Pets
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Training litter box cat to go outside?
I've had Cookie for about 6 years, since she was a kitten. She has used a litter box the entire time. She will go outside also. During the summer, she likes to spend the majority of her days outside, but always comes in at night. I would like to train her to go potty outside only, no more litter box. Has anyone made this transition successfully? Or even tried it? TIA!
Warning
No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
Re: Training litter box cat to go outside?
I don't ever let my cat go outside, but I would assume you could transition her by either placing the litter box outside (and giving her a treat, positive reinforcement of some kind) whenever she goes outside OR you could also just plain find a spot to leave litter or a litter-like material outside. I would still bet you need to have somewhere indoors for her to do her business at night.
Do you live on a farm? I only ask because personally I'm way more grossed out by the thought of poop-filled yards than I am by cleaning her litterbox. That's just a personal opinion, but I have been to events at other people's house where they are hosting it in a disgusting backyard, so just keep that in mind. Unless you have a gigantic yard, I personally would be more inclined to keep doing the litterbox.
We always had indoor/outdoor cats growing up and they would go potty outside, and to be honest I never saw it. Cats will usually bury their mess, like they do in their litter box.
If I were to get cats now as an adult, I don't know if I would let them outside or not. My mother in laws two cats were killed by coyotes, and my aunt's by dogs, so dependent on the area those are some risks. I've also noticed that my parents cats don't have very long life spans compared to some of the cats that I've met in their late teens and twenties.
Just some other things to consider in letting your cats outdoors.
Not an option. She would flip her sh?t if she couldn't go out. She rarely leaves the fenced in backyard, and when she does it's to sit on the front porch.
I can't even.
Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to let your cat be an outdoor cat? Who cares about her flipping her $hit?
Katie Talks About...
Are you serious? It's a cat. Not my child. I would rather the cat live a happy life outside than be miserable inside. Believe me, there is little danger for her. Don't be one of those weirdos. Now, if you don't have any helpful advice for my original question, please be on your merry way.
Who's in charge, you or the cat? My dog flips his *** if I don't let him eat garbage off the street, doesn't mean I let him.
I'd rather believe the studies done that show that outdoor cats have significantly shorter lives than indoor cats.
Have you seen the video of the outdoor cat with a camera attached to its collar? Fighting with wild animals, dodging cars, eating disease-ridden rodents... Does that sound happy to you?
I've got to agree with this. My cats really started to like going outside when we moved to a house with a nice big yard, but we only let them out when they have their harnesses and leashes on and we're out there with them. I must be one of those 'weirdos' who wants her cats to have a safe and long life.
Flipping her *** so it's not an option?
What on earth will you do when your baby turns 2 or 3 and flips his *** over stuff? Don't let that face fool you now. It's coming.
That said, I am also not a fan of outside cats. My sister 's cat got badly attacked a few weeks ago while sunning himself on her back deck. The cat jumped over the fence. I also worry about outside cats wandering into our yard if my dog is outside sunning herself because if I'm not fast enough, that cat doesn't stand a chance.
Since you don't seem to really care what others say in that subject ill just offer the advice that you gradually move the box toward the back door. A weaning process, if you will.
I never.ever.ever. Play the mommy martyr card.
but, I should get a gold star since I can handle TWO cats, a dog, a husband that works 70+hours a week AND a toddler.
You are acting like you are the 1st person ever with a kid and a cat since you have way more important things to do.
and you *gasp* work too!!
Kid or not, I'm not putting the cat on a leash. But yay for you! Two cats, a dog and a husband! Wow! I also have a dog and a husband who works full time. I work full time as well. Regardless, the cat is going out unleashed.
I like how you said you never play the mommy martyr card and then do exactly that in your next sentence. Your opinion is invalid.
good luck cookie. I hope you live.
Not a good idea.
And this also is highly unsanitary. Ever heard of parasites and toxoplasmosis?
And psst...that's ITS, not IT'S .
Just an fyi.
LOL, thanks, grammar nazi! I know the difference; unfortunately, my iPad doesn't. But if that's all you've got, move along now.
Too bad Cookie's owner doesn't care if she lives or not. She'll just move on and get another cat. Apparently, they're disposable like that.
Nope. Last cat we get. Too much trouble. I'll stick with just the dog. She's much easier than the cat. And that fat slug will probably live to be in her 20's. Most of my mom's cats did and they (gasp!) went outside also.
Is it okay that my dog goes outside? Or do I need a litter box for her as well?
I'm not asking this to be snarky - I honestly would like to understand - why did you decide to get a cat? It seems like you don't really want one and like you don't actually like your cat. To me, having a pet whose life you don't care about seems like a recipe for resentment (at having to care for the pet) and potential neglect (if you decide not to care for it).
I don't know what the specific issues are with her, but perhaps some of them could be fixed (or at least improved) through training, exercise, increased bonding time, etc.?
Well, I had cats when I was growing up. There personalities were a little different than Cookie's (they were much more people friendly), plus I was more interested in them as a kid. Now that I have to pay for her flea medicine, vet bills, food, litter, etc., it's not quite as much fun. She's not as friendly of a cat as the ones I was used to (although she was much more loving when I was pregnant). I know it can be hard to convey on a message board, but I do care about her. She wants for nothing. She lives a very happy life. But when she wants to eat or go outside, she will scream and scream until we make it happen. I hate the litter box anyway, but was willing to deal with it, and she has now started peeing over the edge. Accidentally, I believe. But it soaks into the concrete (her litter is in the basement) and it's a b?tch to clean. That's why I posted the original question.
Anyway, while I don't believe in getting rid of an animal once you have it, we have decided we won't get any more cats in the future. But don't think that Cookie is mistreated. She is spoiled. She's also a major fatty. She gets a half cup of food in the morning and a half cup at night. I thought she might get some exercise outside, but she just lounges. Her food is healthy weight. Any tips to get her to lose some weight?
How much does she weigh (and how much should she weigh/need to lose), and what type of food do you feed her? 1 cup of food per day (total) seems high to. - each of my 17-18 lbs. dogs gets slightly less than 1 cup of food (Wellness Core, a high quality grain-free food) per day, and they are at their healthy weights. I believe the idea is that you should feed the amount of food that the animal should get at their ideal weight, so if she should be 10 lbs., feed the amount of food that corresponds to a 10 lb. cat.
In order to increase her activity level, are there any toys she particularly likes? Laser pointers, those toys that dangle from sticks, crinkly balls, fake mice, etc.? Finding toys that interest her and using them to play with her would offer more exercise for her and some bonding time for the family (maybe your son could get involved once he has good enough hand/eye coordination, or with you guiding his hand).
Regarding the litter box issue, the Pets Board FAQs (it's usually in the green header at the top of board above the list of posts) used to have some great tips to try when your cat is pottying outside the box, so I would look there. If you aren't already, clean up any accidents with an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle. Regular cleaners may mask the smell for humans, but they don't break down the actual pee/poo, so the animal can still smell it and think it's ok to potty there. I swear by Nature's Miracle for all biological stains (pee, poo, vomit, blood, etc.). Hope that's helpful!
I haven't weighed her in a while, but I think she is about 16 lbs. I think she's supposed to be 8 or 9 lbs. I can't remember what we bought last time. Something from Walmart that is healthy weight. I dont have a bag to check because we pour it in an airtight container to keep it from getting stale. She used to get Blue Buffalo, but it got to be too expensive. She was still fat when she ate that though.
She isn't big on toys, but I will see if there's anything she might like.
I will try Nature's Miracle. Thanks for all the helpful advice!
IMO, Blue Buffalo is a bit overpriced for what you get. There are definitely high quality foods that don't cost as much per pound/ounce. I believe Costco's Kirkland brand has some good, reasonably priced options if you have one near you. Also, it isn't necessary to feed a "diet" or "healthy weight" food - just feed the appropriate portion, and you're good to go. When my pups needed to lose a few pounds, we cut down their portion a little but didn't switch to diet food, added some cut-up veggies (to help keep them full - pugs are notorious for acting like they're starving at all times), and increased their exercise, and the weight came right off!
Unfortunately, we don't have a Costco around here. What else would you recommend? And how much do you think I should be feeding her? I wouldn't be able to add anything to her food. She won't eat anything but cat food. She must be part pug-anytime I've tried cutting her back, she screams like she's starving! LOL
I am a big fan of Wellness Core, but it can be pricey (I do think it's a better value than Blue Buffalo, though, and Wellness does make non-grain-free varieties that are cheaper). Taste of the Wild is cheaper than Wellness but similar in guaranteed analysis, so that may be an option. I've heard good things about Innova, Evo, Acana, and Orijen as well but have never fed those brands.
In terms of how much to feed, look at the bag/can of food for feeding guidelines based on the animal's ideal weight. Start there, and if she's gaining weight (or not losing weight in this case since it sounds like she is overweight and needs to shed a few pounds), decrease the portion gradually until she starts losing some weight. Once she's at her ideal weight, you may need to add back a little bit in order for her to maintain that weight (and not lose any more).