My neighbour can no longer look after her female cat due to illness. We have fed the cat in the past when she used to go away or was in hospital, so now as she has is no longer capable, the cat is coming round to us for food. Whilst I have no problems in feeding her, now the winter is coming, we are letting the cat stop in the house in the evenings. The problem is that the cat is both urinating and messing in the house. This is cannot put up with. I have never had a cat as a pet before and I do not want to see it put down because no one will care for it.
Is it possible to house train an 8 year old cat and how do I go about it.
Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.
Yes! It is possible and I admire you for being so kind to an animal that has no one else to depend on.
First, show the cat the litterbox and place her in it so that she can feel the litter on her feet. Take one of her front paws and gently run it through the litter a few times, as if she was burying her poop.
Then, watch her as closely as you can. When you see her making signs that she is about to mess, pick her up immediately and put her in the litterbox. Don’t let her run right out, block her in there for a minute and hopefully she will go in the box. If she does, that’s a major hurdle crossed right there.
If you don’t catch her in time and she does mess in the house, pick her up and take her over to the mess. Without being violent, push her head down so that her face is near (but NOT absolutely not touching) the mess, and firmly say NO. Then, scoop up as much of the mess as you can, take it to the litter box, and show her that her mess is now in the litterbox. Encourage her to bury it there by moving her paw through the litter again.
You may have to repeat these processes a few times, and I know it can be frustrating. Hang in there! It’s definitely possible to teach a mature cat to use a litterbox. I have done so with a cat that was about 10 years old using the methods I described above. Good luck!
It’s incredibly easy to train cats. Put the litter box where you want it and fill it about half full of litter. Place the cat in the box and gently grasping one of its front paws, scrape the paw in the litter a few times. That should do it.
I’m certain you can, because I have let several older cats come and go, and they all learn quickly where the litter box is and how to use it. Make sure to have plenty of litter in the pan (the crystallizing kind that is easily scoopable), and take the cat to it a few times so it will learn what it is. If you find a mess, pick it up (with paper towel, of course!) and put it in the litter. Hope that helps!!
If your neighbour can’t take care of it…she shouldn’t have the cat around. She better care more about the cat and you, like have someone to bring that cat to adoption with no killing animals if she really can’t do anything with it. Since this isn’t your cat, it’s not your responsibility. I say talk to your neighbour to consider this.
The best way to litter train an adult is to confine it to a small space with a litter box. A cage works (like a dog kennel-type cage), or a small bathroom would work too. Put a litter box in there with the cat, as well as bedding, food, water, etc. It might take a few days… but soon the cat will be using the box. I would suggest starting off with a cage, then once she’s using the box consistently, let her into the bathroom (a larger space) with a litter box. Once she uses THAT consistently… try her out in a larger room or the whole house. Make sure litter boxes are in all the rooms she frequents.
I’ve found this to be a successful method for older cats. It seems cruel to cage them, but it’s only temporary, and it’s much better than leaving them outside in the cold or having them put down.
Do you have a litter box in the house for her to potty in? If there isn’t one, who can blame her!? She needs to have a clean litter box available at all times in a place that is private, but not hard to get to so she can do her business and cover it up. Pretty much as soon as she sees that the litter box is the best place to go, she won’t need much encouragement.
Yes, you can. I just house trained a rabbit so this is possible. I recommend that you get a litter box and place it near the cat’s food. Also, have you noticed a pattern of where the cat normally urinates in the house? A specific corner maybe? If so, then put the litter box there as the cat has chosen where they like to go. If it is not neutured or spaded, this may be more difficult because their marking their territory by doing this. Everytime the cat gets it right and goes in the litter box, then give it a treat. If not, then simply clean the mess up making sure the cat sees what you’re doing. IF it’s poop, then place the poop in the box as the cat is watching so she/he knows where it should go. Good luck and never yell or hit the cat as it will consider the litter box a punishment and not a rewarding place. And don’t freak if the cat doesn’t get it right the first few times, it’s okay. They’re clean by nature so this isn’t a stretch for them. Good luck!