How to Toilet Train Your Cat

Many people decide to have a litter box if a pet cat is kept in the house. One of the most unpleasant tasks is cleaning the litter box. If this chore is one that you do not like to do, you can try to toilet train your cat. There will be some unpleasant times, but once the training is done, there will be no more cleaning the little box.

You Will Need the Following:

A litter box

Cat litter

Newspapers, cardboard slats, or other things that can be used to raise a litter box

A metal (not plastic) bowl that fits inside the seat of the toilet perfectly

Cleaning supplies

Patience

Train Yourself

Before toilet training your cat, you need to remember that certain arrangements are needed for a cat to use a toilet. Make sure that when nobody is in the bathroom, the bathroom door is open. The toilet also needs to have the lid up and the seat down. You need to have these habits before toilet training a cat as the cat will not be able to use the toilet if you do not do these things.

Start by Moving the Litter Box

Move the litter box next to the toilet. Make sure that your cat knows where the litter box is located. Then make sure that your cat uses the litter box. Each day, increase the height of the litter box by placing newspapers or cardboard slats under it so your cat has to start jumping into the litter box. If at any time your cat does not like the change, go back to the last time and try the change again. If a day is too short for your cat to get used to the change, take a few days to a week to change. Keep adding newspapers or cardboard slats under the litter box until the bottom of the litter box is at the same height as the toilet seat. Magazines should never be used because they are too slick and they are likely to make the litter box slide. If it doesn't fall, it will at least make the cat nervous.

Move the Litter Box Over the Toilet

This part can be irritating as when humans have to use the bathroom, the litter box will have to be moved. However, it will be worth it if you want your cat toilet trained. Put the litter box onto the toilet seat. Let the cat use the litter box on top of the toilet seat. This can be done for a few days up to a month. It depends on how well your cat adapts to changes and to the next step.

Use the Metal Bowl With Litter

Place the metal bowl into the toilet. Again, this can be irritating at times since the bowl will need to be removed when humans need to use the bathroom. Put cat litter into the bowl. Hopefully your cat will get the idea and use the bathroom in the bowl. When you can, catch your cat using the bathroom. Your cat may not know where to place its paws. If this is the case, start by moving the front paws out of the bowl and onto the toilet seat. Keep doing this until the cat gets in the habit of keeping the paws there. Then make sure to move the back feet onto the toilet seat and continue doing it until your cat always uses the bathroom by placing all four feet on the toilet seat and going in the bowl.

Reduce the Litter

Little by little, reduce the amount of cat litter in the metal bowl. You will want to be home with your cat at these times. This is because you will want to wash the bowl after the cat has used the bathroom so it does not smell. Remove the litter until it is down to about a tablespoon or teaspoon and your cat still comfortably uses the bathroom.

Remove the Bowl

Once your cat comfortably uses the bathroom with only the small bit of litter, the bowl can be removed. Remember to always keep the toilet lid up and the toilet seat down. The cat should figure out how to use the toilet when it needs to go to the bathroom. If the lid is down or the seat is up, there is no certainty that the cat will know to ask for the toilet to be corrected and no certainty where the cat will use the bathroom.

If everything was done correctly and your cat adapted to the changes, you should now have a toilet trained cat.

Source:

Long, K. (n.d.). How to Toilet-Train Your Cat. Karawynn Long : karawynn . Retrieved May 18, 2011, from http://www.karawynn.net/misha