litter tray problems

My cat has a litter tay with a lid on it. The minx will spend 2 hours outside and then run indoors to use her tray. I put newspapers under the tray (to preserve the flooring) because she scrapes at the paper for two reasons. One is to tell me she needs to do her business and another is to let me know that the litter needs changing. Tara did not like wood pellets so I go with the clumping stuff as it is easier to remove.

If your cat had the type of lid that clips on neatly there would be nowhere else for him to do his business. The newspaper would catch anything that came out of the swing door but that is unlikely. I think mine cost around £15. I did not like the open tray because she sent the litter flying. At least when she does it, the litter is contained.

Do not keep the litter tray in the same room as food and water. Good luck.

I use hooded litter trays, which stop the overhang problem and lessen any smells. They come in various shapes for corners or not. I would suggest a larger one if Jojo is chunky, as boys often are. I started with just the bottom tray, then added the roof without door, later fixing it propped open. It took only a few days for the cats to get the hang of it. I think I have mentioned to you before that I prefer to use clumping litter.

I once had a nervous cat who slept in her tray to escape from her 'friends'. Fortunately I have 3 trays in use, so it wasn't a problem.

I hope you find a solution.

Thank you Charleygirl, I did have a closed in tray but he still pressed himself up against the side and managed to poo his trousers so badly that I had to bath him, that's why I changed to an open tray. I was wondering if I will just resort to the pellets again to discourage his from using the tray altogether. Do you think this would be cruel. His tray is in a toilet off the utility room so quite a long way from the food. I found also with the closed in tray that he seemed confused and scraped away at the sides for ages afterwards, and paddling about in the poo, more mess. UGH.

We put the tray in the closed shed during the day and only bring it in at night. If Jojo does his business in the garden where possible that would mean less cleanup episodes. As for containing the mess, I think you've tried it all.

Thistledoo we have 2 indoor ragdoll cats, Willow is a very big boy so like yourself we have a big storage box in the utility area, we use sand, we get ours from the beach, but we have used builders sand. Sometimes it gets on the floor because they have paws like shovels when they bury i,t but its easily cleaned up, you could always put some newspaper under and around the tray

We have five cats one is 18 so there is usually a mess round the trays. I keep large cardboard boxes and cut them up so there is about a foot surrounding the trays. Not sure if there is an easy answer. We still love them though....

Mia only goes into the litter tray from one end, and so only uses said end, leaving the rest of the litter clean and dry, so I have to rotate it, but still end up with a clean middle bit!

I have a lidded tray with newspaper around it for our indoor cat. We also had a cat with digestive problems until she went on a special diet from the vets which solved the problem.

My DD's cat had a very delicate stomach, and being long haired it used to entail a lot of bathing! Then the vet suggested buying a tinned cat food which is just meat with no cereal. (I can't remember the name but I used to see it on the bottom shelf in Sainsburys.) He said a lot of cats have problems digesting the usual foods. It worked a treat with hers and over the last couple of years she has been able to wean her back on to Whiskas.

Thank you all for your kind and good advice regarding the beloved feline.
I will soldier on and keep trying different things, but I do wonder if some cats are poorly trained in their litter trays. My cat was bred in a cattery and had little or no experience of being in a house until we got him at 12 weeks. I do wonder about the conditions he was kept in, he was and still is extremely timid and nervous, I guess he had had little handling before he came to us. As I had to drive a 450 miles round trip to collect him the breeder offered to meet us at a motorway service station to pass him over I readily agreed as it saved us a long 50 mile drag through unfamiliar countryside. On reflection, after reading advice from various sources, this was the wrong thing to do, as I have no idea what kind of a place he came from and have never had any contact with his breeder since the day he was passed over. Nevertheless he will be nurtured, cared for and loved for rest of his life. Maybe he will grow to be less frightened and timid as he matures.

Thistledoo your little boy needs to be introduced gently to other cats and dogs so that he does not spend his entire life in your house meeting humans.

I did not realise that was his background- he had nobody, ie his mother, to show him the ropes.

Luckily for him he has now landed on all four paws. Maybe it is just as well that you did not see the type of place he came from.

I picked up Tara from the Cat Protection League 6 years ago so I had more of an idea of Tara's awful first 2 years. Now she has taken over this house totally and I love her to bits.