# My cat does not want to go outside...



## londoncat1974 (Jan 5, 2011)

Hi, we moved into a new house about 1.5 months ago, and installed a cat flap in the front door. One of my cats (the male) uses it ok to go outside and do his things, but the other cat (female) refuses to use it... for the first 2 weeks I had the litter tray inside, and now when I remove it, she does it on the floor instead of going outside! We have carpets in the top floors, and i'm worried of removing the cat litter and find one day pee or poo in the carpet, which is very difficult to clean. She's ok when i take her outside, or if i put her in front of the cat flap she goes outside and spends about half an hour going round (so i guess she likes being outside). Could this be because of the cold? Shall i wait till spring to try to remove the litter from inside? Or are there any tricks I could use...? I'm a bit desperate as we don't really have space inside for the cat litter, it's a small house... Both of the cats have had catflat since being born, so it's not she's not used to it...


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## Nan (Oct 11, 2010)

So where is the litterbox when it's inside now? Surely you can put a litter box in a bathroom or a bedroom closet. I have seen enclosures that look like end tables that you could put a litter box in. 

google for "creative ways to hide a litter box" and you will find things like:
a Rubbermaid lidded tote toybox with a hole cut in the side
(how about a wooden chest with a hole cut into it?) 
- under the bathroom counter (take a door off, if necessary)


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

You ask if this could be because of the cold...is this her first winter? If so, then that might be the problem. If not, and she went out last year in the cold, then presumably not. In such a case, it might just be she doesn't yet view the outside as her territory, given your recent move. 

As Nan suggested, I would find a spot for the box inside for now until she displays a greater willingness to go outside. It beats having her use the floor or the carpet, which right now is what she seems to view as her only alternative when you remove the box.


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## Nan (Oct 11, 2010)

Were the cats used to going outside at your old house to go to the bathroom? 
I might have mis-interpreted your question. I just wondered why you wanted them to go out...(I have an 800 sf condo & I have 2 litter boxes so I just saw this as a "I wonder where to put the box" question.

There is an advantage to having an indoor box though. If they are just going outside, you may never know if they pick up a urinary infection or worms.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Could you try slowly moving the box CLOSER to the door with the intention of eventually putting it just outside the cat door and to wherever it is you want her to eliminate?

SHe may learn eventually that even if she doesn't LIKE being out there she can run out to do her business and come right back in...?

Have you seen her use the cat door? Maybe she doesn't realize how it works.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

It might have to do with her not wanting to or not knowing how to use the cat flap. Most cats do eventually figure it out, how long have you had it installed? Most cats get used to it within a few weeks. My first suggestion would be to leave the cat flap wide open (used tape or something) with the litter box directly outside the door, to get her used to walking outside, and to slowly lower it more and more until she has to push to get through to the litterbox. But of course in the winter that likely is not a nice idea, your house will freeze! She might also not like the cold so getting her used to this idea in the winter might not work well.

Have you tried pushing her through both ways? At first we had to do with with our cat to get her used to the door; she put up a fight! Have someone on the other side calling to her that she likes and have them give her a treat when you push her through, and repeat it every day. Eventually she may be willing to jump out on her own to the person and the treat.


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## londoncat1974 (Jan 5, 2011)

Thanks to all for replying. 

Can't leave the cat flap open, other cats get inside and scare mine to death! (it has happened , I did this the first time...)

My cats are 10 years old, have use cat flaps always, in summer and winter, and always enjoy being free. I would like to be the same way, we live in a safe neighbourhood and i don't want them to be inside cats.

There no space for the cat litter in the house, it's in the bathroom now, but the bathroom is so small the tray uses al the space, and we can't use the bathroom! No space in the kitchen either, and i don't want to have it in the living room (there aren't more rooms, upstaris only bedroom and all carpeted).

In the previous house (not the one they grew up, just one we lived for 2 years), they went throught the catflap to the garage, and then to the back garden, which was more private. Here the cat flap is on the front door, and they have to walk all the way round the house to get to the back garden. I guess they don't like this.. but it's not possible at the moment to put a cat flap anywhere else.

I can leave the tray inside for a bit longer, but i'm worried she will never learn to go outside, i've even put the tray just on the other side of the front door (so she could smell it), but she won't cross the cat flap to use it, doing her things inside....


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