Litter-training this feral cat.

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 20:19:50 +0000, Mitch wrote:

Someone told me to put the litter box in our small half-bathroom
(where there's no carpet to ruin), and lock her in there with it until
she uses it.

We also have a heated 3-car garage, but I'm afraid it would be too
big, and give her more opportunity to go on the floor somewhere.

Opinions?

One thing I learned as a child was that as soon as you get a cat, the
first place you put them is directly into the litter box, and if you
don't do this, put the cat into the box when s/he starts to use the rug
for the wrong reasons.

With the exception of territorial spraying and that one cat I sold to
that family, I have had no problems getting this to work - and it seems to
also serve as a suitable reminder for kittens as well.

--
Dennis Carr - | I may be out of my mind,
http://www.dennis.furtopia.org | But I have more fun that way.
------------------------------------+-------------------------------

Hi Mitch,
So far, I've had 3 stray cats happen upon our household since June, one of
which was much wilder than the other two and I found no problems
particularly with litter training; they do instinctually seem to get the
idea. I mostly use the non-clumping clay litter (Exquisicat from Petsmart)
(unscented is best for us we found) but I also found out about this really
great litter called "World's Best Catlitter"(also at Petsmart) which is
corn-based and I like it and 2 of my 5 cats like it but the others like the
clay so I have both. I also found a brand of cat litter called CAT ATTRACT
(also at Petsmart) that I used a few times and it worked quite well at
getting everyone into the litterbox also.
Good for working with this cat -- from what I've learned this summer, my
best advice is be very patient, take your time, and use positive
reinforcement rather than negative (treats and praise to model and reward
and I was working with a feral whom I met via a catbite!).
Best wishes,
Christine
wrote in message
...
Ok...I've bought scratching posts, horizontal scratchers, and I just
ordered nail clippers, citrus spray and sticky tape for furniture, and
catnip spray for the scratching posts. I even ordered her a nice
little bed.

Alot of stuff for a stray cat. :-)

I bought a litterbox and the "good" litter.
Now to get her to use it.

So far, she is only indoors while supervised. We pet her, play with
her, and if she's sleeping, we leave her alone. But when we leave or
go to bed, we put her back outside, because she has not used the
litter box yet.

Someone told me to put the litter box in our small half-bathroom
(where there's no carpet to ruin), and lock her in there with it until
she uses it.

We also have a heated 3-car garage, but I'm afraid it would be too
big, and give her more opportunity to go on the floor somewhere.

Opinions?

Hi Mitch,
So far, I've had 3 stray cats happen upon our household since June, one of
which was much wilder than the other two and I found no problems
particularly with litter training; they do instinctually seem to get the
idea. I mostly use the non-clumping clay litter (Exquisicat from Petsmart)
(unscented is best for us we found) but I also found out about this really
great litter called "World's Best Catlitter"(also at Petsmart) which is
corn-based and I like it and 2 of my 5 cats like it but the others like the
clay so I have both. I also found a brand of cat litter called CAT ATTRACT
(also at Petsmart) that I used a few times and it worked quite well at
getting everyone into the litterbox also.
Good for working with this cat -- from what I've learned this summer, my
best advice is be very patient, take your time, and use positive
reinforcement rather than negative (treats and praise to model and reward
and I was working with a feral whom I met via a catbite!).
Best wishes,
Christine
wrote in message
...
Ok...I've bought scratching posts, horizontal scratchers, and I just
ordered nail clippers, citrus spray and sticky tape for furniture, and
catnip spray for the scratching posts. I even ordered her a nice
little bed.

Alot of stuff for a stray cat. :-)

I bought a litterbox and the "good" litter.
Now to get her to use it.

So far, she is only indoors while supervised. We pet her, play with
her, and if she's sleeping, we leave her alone. But when we leave or
go to bed, we put her back outside, because she has not used the
litter box yet.

Someone told me to put the litter box in our small half-bathroom
(where there's no carpet to ruin), and lock her in there with it until
she uses it.

We also have a heated 3-car garage, but I'm afraid it would be too
big, and give her more opportunity to go on the floor somewhere.

Opinions?

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 20:27:48 GMT, "Mary" wrote:




Even though she can't stand it outside, once in a while she goes to
the door and starts meowing, so I let her out.

I would stop letting her out. It is just habit that makes her cry that
way.

I haven't followed her, so I don't know if she's going to the
bathroom
or not. But I don't want another "dog" that I have to let in and
out
on their whim.

So cut it out. Make her an inside cat. Winter is the perfect time. She
will be happier than she has ever been curling up inside in the safe
warmth.

So you don't think the bathroom lockup is cruel, or will do anything
negative to her, bevior-wise?

Not cruel at all--but I am not sure she needs it. Stop letting her
out, and when you see that she has gone in the box, praise her and pet
her and coo at her and give her a treat. If you are really nervous
about her possibly going elsewhere, put her in the bathroom for a day
and, again, first time you see a poo or pee in the box, praise, love,
feed, pet! That is what she craves just as much as food. They are
emotional creatures, and she is already grateful to you for taking her
in, you can tell by the way she hangs out with you and seems to hate
the outside.


Instinct tells them to cover it
so that they are not easily tracked and eaten, see?

That's pretty cool...I didn't realize that was the reason.

They are smart and wild and so beautiful! Can you believe we get to
have them live with us just for the small price of feeding, scooping a
box, and training them where to scratch? :-)

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 20:27:48 GMT, "Mary" wrote:




Even though she can't stand it outside, once in a while she goes to
the door and starts meowing, so I let her out.

I would stop letting her out. It is just habit that makes her cry that
way.

I haven't followed her, so I don't know if she's going to the
bathroom
or not. But I don't want another "dog" that I have to let in and
out
on their whim.

So cut it out. Make her an inside cat. Winter is the perfect time. She
will be happier than she has ever been curling up inside in the safe
warmth.

So you don't think the bathroom lockup is cruel, or will do anything
negative to her, bevior-wise?

Not cruel at all--but I am not sure she needs it. Stop letting her
out, and when you see that she has gone in the box, praise her and pet
her and coo at her and give her a treat. If you are really nervous
about her possibly going elsewhere, put her in the bathroom for a day
and, again, first time you see a poo or pee in the box, praise, love,
feed, pet! That is what she craves just as much as food. They are
emotional creatures, and she is already grateful to you for taking her
in, you can tell by the way she hangs out with you and seems to hate
the outside.


Instinct tells them to cover it
so that they are not easily tracked and eaten, see?

That's pretty cool...I didn't realize that was the reason.

They are smart and wild and so beautiful! Can you believe we get to
have them live with us just for the small price of feeding, scooping a
box, and training them where to scratch? :-)

Mitch,

Often cats that have lived exclusively outdoors all or most of their
lives have no idea what to do when presented with a litterbox with the
expectation that they pee/poop in it. They are used to going in dirt and
have no idea what litter is. Your best option, and one that I have used
many times successfully, is to put her in the bathroom at night with two
boxes. Put dirt from outside in one and regular unscented litter in the
other. Do this every night and gradually add litter to/remove dirt from
the box until it is chaged over enough that you can dump the contents
and use plain litter. You may find that she starts to use the box with
plain litter in it right away, and keeping her in the bathroom at night
for several nights will reinforce her using the box to pee/poop.
It's always a good idea to provide two litterboxes for a cat as some
like to poop in one and pee in the other, and it is extremely important
that the boxes be scooped daily and disinfected every few weeks and
filled with clean litter. One of the main reasons a cat won't use a
litterbox is because the human failed to keep it clean. A cats reaction
to a dirty litterbox is often the same as how we would react if we were
to walk into a public restroom and the toilet had been used but not
flushed. :-P Litterbox care takes only a few minutes a day and is one
of the best ways to avoid innappropriate elimination problems. HTH.

Megan.



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

Mitch,

Often cats that have lived exclusively outdoors all or most of their
lives have no idea what to do when presented with a litterbox with the
expectation that they pee/poop in it. They are used to going in dirt and
have no idea what litter is. Your best option, and one that I have used
many times successfully, is to put her in the bathroom at night with two
boxes. Put dirt from outside in one and regular unscented litter in the
other. Do this every night and gradually add litter to/remove dirt from
the box until it is chaged over enough that you can dump the contents
and use plain litter. You may find that she starts to use the box with
plain litter in it right away, and keeping her in the bathroom at night
for several nights will reinforce her using the box to pee/poop.
It's always a good idea to provide two litterboxes for a cat as some
like to poop in one and pee in the other, and it is extremely important
that the boxes be scooped daily and disinfected every few weeks and
filled with clean litter. One of the main reasons a cat won't use a
litterbox is because the human failed to keep it clean. A cats reaction
to a dirty litterbox is often the same as how we would react if we were
to walk into a public restroom and the toilet had been used but not
flushed. :-P Litterbox care takes only a few minutes a day and is one
of the best ways to avoid innappropriate elimination problems. HTH.

Megan.



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

Well, she was inside for about 8 hours straight yesterday, and didn't
use the litterbox. I'm trying again today (I have the luxury of
working at home).

When I locked her in the bathroom, she kept clawing at the door.
I don't want to do that again until the sticky-strips arrive.

She sleeps all day.

Well, she was inside for about 8 hours straight yesterday, and didn't
use the litterbox. I'm trying again today (I have the luxury of
working at home).

When I locked her in the bathroom, she kept clawing at the door.
I don't want to do that again until the sticky-strips arrive.

She sleeps all day.

wrote in message . ..
On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 20:27:48 GMT, "Mary" wrote:



The bathroom is an okay idea, but remember, this eliminating in
litter/sand/soil comes naturally. Are you under the impression that
cats are hard to litter train?

Well, she hates it outside now that it's cold. We spend most of our
time with her in this sunroom. It's about 16' x 16', windows on three
sides, the fourth side has french doors leading to the kitchen.

If I put her in the litterbox gently, she freaks out and will do
anything to get away from there.

First, don't put her in the litter box, ever. Secondly, do not use
scented litter. Thirdly, use soil at first - and once she starts to
use it, gradually switch to cat litter.

Best of luck,
-L.