Stray cats as it goes are wild animals, they are not used to boxes or any methods of doing there business. If you have just adopted a stray cat, it can take upto 8 weeks for them to properly learn how to use a cat litter box and sometimes even longer. Hope is not lost yet, using our 7 ways to help a stray cat to use litter you can nudge your cat to using the litter box and making it a habit faster.

Adult cats are naturally very shy, and when you are training them to use a litter box you will have to manage between being there for the cat and just in same time not being there for them.

Leaving The Cat Alone

Adult stray cats are used to privacy, suddenly if they see people all around the box it becomes difficult for them to use it. The best way to get them to use the box is by giving them privacy and you can do that by simply placing the box in a isolated corner.

You should put your litter box away from noisy places like your living room, or bedroom to a place where you frequent less and is quiet. Let your cat have some peace.

Guide Them After Food

Cats learn by noticing the behavior of there owner, if you take the cat to the litter box and stir the litter around for a bit of time it will soon learn to understand the behavior.

It is a good idea to do this after a meal preferably around 20 – 25 minutes later so that they cat can understand the correlation between the two behaviors.

Creating a Natural Environment

Your cat is used to leaves and soil, so to encourage the use of litter box place some leaves and soil in the box. It helps for the cat to get familiar and comfortable with the box and encourages him to use it again and again.

The Correct Litter

Cats are very picky about the things they use, so you will have to experiment a little bit to get the right cat litter for your cat. If you find one soon enough, make sure it is the one that your cat will stick with. If you want to know more about cat litter brands check out our reviews of it here.

In the start it is a good idea to experiment with clay litter. Clay litter feels like soil and provides familiar conditions for the cat.

Let Your Cat Freely Use The Box

Help your cat create positive associations with the box by letting him freely move around, in and out of the box. If you will try to push the cat into using the box by force it can create negative understanding of it.

Let it move around freely around the box and explore it by itself.

Keeping It Clean

Keeping the litter box clean creates a good environment for the cat to come back and use it again and again. I am sure you won’t like to use a restroom if it hasn’t been cleaned for a while. The same goes for your cat and it is necessary that you clean the litter box.

Reward Good Learning

If you see your cat using litter box often and learning not to do it anywhere else, reward your cat with a treat. It helps with positive associations and keeps your cat learning more about it.

Training a stray cat to use litter box, is not that difficult it just might take a long time and you should be patient. Don’t try to force your cat or else it won’t work at all.