My cat only uses the litter box. How can I get him to go outside?

Start now with closing the cat door at night and keeping Kitter in with a litter box available. After a few days or a week keep him inside only. That way he will adjust before the stress of moving. Most cats naturally use the litter box but you may want to confine him to a smaller area with the box at night when he's in. Use plain litter without fragrance and clean it daily and fully empty it and scrub it with mild dish washing soap weekly. Cats are fussy and if the box is dirty they can start going out of the box. Also pick up bath mats and laundry so he doesn't start urinating on those. He should be fine, most cats adjust well. Make sure you play with him a lot and he may enjoy a cat tree since he is probably used to more exercise when he's outside. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Kitter.

Yes, no problem but consider that if you need to keep him indoor in the future (even for few days), and he is not trained to use the litter tray, he might urinate/defecate in inappropriate places within the house. Hopefully will never happen but consider that won't be possible to check for any change in urine/feces pattern or appearance in case Oliver get sick (i.e. diarrhea, urine tract infection,..). Please post again on the forum or request a consultation if you would like to discuss it any further.

It should be fine if he’s choosing to go outside. I would think you would find urine or feces in the house if he is going indoors. Many cats prefer to go outside and as long as he has the choice to use the litter box I wouldn’t be concerned.

You can use an invisible fence, and there are ones specifically for cats. That would help keep your cat in your yard and out of your neighbor's yard. Other than the other things you have suggested, short of monitoring him every time he goes outside, it will be very difficult to keep him out of their yard. I know you aren't willing to make him indoor only, but that is the only way to keep him out of their yard for sure. I would look into an invisible fence for him.

Mother cats usually teach their kittens how to use a litter box by example. So, if she is using the kitten's litter box, she is likely trying to teach them to use it as well. I would not discourage her from using the box as it may cause her or the kittens to start having accidents in the house instead. If you are planning on having the kittens be outdoor cats like their mother, then making sure they are vaccinated and old enough to go outside first is best. They can then follow their mother and explore outside more to learn to do their business outside as well.

It’s impossible to know why Snoops is doing this but he must have either gotten used to it or he decided he liked the experience. This is actually not unusual for cats. At some point his tastes may change and he may begin going outside again but until then, keep the litter box available. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I love that you have already switched to the unscented litter as that can be a big problem for many cats. Putting the litter box in the shower is a great idea. I would also make sure to clean up the spots he went outside the litterbox using an enzymatic pet stain cleaner to ensure he does not keep smelling urine/feces there and think that it is akin to a litterbox. Other things, like cleaning the litter box often, having multiple litterboxes which are different types of boxes, and trying different types of litter (such as fine-grain litter) may also help you figure out what type of litter Mittens likes. While it certainly sounds like Mittens is having trouble getting used to his new litterbox, it is important to remember that internal diseases (like organ, hormonal, or orthopedic diseases, among other possible causes) can cause Mittens to have a hard time making it into the litterbox so it is important to take Mittens to your vet for evaluation to make sure we are not missing something else that is making it hard for Mittens to make it to the litterbox. I have attached a link to an article with more great suggestions below. Good luck! https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-train-your-cat-to-use-a-litter-box/