A very warm welcome to the forum!

Head on down to the 'Cat' section. Lots of good and very knowledgeable 'cat people' there who will be able to help you.

 

Hello and welcome to our forums. What is your cat's name and how old is she now?

Often as cats get older they change habits and may prefer to spend more time indoors and use the cat litter tray indoors. There is nothing wrong with this habit. Are you worried about her not wanting to go outside to do her business? Or are you worried about yourself and having a litter tray in the house?

 

My cat's name is Wednesday and I would guess she is 9 (I have had her over 8 years and she looked very young when she first came to me). I would like her to do her business outside because it seems more natural to me and less cleaning for me too. I feel she should spend more time outdoors enjoying hunting and such.

 

She obviously doesn't. It's not about what you would like her to do, it's about what she wants to do. She's getting older now and she obviously wants to relax and be inside more.

Keeping the litter box clean is part of living with a cat.

Be glad she likes you enough to want to be around you. Be glad she uses the litter box so you can tell if she's having any problems. And please do keep her box clean for her.

I could have sworn I already answered this thread.

 

My cat's name is Wednesday and I would guess she is 9 (I have had her over 8 years and she looked very young when she first came to me). I would like her to do her business outside because it seems more natural to me and less cleaning for me too. I feel she should spend more time outdoors enjoying hunting and such.

OK, so Wedesday is about 9 yrs old. In human years it's about 52. I guess she is at this age when she appreciates comfort a little bit more. I bet she was happy to spend more time outdoors in summer and now wants to stay warm I have 2 cats and don't mind cleaning their trays. I figured out which cat litter works best for us. It clumps well, I clean it up, top up and it stays fresh for over a month. Good value for money and hardly any hustle. And I can keep an eye on the litter tray content to watch out for any health issues.
Do you have a cat flap? Is Wednesday free to come and go as she likes?

 

All this could be due to another cat 'holding' the garden has part of its territory i.e. scent marking/patrolling.
I'm sure a 9 year old female cat would easily feel intimidated if the other cat was male, younger or more aggressive.
Remember if this cat lived feral as a young cat, she assuredly would have learnt this feline 'law' - probably the hard way.
When you're an animal if you break this 'law' it is going to mean either a confrontation or a claws drawn fight. Maybe this is what is at the root of the problem?

 

It may be that there isn't anywhere outside that meets Wednesday's standard. Dig a nice area of soil outside and replace with fresh stuff, then take a small amount and mix with her litter and a small mount of litter and mix with the soil. You get the gist. Hopefully if she feels comfortable she'll start to go outside. Make sure the area is close to the door and safe with a bit of privacy. It may be she had decided indoor facilities are quite nice.

Good luck

Jan