It is not as difficult as you think
to teach your cat to use the human toilet using the following
techniques.
The advantages of cat toilet training:
As a cat owner you will appreciate
the advantages of teaching your cat to use the toilet. It eliminates
the need to ever again buy cat litter thus making real monetary
savings.
No more cleaning out cat litter
boxes. That has to be a huge advantage. All you need to do is flush.
The toilet also has more odor control than a litter box. The cat's
business is covered with water which is better than it sitting out
in the open in a litter tray.
How long will it take to train your cat to use the Toilet
It all depends on your cat. The entire process can take eight or
nine weeks to complete. Age does not seem to be a barrier. I know of
a 10 year old cat that learned to use the toilet.
Toilet
training your cat basically consists of a simple procedure:
gradually moving your cat's litter box closer and closer to the
toilet, then placing a bowl with cat litter inside the toilet, and
removing it altogether when your cat is comfortable and used to it.
Toilet training a cat is a gradual, step-by-step process, consisting
of making small changes to the location of the litter box and only
continuing to the next step when your cat is entirely comfortable with
its current situation. You might have to wait anything between 2 days
or 3 weeks before moving on a next step in cat toilet training. You
might even have to go back a step once or twice when it turns out that
your cat wasn't ready to move on to the next toilet training step.
Be aware - cat toilet training takes a lot of patience!
How to train your cat to use the Toilet - Cat toilet training steps:
1. Gradually move your cat's
litter box nearer to the toilet until finally it should be next to
the toilet. Ensure that your cat is always comfortable and sure of
its litter box's location.
2. Now start elevating the cat's
litter box. Put something non-slippery like newspapers or cardboard
underneath the litter box. A normal rate to increase the height of
the litter box would be about 5cm a day, but be very attentive to
signs that your cat is not comfortable with the current height, and
adjust the pace of raising the litter box accordingly. The cat
litter box should be raised until it is at a level height with the
toilet bowl. Throughout this process it is very important to keep
the toilet lid open and the seat down, because your cat will get
used to it and might even start climbing on the toilet seat in order
to reach its litter box.
3. Move the litter box to rest on the
open toilet seat. Keep it there until your cat seems comfortable
with this arrangement.
4. Buy a metal bowl or tray that will
fit snugly inside the toilet bowl. It would be advisable for the
metal bowl to have small draining holes. Fill the bowl with cat
litter (preferably the flushable type). Now remove your cat's litter
box entirely. If you have reached this step successfully you are
very close to having a toilet trained cat!
If you are having problems finding
a bowl or tray that will fit into your toilet you have the choice of
buying a complete system such as Kwitter Litter. Further down the
page is a video demonstrating this system
5. While your cat is using the metal
bowl inside the toilet, be attentive to where its paws are. The goal
is teaching him to squat with all four paws on the toilet seat rim.
You can move the cat while it is using the toilet and praise it (or
reward it) when it is sitting in the correct position. Normally the
cat will first sit entirely inside the metal bowl, then with front
paws on the toilet seat, and finally it should sit with all four
paws on the toilet.
6. Start using less and less cat
litter. This can get smelly, so be sure to clean the bowl after
every time your cat uses it. Cats scratch in sand or cat litter to
cover up the smell (this is out of instinct), so if the bowl becomes
too smelly your cat won't be comfortable using it (and you probably
wouldn't be comfortable with using your toilet either). Using
flushable cat litter makes cleaning the bowl very easy - just throw
out the contents in the toilet and flush down, rinse out the bowl,
refill with correct amount of cat litter and replace. A handy tip is
to place newspaper on the floor around the toilet to help keep the
room clean should your cat scratch in the cat litter. Decrease the
amount of cat litter in a pace that your cat feels comfortable with.
7. When you basically don't use any
cat litter inside the bowl anymore, start gradually filling the bowl
with water. The water will also help mask the smell so your cat will
be more comfortable using the toilet. Be attentive to your cat's
behavior through this whole process - if your cat stops using the
bowl inside the toilet, you may be moving on too fast and might need
to go back a couple of steps.
8. When the water level in the bowl
has reached about 4cm and your cat has no problem using it, it is
time to remove the bowl entirely. Your cat should now be toilet
trained. Remember to always leave the toilet seat up and flush
regularly!
Products to assist you in toilet
training your cat:
There are several cat toilet training kits available on the market.
They basically consist of a tray that fits inside the toilet, and with
a hole in the middle that you can gradually make bigger. One of these
products is called Litter Kwitter. Watch a video
Litter Kwitter is a recommended
system.
When choosing
a cat toilet training kit, ensure that you buy quality. The cat
training kit should not be flimsy and should be able to support your
cat's weight even when the hole becomes large. Be aware of cheap,
flimsy products you buy at toy stores or pet stores, because if your
cat falls in, it might loose interest in toilet training completely.
The disadvantages in toilet training your cat:
Not everyone agrees that cat toilet training is such a great idea.
They argue that it is unnatural for a cat to use a toilet, as it goes
against their natural instincts to cover up their smell. Toilet seats
can also be slippery and there might be the risk of your cat injuring
itself. Even if your cat doesn't fall in at all, he may become anxious
whenever he uses the toilet and going to the toilet can become an
unpleasant task.
A litter box also has the health benefit in that it's easier to
monitor your cat's urine for signs of infections or sickness.
Moving locations will also be harder for the cat, because a litter box
can be moved easily but the cat will first need to get used to using
the new toilet. With some cats this is no problem and they can become
comfortable with the new toilet very fast, while other cats might be
less adaptable.
Things to remember when toilet training a cat:
The most important thing to remember is that the toilet training
should be done gradually. Be very patient and never rush to the next
step until you are sure that you cat is completely comfortable with
the current setup.
Make using the toilet as easy as you can for the cat. Always remember
to keep the toilet seat up and the bathroom door open. When you have
guests, ensure that they also know about considering your cat. Flush
the toilet regularly as cats do not like using smelly toilets.
Different breeds of cats
with pictures, description and information on each of the listed domestic cat
breeds.
Which breed would you choose?
