Neighbourhood Cats

[Tibby123]

i have two questions. first one is I have been trying to get my litter trained cat to go outside when he needs the toilet, and currently his litter box is outside in the garden. He had been going to it normally and seemed to adjust well. However I cleaned it out recently, and the poo did not look like what my cat normally does. On top of that, every time I take him to his box, he doesn't seem to want to go. It seems like another cat has used the box, but is this possible, as it had already been 'marked' by my cat? And if so, what do I do?

Another question I have is if neighbourhood cats get along. My cat was sleeping next to the window on a chair, when i noticed that a grey cat was on the other side of the window intently staring at him. Is this a friendly or predatory gesture?

 

[di and bob]

The litter box is actually attracting other cats to go there. They will try to cover up your own cat's scent and mark it with their own. There is not much to do. See if your cat will go outside not in the box.
Intent staring is often hostile, but could be just intense curiosity too. My cats stared at each other for most of a year through a patio door, and when finally let loose got along fine. But most cats will fight when they are confronted with a stranger, so be careful. It depends too, if the cats are neutered, or if the other is female, those tend to get along better. An unaltered male usually ignores neutered males. The more cats are exposed to each other, the less chance of fighting.

 

[ArtNJ]

Why would you want an indoor/outdoor that only goes outside? What happens when they are inside for a nasty storm, or a deep cold snap (depending on where you live)? Or when you go on vacation? Just asking, because my cat only likes to go outside and I've struggled to get her to go inside as well for these reasons.

Also, an outside litterbox would surely be repulsive to the cat after rain, and to you to clean up.

 

[duckpond]

If you are putting a litter box outdoors all the cats in the neighborhood will take that as an invitation. so might other animals that wander through.

If you have an indoor out door cat they will normally go outside without issue when they are out, i dont think you need to train for that. Then if you bring them in they can use the box?

You have no way of knowing if the other cat wants to be friends, or fight, until you see them together. Cats can be very territorial, so if the other cat already feels the outside area is his, im guessing there will be fights if you let yours out.

 

[Tibby123]

The litter box is actually attracting other cats to go there. They will try to cover up your own cat's scent and mark it with their own. There is not much to do. See if your cat will go outside not in the box.
Intent staring is often hostile, but could be just intense curiosity too. My cats stared at each other for most of a year through a patio door, and when finally let loose got along fine. But most cats will fight when they are confronted with a stranger, so be careful. It depends too, if the cats are neutered, or if the other is female, those tend to get along better. An unaltered male usually ignores neutered males. The more cats are exposed to each other, the less chance of fighting.

oh no! i cleaned up the litter with the other cats poo and my cat started using it again, but i hope it doesn't happen again... Do you have any advice on how to get my cat to go in the bushes?
I have seen the staring cat cross my garden a few times, so i really hope she/ he is friendly as she/ he is twice the size of my cat! do you think it is safe to let my cat out at night with the other cats or not?

 

[Tibby123]

Why would you want an indoor/outdoor that only goes outside? What happens when they are inside for a nasty storm, or a deep cold snap (depending on where you live)? Or when you go on vacation? Just asking, because my cat only likes to go outside and I've struggled to get her to go inside as well for these reasons.

Also, an outside litterbox would surely be repulsive to the cat after rain, and to you to clean up.

My cat likes to stay inside in the daytime, but is eager to go out in the evenings so i let him go where he wants. Right now it is summer so there is no problem with him going outside. Once he is trained to go out, i will still keep the litter tray to take out when there is a long storm! However I have asked my friends what they do in these situations and their cats will quickly go in the bushes and then return home. The litter box we have luckily has a lid, so it doesn't really get affected by the rain!

 

[Tibby123]

If you are putting a litter box outdoors all the cats in the neighborhood will take that as an invitation. so might other animals that wander through.

If you have an indoor out door cat they will normally go outside without issue when they are out, i dont think you need to train for that. Then if you bring them in they can use the box?

You have no way of knowing if the other cat wants to be friends, or fight, until you see them together. Cats can be very territorial, so if the other cat already feels the outside area is his, im guessing there will be fights if you let yours out.

What would happen before is that my cat would go play outside all day, run in the house to use the litter box and then go outside again! the only time he does not have access to go outside is at night, but that is ok because he sleeps at the same time as me so i can open the door for him in the mornings. the ultimate goal is to get rid of the box altogether but i am just doing it in stages so that he gets confident going outside.

cats always used to roam my garden but since i have let my cat outside, they rarely come, so hopefully thats a win for my cat!

 

[Norachan]

You really don't want your cat going to the toilet in the same place as other cats go, whether that's a litter box or in the bushes. Cats have all kinds of bacteria in their fecal matter. If your cat digs in the same place as other cats, gets their poop on his paws and then ingests it he's going to get tape worm, round worms, ring worm, feline distemper, toxoplasmosis, rabies, salmonella, giardia and cryptosporidium. (A parasite that causes severe diarrhea.)

That's just off the top of my head.

If your cat is using the litter box indoors then please let him keep doing that. Having him poop outdoors will save you a few dollars in kitty litter and a few minutes cleaning his box every day, but it will cost you a lot more to treat all the nasty things he'll pick up outside.

A lot of the things he could pick up are spread from cats to humans, so you're putting your own and your family's health at risk too.

 

[di and bob]

Night time is the worst time to let a cat run free. Mine are out during the day and in the house at night. There are too many dangers at night.... owls, coyotes, dogs, and big feral tom cats that are usually out at night. We have deer, raccoons and skunks in our yard every night and we live in the middle of town! Remember, the dark of night brings out all the predators. My husband had a owl swoop over his head that had a five foot wing span one evening.
It is not unusual for a cat to come in the house to use the litter box. It is what they prefer to use. If they have to go, they will find a place outside too. If anything I would just scatter some litter on the dirt to give them a spot and change it to another spot often.