My cats don't use the litter?

I have two cats, male and female, 6 months old. they eat dry biscuit-type food and seem to be perfectly happy. what I don't understand is why (not always, but sometimes) they use the earth in one of my large flower pots as a toilet, when their litter is clean and dry. any ideas why this is? and how I can stop them?

My cats don't use the litter?
cats can have very strange habbits sometimes. my cat was like that and prefered mud rather than the litter tray. prehaps let them outside to go to the toilet than bring them back in.
Reply:ok i have to cats and when i got them i just put them in the litter box and let them stay in there for a minute but the only time my cats dont use the litter box is when it is full. hope that helps

:)- kristin m
Reply:Cats can have odd habits, just like people.



Try putting some wire mesh over the flower pot. If they can't scratch at the dirt, they will most likely not use it as a litter box.



Some cats don't like sharing a litterbox, you may need to have separate boxes for them. Keep the litterbox clean. I have two cats %26amp; I use a muli-cat, scoopable litter.



Be sure to have them spayed/neutered, if you haven't already done so.
Reply:well at least its good fertilizer for your plants! lol anyways, try putting their poos in the litter, it might work.. long ago my cats would always poo on the parking place at my house..then when we wash it n spray their poos into the drain, they started to poo in the drain..! since some of their old poo is in there.. good luck!
Reply:My cats 2 are attracted to any potted plants I had indoors. Try sprinkling some cayenne pepper on the top soil. They won't go in the plant...just a sprinkle. When they smell it their nose will burn a little and that will be that.

For some reason, I'm thinking moth balls might do the same.
Reply:I have two kittens about 5 months old. we had some trouble for a while with one of them going behind the TV and on the bed. the vet suggested putting down another litter tray because although we don't always see it, one of them could be guarding the litter tray so the other feels like it can't go there. we also changed the type of litter. sometimes they don't like the smell of another cats litter deposits, so we got a better litter type, all of this seems to have helped us we have not had any problems since. What the vet said to me, if it helps, for every cat in the house you should have a tray per cat plus one. and if you have to levels to the property always have one on every level, just in case.