Is my sister in law keeping her litter box outside bad for her cat?

[terestrife]

i was stunned today when my sister in law told me that she moved her cats litter box to her backyard. she waits until her indoor cat scratches at the door to open it, the cat goes outside to use it, and then goes back in.

apparently, the scent bothers her. but id be worried about leaving it outside and some random cat using it. or falling asleep early and not realizing my cat hasnt used her box before i go to bed.

she says she uses it once before they go to sleep, and then she doesnt need it till the next day. which is odd, because i scoop in the morning and my cat uses her box. shes a stay at home mom, though she sometimes stays out of the house during the day.

not only that, my cat gets really antsy whenever i take out her box to give it a thorough cleaning, i dont even take long, but as soon as i put it down, she jumps in. lol even without litter she'll start scratching for me to hurry.

i just worry her cat will panic one day and use her living room as her box. lol which will lead it to getting used to doing that rather than using her box. i didnt say anything because its not my business, but it was hard not to say something.

 

[vball91]

In addition to the issues you mentioned, is she going outside to scoop or bring it in to scoop? Or just not scooping since it's outside and she can't smell it anymore? This seems like a bad idea on many levels.

 

[terestrife]

In addition to the issues you mentioned, is she going outside to scoop or bring it in to scoop? Or just not scooping since it's outside and she can't smell it anymore? This seems like a bad idea on many levels.

when it was inside she would scoop twice a day, not sure if she still is though.

 

[mani]

See if her cat will use an enclosed box.  And she could experiment with different litters. 

Putting it outside is not a great idea, for all the reasons already mentioned... poor pussycat needs access whenever she needs it, and since she's an inside cat it's by far the best for her if she stays that way.... she could get spooked and take off, meet up with strays or ferals; there are all sorts of issues.

 

[raintyger]

I read somewhere that cats usually do pee at night. Mine pees at 4:00 a.m.-5:00 a.m. Our house is small, so I can hear her covering up her mess from the bedroom.

Cats can also get picky about undesirable litter boxes and refuse to use them. This can lead to constipation problems. Constipation problems can mean going to the vet for an enema or having to take prescription medicine or even surgery. I would worry about the litter box becoming undesirable especially in inclement or colder weather--after all, you wouldn't want to tromp outside to use an outhouse, even if it was equipped with modern plumbing, would you?
 

Our litter box does not smell. All waste is cleaned from it twice a day at minimum. What type of litter is she using? The non-clumping ones can smell after a while.

 

[terestrife]

I read somewhere that cats usually do pee at night. Mine pees at 4:00 a.m.-5:00 a.m. Our house is small, so I can hear her covering up her mess from the bedroom.

Cats can also get picky about undesirable litter boxes and refuse to use them. This can lead to constipation problems. Constipation problems can mean going to the vet for an enema or having to take prescription medicine or even surgery. I would worry about the litter box becoming undesirable especially in inclement or colder weather--after all, you wouldn't want to tromp outside to use an outhouse, even if it was equipped with modern plumbing, would you?
 

Our litter box does not smell. All waste is cleaned from it twice a day at minimum. What type of litter is she using? The non-clumping ones can smell after a while.

she uses tidy cats, the one in the yellow container.

i want to help this cat, but im not sure how to broach the subject, so she doesnt think im criticizing her or trying to tell her what to do. it is her home, and her cat after all.

 

[raintyger]

I went to the  Tidy Cats website, but it showed both non-clumping and clumping in yellow packaging.

Since your sister seems to be thinking more about how the litter box affects her than the cat, I would persuade with reasons that would affect her. For instance:

--Cat will pee or poop on her possessions/house if it can't go when it wants to

--Cat could develop expensive medical problems

--Creates a situation where your sister could be house bound because she has to wait for the cat to signal it's time to go

If you happen upon a cheap enclosed box or good litter for cheap, you could offer it to her. Make it really casual and say you thought it might help--if the litter box isn't outside she doesn't have to watch for the cat to signal. I got a decent brand of litter from Petsmart by purchasing something. Their tape register spat out a coupon for 50% off litter.

 

[barry hayward]

I keep my litter box in the bathroom and I clean it daily. I use Arm & Hammer kitty litter and not only does it keep the cat smells away but also takes away any other bathroom related smells. Besides it's winter in Newfoundland and letting my cat go in -10 degree weather is not an option.