Which Indoor And Outdoor Plants Can Handle Cat Urine?

[MissClouseau]

Hima goes outside to the yard for bowel activities. When she doesn't feel like going out, she holds her pee/poop for up to 24 hours or more. Also I'm generally not a fan of her using the same soil as the strays. This summer she started to occasionally use the big lemon tree container on the porch. That's great news for me as she can go there when it's raining or when she doesn't want to walk more. But I need at least a second plant I can use in case she doesn't want to use the same one twice on the same day. I would also like a plant for indoors for the days I go out for some hours so she won't have to wait for me. I'm planning on covering its soil the other times and leave it open just when I go out.

1) Any suggestions for indoor plants and tree saplings I can grow in a big container? I use ASPCA's website to check for toxicity, but if some saplings can handle cat urine better than the others, I like to go with one of them.

2) I haven't smelled a bad odor from that lemon tree container but just in case, is there anything I can or should do to prevent bad odor?

 

[rubysmama]

Hmmm... not sure if any plant would be happy being used as a cat's litter box. And how would you clean it? Will she not use a litter box?

 

[MissClouseau]

Hmmm... not sure if any plant would be happy being used as a cat's litter box. And how would you clean it? Will she not use a litter box?

She already doesn't use a litter box. There are two at home but she always goes outside. I should have also said now when she occasionally uses the lemon tree container on the porch, it's only for pee. No bad odor so far. If I get a plant for indoors and she uses that when I go out, I would only keep the plant indoors when I'm outside of the house.

 

[catapault]

Regular / continual urinating in the soil of a potted plant will kill the plant. Have you tried a pot of soil, no plant to see if that would be acceptable to Hima?

If that works, graduate to a litter box of soil, then litter with a layer of soil, moving on to more litter / less soil, hopefully transitioning to litter only.

 

[MissClouseau]

Regular / continual urinating in the soil of a potted plant will kill the plant. Have you tried a pot of soil, no plant to see if that would be acceptable to Hima?

If that works, graduate to a litter box of soil, then litter with a layer of soil, moving on to more litter / less soil, hopefully transitioning to litter only.

Her issue with the litterbox is more about she doesn't want to use a "box." The container she uses and she just started that one is really big, like 40 litres. I'm not sure if she sees it as another "box" or more like a part of the yard as it's right near the actual yard. Still worth to try. I will put a container without plants and see how it goes. That might be the best for indoors for the times I will go outside for long hours.

 

[rubysmama]

How old is Hima? Has she ever used a litter box?

 

[MissClouseau]

How old is Hima? Has she ever used a litter box?

She was a street cat so we are not sure. Older than 2. Probably never used a litter box, no.

 

[rubysmama]

True ferals can learn to use litter boxes. Putting some potting soil in a litter box to start, as C catapault suggested usually works. You can also add some dried leaves or twigs. You know things she'd find outside.

There's also a litter called Cat Attract that helps. But you may not be able to get it in your country.

www.amazon.com/Dr-Elseys-Cat-Attract-Litter/dp/B0009X49IC

 

[MissClouseau]

True ferals can learn to use litter boxes. Putting some potting soil in a litter box to start, as C catapault suggested usually works. You can also add some dried leaves or twigs. You know things she'd find outside.

There's also a litter called Cat Attract that helps. But you may not be able to get it in your country.

www.amazon.com/Dr-Elseys-Cat-Attract-Litter/dp/B0009X49IC

We don't have this brand in Turkey or a similar product that I know of but I will try dried leaves and twigs method. :-)

I feel like some used-to-be-street-cats learn/use the litterbox when they don't have a better choice. Hima knows she has a choice, outside. I'm not losing hope though. She might still use the litterbox with leaves at least sometimes in the winter when she doesn't feel like going out, instead of holding it. We'll see, we'll see...

 

[rubysmama]

She might still use the litterbox with leaves at least sometimes in the winter when she doesn't feel like going out, instead of holding it. We'll see, we'll see...

My family had an indoor/outdoor cat once who always went outside to "do her business". Even in a blizzard !!! Poor thing would only be out for a few minutes, and come back in covered in snow.

When she was 17 or 18, my mom decided to put a litter box down for her during the winter, and you can teach a cat new tricks, because our senior cat started using the litter box! So there is hope for your girl.