Training A Previous Feral Cat To A Cat Box

[deewdogs]

I'm new on this site but have earned the trust of many ferals over my years. Several months ago, I began feeding an intact male feral that neighbors voiced they were going to either remove or destroy him for marking on their home. NOT ON MY WATCH! I began feeding him in my detached garage & I contacted a spay/neuter coordinator to schedule a neutering. He was neutered/vaccinated/dewormed/ear tipped. After that he disappeared for several days, but did return. I moved his feeding station to my front porch to better monitor him but couldn't get within 10-12' from him. I understood that! That was January/February. Long story short, he now trusts me & was invited inside & he really likes being inside. I put him outside multiple times daily because he obviously does not know what a cat box is for, good news is, so far, he's never used my home for a bathroom. I've picked him up & put him in his cat box but he jumps back out. I've placed cat poo in the box, still does not use. I am concerned about my home of course & would love to have him use his cat box. Does anyone have any experience with this? I also leave him outside when I'm not home, altho' I know he'd prefer to be inside. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[tabbytom]

Hi deewdogs, welcome to TCS

Thank you for saving this kitty and getting him neutered and vaccinated and for bringing him indoors

Since he used to be an outdoor cat, he'll definitely not get use to commercial litters. Try getting some dry leaves and place it over the litter to mimick the outdoors. Or, add some soil with the leaves to the litter box which he is used to when he does his business outdoor. It may take some time before he gets use to the commercial litter.

 

[deewdogs]

Thanks much, I'll give this a try, will a bag of new soil be as effective or do I just dig up some? I'd love to see him use it ~ I also have small dogs which is probably a stress for him but there's a gate between 'his' kitchen & my living room. Have a good day!

 

[tabbytom]

Would be good if you know where he does it outdoors and grab the some from there.

 

[deewdogs]

I will attempt to watch him - problem is if I go outside w/him, he just hangs w/me, but I'll give it a try. Also, the cat box I purchased is smaller where he is a big boy, I'm thinking I need to upgrade to a larger box. I'll do both, thanks again!

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
Personal, wholly anecdotal observation: I've taken in countless ferals (not simply strays) over the years, always isolating them initially in one smaller space, with food, water and a litterbox. Not a single one has ever failed to use the litterbox.

"YM" - as the old saying goes - "MV."
.

 

[tabbytom]

I will attempt to watch him - problem is if I go outside w/him, he just hangs w/me, but I'll give it a try. Also, the cat box I purchased is smaller where he is a big boy, I'm thinking I need to upgrade to a larger box. I'll do both, thanks again!

Yes, a much bigger box is better.

 

[kittens mom]

Bigger box and perhaps put some dirt in the middle. Out of desperation of my SIL herd of 40 plus half feral mostly feral and dumped housecats using my driveway as a litter box I put a large tray where they were going most often and within a few days they were happily filling that. When litter box training our kittens I always left a small piece of solids to help the associate. My in-laws trying to save money brought boxes of dirt in and their cats all indoor/outdoor refused to use those trays. Confinement until a cat is using their litter tray is always a good idea the natural choice is somewhere to dig and bury.