# stray/stable cat wwyd



## horselib (24 November 2016)

I have 2 cats .one lives in the stables and barns  1(older14/15 years) lives mostly in the house PLUS this stray/stable cat that turned up a year ago.
The stray turned up 1 year ago terrified and in bad condition.Over months I have managed to get him neutered /chipped and teeth sorted out (terrible condition broken and missing teeth)
He is now tame and has been living in the stable/ barns . He is now very settled likes a cuddle and happily follows you about .Lately he has come up to the house and has been coming through the cat flap into the conservatory where he sleeps over night on one of the chairs. 
He gets on with the others cats and I am not worried out him coming in the conservatory HOWEVER he has accidents (wees) occasionally overnight .Its a slate floor so easy to deal with and I put a towel down and he will go that but he doesn't seem to have any idea about a litter tray .
Any ideas on how to train him he is around 6 years old and vet seems to think has always been a 'gentleman of the road'.as he was un- neutered at 6 when he turned up in terrible condition.
He has decided here is his home .I have been taking him down to the barn before I go to bed when I let the dogs out but he always is back in the morning I always feed him in the barn.He can obviously use a cat flap (its there for the house cat) but doesn't use it to go to the loo in the night or use a litter tray I put down he use a towel that I put down .
How can I get him to use the tray?


----------



## Greybird (24 November 2016)

Maybe try putting the towel in the litter tray? Sort of half cover with litter and increase the amount of litter covering the towel every day.
Hopefully he will get the idea quite quickly - or try earth in the litter tray as he will be more used to that.


----------



## horselib (24 November 2016)

Greybird said:



			Maybe try putting the towel in the litter tray? Sort of half cover with litter and increase the amount of litter covering the towel every day.
Hopefully he will get the idea quite quickly - or try earth in the litter tray as he will be more used to that.
		
Click to expand...

Thanks will try that I am surprised as he can obviously use the cat flap he doesn't use it to go out to wee but who knows He has had a rotten life up to finding us who knows what has happened to him.


----------



## gingerarab (24 November 2016)

How lovely that he now has a loving home !  All I can add is that he was clever enough to find you and work out how to use the cat flap hopefully it wont be too long before he masters the cat litter tray !


----------



## horselib (24 November 2016)

gingerarab said:



			How lovely that he now has a loving home !  All I can add is that he was clever enough to find you and work out how to use the cat flap hopefully it wont be too long before he masters the cat litter tray !
		
Click to expand...

Vet says had he not found us he would have been dead by now ! His mouth is still a bit troublesome and he has an antibiotic and steroid injection every couple of months to control ulceration that occurs .He will have a loving home with us now but I would prefer he could be trusted to use a tray.


----------



## Goldenstar (24 November 2016)

Just wanted to say lucky cat .
Have you tried putting a towel in a large litter tray and then if that works put a little litter on it and increasing gradually .


----------



## Meowy Catkin (24 November 2016)

I would also try putting the towel in the litter tray, but I would put the litter tray in the same spot that the towel was. Also make sure that the towel that goes in the litter tray is one that he has already peed on. It will then attract him back to pee on the same spot again.

We have a cat that will only use the tray if we don't completely clean it out (interestingly he was also castrated as an adult). So we take out 99% of the wet litter, but just leave that tiny amount to attract him back again.


----------



## Equi (24 November 2016)

How many litter trays are out? There should be a tray for each cat, and one extra according to that cat man with the beard..lol

http://jacksongalaxy.com/blog/2012/08/02/does-your-cat-pee-outside-the-litter-box?rq=cat pee


----------



## honetpot (24 November 2016)

I think this is so lovely, he is very lucky.
  I found a stray young cat that was so hungry he leapt in my car when I came to catch him, with food. He is now a very spoilt house cat. He decided he preferred my neighbours as there was no feline competition and lives like a king.
  The other rescue I got had lived in a cupboard most of her life and had learned to shrink into the smallest corner, she was frightened of everything. She now struts through the house and parks herself on the sofa, and walks past the dogs with no trace of fear. We think she had a brain transplant the change is so great.
   Where cats are concerned food and warmth seem to the overriding thing and they will adapt if its in their comforts interest.
We have five cats and three litter trays, everyone has there preferred poop area, as long as its changed regularly they do not seem to care.


----------



## horselib (25 November 2016)

equi said:



			How many litter trays are out? There should be a tray for each cat, and one extra according to that cat man with the beard..lol

http://jacksongalaxy.com/blog/2012/08/02/does-your-cat-pee-outside-the-litter-box?rq=cat pee

Click to expand...

There is a litter tray for the predominately house cat in his area upstairs which he uses no problem and this litter tray for this stray/stable cat is put out at night when I shut the conservatory /the kitchen door so only he has access to it.(I don't want him in the rest of the house overnight if he has accidents!)I have been trying to put he out into the barn last thing at night to make sure he 'goes' .
I do take him down to the barns when ever i go down and he will often go then in his barn toilet area Will perserver.


----------



## Shady (25 November 2016)

The towel in the box is a good idea, i would also try one with dry earth in or straw if you use it in your stables, he sounds like a very lucky cat to have found you! xx


----------



## JillA (25 November 2016)

Shady said:



			The towel in the box is a good idea, i would also try one with dry earth in or straw if you use it in your stables, he sounds like a very lucky cat to have found you! xx
		
Click to expand...

That's a sensible plan. Cats learn to use a particular substrate as their area to toilet so use what he knows and gradually change it bit by bit to what you want him to end up using. Most ferals use soil.


----------



## horselib (28 November 2016)

the cat is now not using the towel but randomly peeing in areas of the conservatory. Tried the litter tray plus towel trick and it seems to have put him off.Tried dirt in the tray even went and got some dirt from the area he uses in the barn.What to do now!!!!!
Can't shut him in the barn as it will stop the others coming and going there are 2 ferals that live in the barn.All I can do at the moment is roll up the mats in the consevstory overnight.
I wonder about using a dog crate put him in it with his bed one and and litter tray the other so he only has that to pee in. (just overnight.) Can't shut the cat flap as the house cat uses to come and go to the toilet!!!


----------



## JillA (28 November 2016)

Yes, confine him to an area spread with your chosen surface - crate is ideal, some people have been known to do it using a fireguard across a corner!


----------



## Shady (28 November 2016)

yes, try the crate at night, it might break the habit if he can't pee anywhere else, i would next try the gravely cat lit in his box, is it an open box or covered? hopefully you will win in the end, the trouble with them peeing on the floor is that to them they have to then keep ' touching it up '


----------



## webble (28 November 2016)

Had he got any bladder issues? My cat who gets crystals stats peeing in odd places and on certain types of surface at the start of a flare up


----------



## horselib (28 November 2016)

webble said:



			Had he got any bladder issues? My cat who gets crystals stats peeing in odd places and on certain types of surface at the start of a flare up
		
Click to expand...

Don't think he has got a bladder problem just never ever lived in a house always been a stray so in the barns he can just choose a place to go it doesn't matter where. He doesn't go that often as he would with cystitis .If I take him down to the barn he will go in his usual place there he just can't seem to work out that he needs to go out of the cat flap or use the litter tray!! His world was outside or in a barn so there was no real inside and outside . He is around 6 to 7 and had probably always lived as a stray.The vet checked him over last week and he had an antibiotic injection as he still gets flare ups with his mouth (ulceration)  
Its an open litter box as I am not sure he would use a closed one .The floor in slate and I clean any accidents with the special urine off spray that supposed to discourage re visiting .Also its never always the same place just random


----------



## horselib (28 November 2016)

just to add I have ordered a medium size crate which should arrive tomorrow .I have rolled up the mat in the conservatory and put towel and litter tray down .I will take him down to the barn last thing tonight so I am sure he has 'been' . just hope I can sort this he is a sweet affectionate cat but I suppose never lived in a house.


----------

