hoping this is the right place for my question.

FireFly and I are new to the forum, I made a post on new cats on the block and after the posts with her pictures there is a full back story. To keep it short: I have a crew of four cats I feed regularly. Since December I have seen a small tortico cat a few times, she waits till my crew is done eating and picks at their left overs. In the past, if I tried to feed her she'd run away. On Sunday, however, she didn't run away, she ran inside and acted like she's lived with us forever. She seems young, is very sweet and playful, wants to be on top of me constantly and she comes to me if I call her with kissy noises. Since she came in, she didn't want to leave and even hid if we opened the door for any reason. We made her a make shift litter box (plastic drawer with news paper) and gave her food and water bowls. Monday morning, however, she darted out the door first thing. She hadn't used her make shift litter box at all, nor had she gone potty any where else inside. When I got home from work, she was waiting to come inside. Since then its been the same thing everyday, super happy to be with us, hide whenever we open the door (won't even come out if I call her with kissy noises) and not use the bathroom all night only to dart out the door first thing in the morning. I shredded the news paper in the make shift litter pan to see if that'd help but it didn't.

We think she just wants to go out to potty because, despite being offered a nice cuddly place to sleep, I caught her sleeping in the make shift litter pan... So I'm guessing she's not getting that it's a potty.

Today I plan to buy her a litter pan and litter.. Before I do so, I was hoping someone had an idea of what brand/kind of litter would be best for a cat who used to be outside and is preferring to hold it and go outside. Also, should I get her an enclosed litter box or a normal, open, litter pan?

I'm far from an expert, but first, definitely open, normal litter plan; I think she'd freak out if enclosed.

I'd try putting some sticks and dirt from outside with the newspaper and see if she goes in the litter box.

Some of her playfullness and cuddleness may be a sign she is in heat; any idea how old she is?

Not really, her teeth are super white, clean and beautiful.. Her paws look a little big for her but I don't know if that's a way to tell with cats. Might pics help?







From far :


Next to Windex bottle for size reference (please excuse my dirty floor it had been raining and snowing for like 3 days, lol):


I'll try the sticks and dirt from outside, great idea :-) thank you!

Okay so if it helps any.. I think our patio door just got sprayed. One of our neighbors has a male cat and the neighbor lets the cat out side a lot. He isn't fixed and tends to hang out by the patio door when FireFly is in the house. The computer is by the patio door and I just got a strong wiff of that smell when an unfixed male sprays. I looked outside and there he is. So... is he maybe trying to get her attention? She was on the couch when the smell started so I don't think she did it... Unless she did it earlier and I didn't see her.

Welcome !!!! And Firefly is so pretty!!! I think she is definitely almost a year as she has a short tail and a stocky body and appears to be a smallish kitty anyway. Very, very cute. I would get her to the vet right away for her spay surgery and check up. Are you planning on keeping her? She seems to have chosen you and wants to be an indoor kitty. The make shift litter box is not coming across to her as a "litter box". She thinks it is a nice cozy bed with all of that soft newspaper. What a good kitty holding it all night and then darting outside to do her business. I would pick up a large open box style litter pan, some Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter and add in some soil from outside to get her using the box. Also, Dr. Elsey makes a herbal litter attractant additive that will really draw her to the box.

How frustrating about your neighbors cat. Might you try to talk with them about getting their cat neutered. Gosh, it is such a shame that people allow their cats to roam outdoors unaltered adding more and more feral cats. It just burns me up and makes me so sad at the same time.

You could put out one of those SSSCAT motion detector air spraying cans. They work very, very well to keep cats from spraying homes. http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751025

I am not good at telling ages at all, but she looks young to me, still a kitten, less than a year old. I would try Kitten Attract or Cat Attract litter. I don't think she's recognizing the newspaper as litter. She needs something more dirt/gravel like
that she can dig and bury.

A big open litter box is the safer way to go. Some cats don't like an enclosed box.

ETA-oops, posted at the same time as Feralvr. Didn't mean to be repetitive.

Feralvr said:

Welcome !!!! And Firefly is so pretty!!! I think she is definitely almost a year as she has a short tail and a stocky body and appears to be a smallish kitty anyway. Very, very cute. I would get her to the vet right away for her spay surgery and check up. Are you planning on keeping her? She seems to have chosen you and wants to be an indoor kitty. The make shift litter box is not coming across to her as a "litter box". She thinks it is a nice cozy bed with all of that soft newspaper. What a good kitty holding it all night and then darting outside to do her business. I would pick up a large open box style litter pan, some Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter and add in some soil from outside to get her using the box. Also, Dr. Elsey makes a herbal litter attractant additive that will really draw her to the box.

How frustrating about your neighbors cat. Might you try to talk with them about getting their cat neutered. Gosh, it is such a shame that people allow their cats to roam outdoors unaltered adding more and more feral cats. It just burns me up and makes me so sad at the same time.

You could put out one of those SSSCAT motion detector air spraying cans. They work very, very well to keep cats from spraying homes. http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751025

Click to expand...

Thank you!! Next to black cats I've always thought torties and calicos are the most stunning, and the fact that she's got both markings is totally gorgeous!

Keeping her is the plan, I am going to hit Petsmart tonight for Dr. Elsey's herbal litter and, provided that encourages litter box usage, we'll get her to the vet this weekend for check up and to schedule a spay. The reason I want to wait and make sure she's comfortable going potty inside first is because I'm hoping that kills her desire to leave the house all together. This way, if the vet is a traumatic experience, she won't run out to potty and never come back. Fingers crossed!

And yes, she is so good waiting to go outside, it never ceases to amaze me when I wake up and she held it all night. It's gotta be hard, but I thank her for it for now :-) My fiancee is a clean freak and an accident inside would change his mind about letting her stay for good.

I have never actually seen the neighbor, just the window opening and the cat coming and going at his will. Even if I did see them, I'm not sure I would say anything (despite how bad it burns me up, too) because our apartment complex isn't a nice area (it's all we can afford though) and I don't want to make trouble for us. Just last Saturday, there was a fight (that originated in the non-neutered male's building, actually) and went clear to the other side of the complex and ended min someone getting stabbed. The cops are here constantly for similar problems so the fiancee and I just try to keep to ourselves. Before FireFly came into our lives, I was thinking of trying to sneak the male off and get him neutered but I think, for now at least, that plan will be back burnered.

Thanks so much for your help :-)

@ Feralvr = Thank you!! Next to black cats I've always thought torties and calicos are the most stunning, and the fact that she's got both markings is totally gorgeous!

Keeping her is the plan, I am going to hit Petsmart tonight for Dr. Elsey's herbal litter and, provided that encourages litter box usage, we'll get her to the vet this weekend for check up and to schedule a spay. The reason I want to wait and make sure she's comfortable going potty inside first is because I'm hoping that kills her desire to leave the house all together. This way, if the vet is a traumatic experience, she won't run out to potty and never come back. Fingers crossed!

And yes, she is so good waiting to go outside, it never ceases to amaze me when I wake up and she held it all night. It's gotta be hard, but I thank her for it for now :-) My fiancee is a clean freak and an accident inside would change his mind about letting her stay for good.

I have never actually seen the neighbor, just the window opening and the cat coming and going at his will. Even if I did see them, I'm not sure I would say anything (despite how bad it burns me up, too) because our apartment complex isn't a nice area (it's all we can afford though) and I don't want to make trouble for us. Just last Saturday, there was a fight (that originated in the non-neutered male's building, actually) and went clear to the other side of the complex and ended min someone getting stabbed. The cops are here constantly for similar problems so the fiancee and I just try to keep to ourselves. Before FireFly came into our lives, I was thinking of trying to sneak the male off and get him neutered but I think, for now at least, that plan will be back burnered.

Thanks so much for your help :-)

vball91 said:

I am not good at telling ages at all, but she looks young to me, still a kitten, less than a year old. I would try Kitten Attract or Cat Attract litter. I don't think she's recognizing the newspaper as litter. She needs something more dirt/gravel like
that she can dig and bury.

A big open litter box is the safer way to go. Some cats don't like an enclosed box.

ETA-oops, posted at the same time as Feralvr. Didn't mean to be repetitive.

Click to expand...

Lol it's all good, thank you any way =)

OK soo I can't edit my original post with an update but hopefully someone sees this...

I got the Dr. Elsey's and put it in her pan. I picked her up and put her in it and she immediately went to pee, however, she still didn't poo in there or outside of the box either. If she had to poo, she held it. Annnd she still ran out the door first thing in the morning...  

Well, that's good that she peed in the litter box. Ok, you might need another one. Some cats, especially ferals don't like to poop where they pee.

Or it could be a totally different reason why she's still going out, the male cat, rabbits, who knows? Can you try to follow her to see what she does?

Well, I could take the plastic organizational drawer we were using as a make-shift litter pan back out and see if two pans makes her feel more comfortable about pooing inside.

Usually when she leaves its around 8 am when my fiancee goes out to warm up our cars before we head to work, so, thus far we haven't been able to follow her. I am off all weekend though... Since she is still racing out the door in the morning and still has yet to go poo in her litter pan, I was planning to see what she does potty wise/how she feels being in the house all day, but I could let her out and follow her instead - what would be better? I'd really like to get an idea about how she feels/if she poos asap this way we can make her vet appointment, but then again, maybe I could get a good idea of what she's going out for if I follow her and find a way to fix it.. or make it available here at home.. Ugh I'm torn. 

The male isn't usually out that time of the morning... so I don't think its him. It might be squirrels, though (no rabbits that I've seen in our complex). 

Maybe try to see if you can keep her inside and place her in 2nd box in the morning and see if she will poop there? If that doesn't work and she cries to go out, then let her out and follow her? I'm not really sure what's best here. She still hasn't pooped inside right? So she must be going outside to poop, but is that the only reason she's going out?