If you have owned cats in the past, you know what it’s like to clean out a litter box regularly. Nobody likes that chore, but what if you could keep your kitty and never clean out another litter box again? Most cat owners would be enthusiastically nodding in delight about now, and wondering what the trick could possibly be. Toilet training your cat is the process of teaching your pet to move from his litter box to using the actual toilet. Imagine – no more scooping, no more cleaning and no more kitty litter. Simply flush the mess and you are on your way! Yes, toilet training your cat is indeed a possibility, as long as you arm yourself with a bit of time and a lot of patience – and you can encourage your cat to do the same.
Step One: Move the Litter Box
The first step in toilet training your cat is to move his litter box into the bathroom where the training will take place. Put the box right next to the toilet and allow your cat to use it in that location for a few days. After this period of time, begin raising the litter box, using books or magazines, around two inches each day. Once the box is even with the rim of the toilet bowl, you are ready to begin transitioning your cat from the box to the toilet. First, place an aluminum pan over the toilet bowl, making sure that it can support your cat’s weight. Fill this bowl with about a half inch of kitty litter. For convenience sake, it is best to use a litter that is flushable.
Step Two: Transition your Cat to the Toilet Seat
Once your kitty is accustomed to using her pan on the top of the toilet, begin poking holes around the bottom of the pan to force her to begin leaving her paws on the toilet seat to go to the bathroom. This will begin transitioning to toilet training your cat. Start with one or two holes so that she will begin using her front paws on the seat, and gradually poke holes for the two back paws as well. At the same time you are poking the holes, you can cut down on the amount of kitty litter you are placing in the tray, so that your cat also gets used to going to the bathroom without litter. Once your cat is consistently standing on the toilet seat to go to the bathroom, you can remove the tray completely and the toilet training of your cat is complete.
This entire process of toilet training your cat will usually take two or three months to complete. If there come a point when your kitty begins using a corner of the room for her “duty” instead, you are probably trying to move her through the process too quickly. Simply back up a step or two and wait a week or so before trying again. Once you have successfully toilet trained your cat, you will never be cleaning out another litter box again, so stick with it!
by Cat Training