Not if your sister moves it or covers it during the day. Cats are creatures of routine and don't do well with having that changed.

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Trouble is that compared to the way animals are treated in my brother- in -law's culture these animals are living in the lap of luxury in his eyes
Also my sister does not regard animals as being worhty of the same degree of care and emotional investment as humans

With the deepest of regret I probably would. However, I am sure you are right in what they would say.

It would be better for all if you could talk your sister into handing them back voluntarily.

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Sad to say I think you may be fighting a losing battle there Try to get her to leave at least one litter tray available for the cats all day. I can't see why that would be a problem for her as she would have to clean it after it being used at night.
I think you are probably right regarding the RSPCA too. The cats have food and shelter as much as many farm cats get.

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How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven. - Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.lambchopsiamese.webs.com

Sorry to say that the RSPCA will not take them back although they may decide to PTS.

Their policy changed recently, apparently.

I know a lady who runs a sanctuary and has two older cats she took in because the owner could no longer keep them and although they were rehomed from the RSPCA she was told they would not take them back.

As long as the cats have water available and are fed, the RSPCA will take no action either.

Poor cats need rehoming

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One of my work colleagues did something similar with her cats. She just had a baby and now the cats are not allowed in the house at all any more because she says that they cry at night and wake the baby. They were never allowed in the house during the day in any case. They installed a catflap in the garage. They leave food down, but other than that pay no attention to the cats.

She didn't seem too impressed with me when I suggested she take them back to the shelter she got them from (she'd only had them 2 years). I did speak to the shelter on a no names basis, and they said they would not intervene if the cats had shelter and food and were healthy.

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all 4 of my friends cats are house cats... They get let out into the garden in the morning and at that point he provides them with a litter tray, and they all use it pretty much straight away then he cleans it all up and puts it away. (he also has a litter tray indoors which they only use for peeing in)
So it is possible for cats to learn to use a litter tray as and when it's put out for them even though it's not there all the time... But wether it is possible to REtrain a cat to do that i couldnt say. his have been brought up with that ROUTINE so it's no problem for them to stick to it.
Whatever she decides it's going to take time to get them to adapt to a different routine, and rubbing their noses in it will only make things more difficult. Perhaps she should just leave the catflap open for them. Better than getting so irate that you rub a cats nose in poo.

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Totally agree with you, trouble is she has had other cats coming in the garage at night and spraying and fighting with her own cats. I honestly think they are just an inconvenience to her now. Feel so sorry for that little cat as she is soooo thin (worms - since treated) and has only one eye (fighting with another cat) so to physically punish her is disgraceful

Wow how mad am I feeling right now??? Personally I would 'liberate' these cats and get them re-homed myself I can't stand the thought of animals being treated in this way. She lets them into the garage at night as she is worried that they will get hurt at night but probably wouldn't care too much if they went missing in my opinion.

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I have to agree that these cats deserve a better home than they have now - unless your sister comes to that conclusion, that's not going to happen. The best you can hope for atm is to convince her to leave the tray uncovered all the time (if she's concerned about smell or such suggest a hooded tray), she may be convinced if you point out that the alternative to an available tray is the situation she's in atm where she's going to have to keep cleaning the floor.

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notsure