Litter Box Questions

[debm]

I recently added a 6 month stray to my home who is a most welcome furry friend.  Boo (female) joins Sterling, my 14 year old big boy.  Introductions are being taken very slowly with some hissing from my older cat but at a distance.  He sits about 15 feet away and every now and then, lets out a hiss.  Boo is unimpressed but she has also been keeping her distance.  I believe they will be fine - there's been no overtly aggressive behavior from either one but, again, I am taking it very slowly.

My question today relates to the litter pans.  Boo has taken to hers just fine but I have had her set up in my spare bedroom for almost a week.  Her food, blanket and litter pan have been in there and until the last day, she has been sequestered there for most of the time.  As I said, I'm very gradually making introductions.

Sterling is a BIG cat - 13 pounds.  Not fat, but big.  His litter pan has been out in the garage for a years in a boxed in area that affords privacy as well keeps the litter tracking down!  It's accessible via a cat flap that poses no problems for him and never has.  He took to it right away when I built it out in the area in the garage.  It goes right from the laundry in to the litter boxed in area in the garage.  He also used it with another cat I had who I had to put to sleep in August and they both used it just fine.

Now that I am gradually allowing my new kitty access to the rest of the house, the spare bedroom door is open at various times and, while he hasn't yet tried, Sterling is, of course, sniffing around the kitty's litter pan.  It's a small pan, suitable for a kitten and not a BIG 13 pound cat.  Eventually, I am sure he will try doing his business in the kitten's pan and then it'll be a huge mess, only because he is so big and would barely fit in there!

I want to start transitioning the kitten to the other area in the garage.  It's big enough for two cats to use and I keep it very clean, scooping at least 3 times per day. 

What's the best way to try to wean the kitten off the location she now uses (in spare bedroom) to the area boxed off in the garage?  She's sniffed around the flap that leads to this area but hasn't yet tried going out the flap - which I have taped open right now.  I have left her to explore on her own and haven't tried to force anything or move anything.

Thanks for any help!

 

[vbcatparent]

The simplest way to do this is to move the box gradually. Keep it in the room where Boo is but set it right next to the door. When she is cool with that, move it to the hall or a nearby bathroom. At some point in the process, you also want to swap out the pan itself for the larger box she can permanently use.

You want to have Boo's scent/ownership of the new box established before you put it in the garage. And yes, you definitely need a box for each of them. If you put an extra pan out there that smells neutral, Sterling will assume they are both for him. Make sure Boo's box is clearly Boo's box.

Also, you shouldn't put them right next to each other in the garage. That can make Sterling feel like Boo is moving in on his turf. Try to put a little distance between them.

Lastly, I'd recommend pee pads on the floor around Boo's box. That way if there's a dominance issue (or if Sterling feels compelled to jump in a small pan and fling litter) the damage will be done on a pad. When they are both in the garage and peacefully coexisting, you can remove the pads.

Good luck!