Would a stray cat use a litter tray?

Paddy Cow

There was a cat that would often sleep under the bushes in my garden. One day I fed it some ham and it came over to me. It looked well fed but it's coat was very dull and when I petted it, loads of hair came out, far more than if it was a house cat that was petted on a daily basis. I asked the landlord about it (he lives next door) and he said it was a stray cat and a lady a few doors down feeds all the strays in the area.

So the cat came back and I let it into my apartment on a couple of occasions. For a stray I was surprised how affectionate it was and to be honest, I enjoyed the company. However, after it's last visit, I discovered that it had peed in a couple of places. They weren't big and didn't smell but obviously I don't want a cat thinking it's ok to pee anywhere it wants.

I'm not looking to adopt this cat but I wouldn't mind it coming into the apartment every so often. If I put down a litter tray, would it know to use it? I wasn't keeping it in the apartment for extended periods such as over night, so I don't know if it's that the cat was marking it's territory or if it's just used to being able to go whenever it wants.

It's being coming round for the past few days but I haven't let it in because I don't want another incident but I feel really guilty for ignoring it. Should I ignore it until it goes away or try a litter tray? I know it's not someone elses family pet so I don't feel guilty for trying to "steal" it but if I encourage it, would that make it worse?

encore1

Id hazard a guess that he probably would use a litter tray...they seem to be drawn to them (something to do with what's in the actually litter i think), however, are you sure that he pee'd everywhere and that its not cat spray?

Id definitely try the litter but if its a case of him spraying then id keep him out.

Paddy Cow

encore1 wrote: »

Id warrant a guess that he probably would use a litter tray...they seem to be drawn to them (something to do with what's in the actually litter i think), however, are you sure that he pee'd everywhere and that its not cat spray?

Id definitely try the litter but if its a case of him spraying then id keep him out.

What's that?

I think it's a girl because the pee didn't smell. The cat seems friendly but I don't want to over step the mark just yet and check. I don't want to scare it or get my arms scratched to pieces!

encore1

Females can spray too. Was the "pee" in plants or anything or was it just on the floor?

encore1

The other side of it all though is: its not really fair to take a stray animal on a part time basis. If you take her in and she gets used to your home being hers and then you head off for a weekend or away on holidays and just chuck her back out to fend for herself, that's not on.
Having a pet is hard work sometimes and if you only want one on a part time basis then to be honest (and with all due respect), id leave things as they are.

Paddy Cow

encore1 wrote: »

Females can spray too. Was the "pee" in plants or anything or was it just on the floor?

I'm confused about "spray"?

The pee was on the couch. I have a rug that I put over my couch and I was putting it in the wash after I put the cat out. The rug is a dark colour so you wouldn't notice a spill. When I took the rug off, there were two noticeable stains that looked like someone had spilled water. I knew I hadn't spilled anything, so the only conclusion I could come to was that the cat had pee'd on the couch.

Paddy Cow

encore1 wrote: »

The other side of it all though is: its not really fair to take a stray animal on a part time basis. If you take her in and she gets used to your home being hers and then you head off for a weekend or away on holidays and just chuck her back out to fend for herself, that's not on.
Having a pet is hard work sometimes and if you only want one on a part time basis then to be honest (and with all due respect), id leave things as they are.

That's exactly how I feel as well but I don't think that situation will happen. I'm living in a one bedroom apartment and this cat is used to the outdoors. She seems happy to come in and spend a few hours with me (mostly she sleeps on the bed) but then she wants to go back out.

Maybe I'm being naive but as this cat always turns up at my window at the same time each day, I was thinking that I could take her in for a few hours and then let her out. I don't think that would be a problem. The problem for me is that when she is in the house, she pees, so I was thinking if I put down a litter tray and she used that, then she could visit me when she pleased.

Since the first day when I gave her some ham, I have never fed her, so I know she doesn't visit me for food. As I have said, she gets well fed from a neighbour up the road. I would be more than happy for her to visit when she wants some attention or somewhere to snooze but I don't want her peeing on my furniture.

I understand your concern and I would never try to make this cat a house pet. It seems though that the cat has other ideas and she likes my house (my proof is the meowing outside my window making me feel guilty). I'm just trying to find a comprise that works for both of us. If she used a litter tray then I would have no problems with her coming in for a few hours each day.

boomerang

In my experience, even ferals will use a litter tray. They're hardwired to dig up a spot for their poop and then bury it.

I only ever had one foster cat (former stray) who didn't take to using the tray straight away. So for the first few days I put peat moss in the litter tray for her, as it would feel more like earth for her. Then over a few more days I started mixing through more and more regular litter. Worked like a charm. Just make sure that when she comes in the apartment she only has access to one room. The litter tray needs to be in a quiet corner. It has to be plenty deep and at least one and a half times the length of the cat. In other words, don't buy a kitten litter tray. You need to clean the seat of the couch now or she will be drawn back to pee there by the smell. (You mightn't smell it but she has better sense of smell.) Don't use any products containing bleach as it'll draw her back there. My friend has a great recipe that uses white vinegar, bread soda from the supermarket and 3% hydrogen peroxide from the chemist. I can ask her for it if you like.

Another friend of mine feeds an ex-feral (spayed) cat who lives in her apartment building car park. The cat has her own cosy cat kennel. On the coldest winter nights, she waits at the lobby door to be let in, comes upstairs with my friend in the lift, and spends the night in the bathroom with a bed and litter tray! (My friend has her own cat, so they have to be kept separate.) The cat tells my friend then when she wants out again. This kicked off when the cat was very sick and my friend had her seen by a vet and kept her in the apartment until she was well enough to want out again.

Paddy Cow

boomerang wrote: »

In my experience, even ferals will use a litter tray. They're hardwired to dig up a spot for their poop and then bury it.

I only ever had one foster cat (former stray) who didn't take to using the tray straight away. So for the first few days I put peat moss in the litter tray for her, as it would feel more like earth for her. Then over a few more days I started mixing through more and more regular litter. Worked like a charm. Just make sure that when she comes in the apartment she only has access to one room. The litter tray needs to be in a quiet corner. It has to be plenty deep and at least one and a half times the length of the cat. In other words, don't buy a kitten litter tray. You need to clean the seat of the couch now or she will be drawn back to pee there by the smell. (You mightn't smell it but she has better sense of smell.) Don't use any products containing bleach as it'll draw her back there. My friend has a great recipe that uses white vinegar, bread soda from the supermarket and 3% hydrogen peroxide from the chemist. I can ask her for it if you like.

Another friend of mine feeds an ex-feral (spayed) cat who lives in her apartment building car park. The cat has her own cosy cat kennel. On the coldest winter nights, she waits at the lobby door to be let in, comes upstairs with my friend in the lift, and spends the night in the bathroom with a bed and litter tray! (My friend has her own cat, so they have to be kept separate.) The cat tells my friend then when she wants out again. This kicked off when the cat was very sick and my friend had her seen by a vet and kept her in the apartment until she was well enough to want out again.

I did wash the covers in the washing machine but I don't know if that was enough to remove any smell she might have left? Other than that, your advice was great. Thanks for the tips

Thinkingaboutit

I had a stray of sorts who came to live at home during one of the cold winters. He seemed more like a pet that became homeless, given its mild manner. It came to use the litter tray, having probably used some garden. I think cats like the excavating that a litter tray involves. Personally, I prefer them to do the business in the garden.

Sulla Felix

We've a colony behind so I leave litter at the end of the garden, as much so they don't dig and defecate in the flower beds as for anything else. they seem to get some use out of it since it has to be cleaned ever day or two.

encore1

Sulla Felix wrote: »

We've a colony behind so I leave litter at the end of the garden, as much so they don't dig and defecate in the flower beds as for anything else. they seem to get some use out of it since it has to be cleaned ever day or two.

I must try this! My own two have the flowerbeds destroyed...and they have two litter trays in the house!

Rips

Most cats will use a litter tray, you could maybe start by buying one bag of good quality litter (not coarse/not dusty) to start off with, and go from there.

A stray cat probably won't be fussy, but if she already has areas (maybe in soft soil) around the garden, she might keep going there instead of using poor quality litter.

As Boomerang said, you need to make sure the areas she has already soiled are thoroughly cleaned.

Most cats pee smells though, if there was no outward smell of urine, are you sure it wasn't drool?? You wouldn't necessarily see it if you weren't looking, it tends to leak out the side of the mouth.

Some cats drool when they are happy, when they purr. I've come across a lot of strays who drool excessively because of poor dental hygiene, and some cats with loose and staring coats seem to drool excessively as well (sometimes the poor coat would be a result of dental issues, but sometimes I think they are producing excessive drool because of their coats!!)

I fostered a stray over a weekend once who was really affectionate, but drooled excessively - she didn't have a name, we started called her 'puddles' It was that bad!

Pumpkinseeds

To totally get rid of the smell you can use bio washing powder/liquid. We also get Fizzion on Amazon and disolve it in water so it's always on hand in a spray bottle and can be used every where. It's the enzymes in the urine that you need to kill. Ordinary surfaces sprays like dettol won't do it.