How to Teach a Cat, Already Using the Litter Box, to Go Outside

Does your cat sunbathe outside but then come inside to use the litter box? Not only is this inconvenient, but it's also unhygienic, especially with young children crawling around the house. Simply moving the litter box may result in your cat using the bathroom indoors. You’ll need to retrain your cat to go outside. The first step is to make the outdoors an appealing place for your cat to relieve itself.

Install a Cat Door. Cats can hold their bladder for hours, but those already trained to use the litter box tend to do so whenever the need arises. Installing a small cat door will allow your cat to go outside whenever it wants, helping it adjust as you move the litter box outside.

• If a cat door isn't an option, make sure to let your cat outside regularly and consistently. Take it outside first thing in the morning, after meals, and before bedtime.

Designate an outdoor spot for your cat to relieve itself. While your cat may initially prefer to go to the bathroom wherever it pleases outside, you can gradually make one specific spot more appealing and suitable for them. Choose a location that meets these criteria:

• A loose soil area where your cat can dig and bury waste (this is why play sandboxes for kids usually have a lid).
• Partially enclosed, such as behind walls or fences. Cats prefer privacy when using the bathroom, so they will feel more comfortable if there’s some coverage.
• Shaded, such as under bushes or tall trees. Cats are more likely to feel at ease if their bathroom spot is sheltered from above. This can be natural shade like bushes or artificial shade. The cover also provides comfort during bad weather.

Select a location with minimal foot traffic. If you have dogs or young children in the house, pick a spot far enough away to ensure your cat can use the bathroom in peace. Cats won’t go to a spot if they feel they’ll be disturbed while doing their business.

Place some of your cat's preferred litter in the new spot. Cats that are already trained to use a litter box are particular about where they relieve themselves—they even have a preference for certain types of litter. Take some of your cat's favorite litter and spread it in the new location. This will help your cat recognize the spot as its new litter area.

Let your cat explore the new bathroom spot. These steps usually take several weeks and require repeated efforts as you help your cat familiarize itself with the new location. Start by simply bringing your cat to the new spot and letting it sniff around. Your cat will recognize that its familiar litter from earlier days is now placed in this new spot. However, it may take a little while for your cat to understand that this is the new place to relieve itself.

Add waste from the old litter box to the new outdoor spot. To help your cat understand that it can use the new spot, scoop a bit of waste from its indoor litter box and place it in the new location. Bring your cat to the new spot so it can sniff around. This will help reinforce the idea that it’s an acceptable place for it to relieve itself.

Take your cat to the new bathroom spot after eating. After eating, the food in your cat’s stomach stimulates the bladder, so typically, your cat will need to go within 20 minutes. Take your cat outside right after it finishes eating and close the door so it stays near the new bathroom spot. This increases the chances that it will choose to use this area.

• Don’t force or praise your cat when it uses the new spot. Cats don’t respond to positive reinforcement like dogs do; praise may distract them from their bathroom routine.
• If your cat doesn’t go after 20 minutes, it might still be holding it to relieve itself indoors. If so, allow it back inside as this is just the beginning of training it to use the new spot.
• Try taking your cat outside after meals for about a week to see if it understands that you want it to go outside.

Try adding some soil from the new bathroom spot into the litter box. As mentioned earlier, cats are very particular about their bathroom areas. Your cat might not be comfortable with the mixture of soil and litter at the new outdoor location. To help it get used to this mix, take a little soil from the new spot and add it to your cat’s indoor litter box, maintaining a ratio of about 1 part soil to 3 parts litter. Your cat will continue using the litter box indoors and eventually realize that the new soil-litter mix is also an acceptable place to relieve itself.

• While doing this, continue taking your cat outside after meals for about a week.

Move your cat’s litter box. If your cat still refuses to use the outdoor bathroom spot, you can start slowly moving its litter box to encourage the transition. Initially, keep the litter box inside but move it closer to the door leading outside. If there’s no cat door, place the box near the door you usually use to take your cat outside. Make sure your cat sees the box being moved so it isn’t startled when it goes to use the box later.

• You can also place some furniture or an object where the litter box used to be. Otherwise, your cat may relieve itself on the floor.
• Leave the litter box in its new position for several days and continue taking your cat to the outdoor bathroom spot after each meal. Moving the box and adding soil may encourage your cat to start using the outdoor spot.

Place the litter box outdoors. If your cat still refuses to use the outdoor bathroom spot after the previous steps, you can simply move its litter box outside. Place it near the cat door (or the door you usually take your cat through) so it won’t have to go too far when it needs to relieve itself.

• Remember to show your cat where you’ve placed the litter box so it doesn’t end up relieving itself on the floor.

Move the litter box towards the outdoor bathroom spot. Once your cat starts using the outdoors to relieve itself, you can gradually move the litter box further from the door until it reaches the desired location. After about a week, your cat will become accustomed to traveling a bit farther each day to use the litter box.

• Once the litter box is in the desired spot, give it about 10 more days to adjust the litter mix to soil. Once the mix is mostly soil and your cat is comfortable using it, you can remove the litter box and leave some of your cat’s waste at the new spot. This will mark the successful training of your cat to go outside.