Hi Cat Lovers,
This is my first post on this site. I am seeking advice.
I "adopted" a stray cat a couple of years ago (or she adopted me). I had her spayed and take good care of her, but she lives outside. I took to calling her "Outside Kitty" as an attempt not to get too attached, but it didn't work!
Now I am about to move (in 2 months). Of course, I am going to take my outside kitty with me. She's so sweet, I would like for her to become a housecat. She loves being inside and gets along fairly well with my other cat (who has lived inside with me for 8 years) when she comes in for short visits. However, the few times I've had her inside for more than a few hours, she has peed in inappropriate places. And when I've kept her in the bathroom with the litterbox overnight to keep her out of the cold, she has peed on the rug instead of in the litter box.
I've have never actually tried to litterbox train her, and I know there's a lot of advice out there when I do. But what I'm wondering is when should I attempt it? Should I go ahead and do it now before I move? Or should I wait and do it in the new place? Obviously either way it's not going to be a piece of cake.
On one hand, it seems like the trauma of moving will be bad enough for both cats, and adding the integration into the house would just make it that much worse. On the other hand, the new place will be neutral territory. Also, it will probably be larger (a 2-bedroom instead of a 1-bedroom) with more space for the cats and an extra litter box. Maybe it's better to make all the big changes at once, like ripping off a bandaid??
I would appreciate any advice/insights anyone has into this topic. By the way, both cats are female.
Oh, and one quick training question I have not seen covered anywhere: should I throw out my inside kitty's old litter box and get two totally new ones, or is okay to keep the the old one?
Thanks!
This is my first post on this site. I am seeking advice.
I "adopted" a stray cat a couple of years ago (or she adopted me). I had her spayed and take good care of her, but she lives outside. I took to calling her "Outside Kitty" as an attempt not to get too attached, but it didn't work!
Now I am about to move (in 2 months). Of course, I am going to take my outside kitty with me. She's so sweet, I would like for her to become a housecat. She loves being inside and gets along fairly well with my other cat (who has lived inside with me for 8 years) when she comes in for short visits. However, the few times I've had her inside for more than a few hours, she has peed in inappropriate places. And when I've kept her in the bathroom with the litterbox overnight to keep her out of the cold, she has peed on the rug instead of in the litter box.
I've have never actually tried to litterbox train her, and I know there's a lot of advice out there when I do. But what I'm wondering is when should I attempt it? Should I go ahead and do it now before I move? Or should I wait and do it in the new place? Obviously either way it's not going to be a piece of cake.
On one hand, it seems like the trauma of moving will be bad enough for both cats, and adding the integration into the house would just make it that much worse. On the other hand, the new place will be neutral territory. Also, it will probably be larger (a 2-bedroom instead of a 1-bedroom) with more space for the cats and an extra litter box. Maybe it's better to make all the big changes at once, like ripping off a bandaid??
I would appreciate any advice/insights anyone has into this topic. By the way, both cats are female.
Oh, and one quick training question I have not seen covered anywhere: should I throw out my inside kitty's old litter box and get two totally new ones, or is okay to keep the the old one?
Thanks!