Do ferals know how to use litter box?

[milktea]

I trapped a large tomcat near my house and had him neutered at the clinic. He had an abscessed tooth which they pulled and sutured up. They asked me to make sure he only eats wet food for 4 days while it heals. I kept him in a large dog crate in my garage for those 4 days. I feed a group of cats outside and can’t guarantee he would only get wet food if I let him go.

I put a litter box in the crate, and to my surprise he’s been using it without any issues. He pees and poops in it. Do ferals typically know how to use the litter box? Or is it likely he was a stray cat that belonged to somebody before?

He doesn’t show any friendliness or anything so it’s hard for me to judge whether he’s aggressive or not. I think I heard him growl when I was moving the trap around to the garage after I first caught him. So I tried to just leave him alone.

I would love if he were friendly and try to get a family member to adopt him if so. He has a broken hind leg that the clinic said is already healed and doesn’t cause pain. But he does limp now from it. The clinic said he’s just always going to have the limp at this point. They said he’s an “old” guy about 6-7 years. He’s missing a lot of teeth also.

 

[lavishsqualor]

I've been out all night looking for a cat someone told me about today who had a broken pelvis. I couldn't find it and was feeling really low and defeated, but your post here has lifted my spirits! Thank you so much for helping this cat! Is he friendly? Have you been able to pet him? If you have, then I would assume he is a stray. Ferals generally will not allow anyone to pet them. They won't even allow someone to come close to them if they are unfamiliar with that person. As for your litter box question, I would assume that even a feral, if he were in a cage, would figure out how to use a litter box. Again, I can't thank you enough for what you have done for this cat. I am in awe of your generosity.

 

[vince]

Can't say they know how to use a litter box per se, but they definitely look for some granular material in which to do their business. The ferals in my neighborhood used a leftover bag of fertilizer one winter when everything was frozen over. I'd left it on the breezeway after I didn't get it applied in the fall.

Just putting a cat in a box of cat litter will often be enough to entice them to use it. If that doesn't work, a bit of urine-scented litter or a little turd will usually make 'em start.

 

[Jcatbird]

I have worked with many ferals. I try to start them off by topping the litter with something they would use outside like leaves, grass or sand. Shredded papaer can be enticing too. Stray or feral, there is a very good chance he can learn trust of a human given enough time and patience. I have an older Tom that I brought in and was very unsure of how he might behave. Cats are amazing. He was a long time feral that o had seen for years but rescue became an emergency. I wondered if he would ever settle. Not only did he settle, he is now the biggest lover in the house and in my lap! It took time and following the socializing process but worth every second and then some. To everyone here rescuing, thank you and don’t ever give up. Just when it gets hard, everything can change in ways you never dreamed would work out so beautifully. The old boy is rubbing against the screen now. I suppose he is adding his thanks to you as well!

 

[fionasmom]

I have never had a feral who did not figure out how to use the litter box almost immediately.

 

[maggiedemi]

My two cats are ferals straight from the woods and they knew what a litterbox was for from day one.

 

[vyger]

How friendly they will be depends on several things. I believe the 2 main things are personality and what their experiences with other people have been. If they have been abused they are less likely to trust people. Some cats have personalities that are grumpy and distant. You won’t know until you work with him. I had a big giant feral that actually looked scary because he could do some serious damage if he wanted to but he was very gently and used to follow me around and look after me. So you only find out by trying.