Training Your Cat To Use the Toilet

Should I train my cat to use the toilet? What are the benefits, and is there a downside? What should I do first? Second? Last? Are there any aids to help me?

Breathes there a cat-owner on this earth that doesn't detest cleaning the litter box? What a mess! Granules (and worse!) all over the floor, the constant scooping, the expensive litter - Yuk! A messy business all around.

So why not train your cat(s) to use the toilet?

The process itself is easy, but it does take time. It's every bit as messy as the litter box, and it takes some effort - maybe up to a month, or even longer, depending upon you and your cat. It means tying up the bathroom for extended periods of time. The process will be made easier if you can dedicate one bathroom to this purpose and this purpose only, but not everyone has a bathroom to spare. Nevertheless, it can be done with one bathroom, and once you've trained your cat, it should be trained for life. No more mess! No more scooping! No more expensive litter waiting on the floor to be scooped up and disposed of, tra-la!

You're free!!

Well, free from that, anyway.

The first thing you must do is engage the entire family in this project. Without their cooperation you will get nowhere! Ask them to join with you in training your cat(s) and describe the benefits. There will be a little inconvenience but no actual discomfort!

After that, you need to train yourself. What kind of cat owner are you? The type who pampers your cat, buying only top-of-the-line food, the expensive litter, the best medical treatment? Or are you the more relaxed type who enjoys your cat but doesn't obsess over it? Or is the cat simply another warm body walking around your house? Each type calls for different adjustments in order to stick with the program. If you are the relaxed type, you may need to write reminders to yourself, or have another member of the family assist you.

Let's take a look at how cats learn. Like many animals, they learn by experience. If they leap high in the air to catch a bird and actually catch it, they will likely try that again. If they leap onto a cactus after a bird perching there, they will probably not repeat the attempt (there are exceptions!) So in training your cat, you will want to make the desired behavior rewarding and pleasant, with treats or praise. Undesired behavior must be made unrewarding and unpleasant, perhaps with a spray of water.

One mistake cat owners often make - because it's difficult to catch a cat in the act - is to grab the offending animal and rub its nose in the evidence. This does no good at all. The cat can't connect the punishment with the act - too much has happened since then! The cat may have taken a drink out of its water bowl - is that now bad? This method is guaranteed to result in a confused, even angry, cat and a frustrated owner. Other useless methods include throwing the cat outside; talking harshly to it, insulting it, throwing water on it and complaining to your spouse. For this reason it is probably best to avoid punishing the cat unless you can actually catch it in the act. Just reward it for doing what you ask it to do.

STEP ONE: Move the litter box from its present location closer to the bathroom. Don't move it too far or the cat is liable to get lost looking for it. The cat should be able to see it from its original position. If the cat makes the transfer without problems, let it stay there for several days, until the cat is accustomed to using it in its new position. (Good news for those of you who keep the litter box in the bathroom - you can skip to Step Three!)

STEP TWO: Move the litter box even closer to the bathroom, but not out of sight of its second position. Wait until the cat is used to this position, then move it again. Keep doing this until the litter box is actually in the bathroom.

STEP THREE: Find a low box or stool to put under the litter box, to raise it to about half the toilet's height. Wait to make sure that the cat is having no trouble using it there. Give the cat several days to get use to it, and every time you see it in the litter box, praise it extravagantly.

STEP FOUR: Put the litter box on the toilet (lid up, seat down), and wait to make sure the cat has no trouble using it there. This is where you need the family's cooperation - they will need to remove the box to use the toilet, and replace it when finished. Without fail!

STEP FIVE: When the cat is completely comfortable with this arrangement, take the litter box away and replace it with a metal bowl that exactly fits the toilet bowl. This is the tricky part - the process cannot proceed until and unless you can find a suitable container. This may take some time; just let the cat use the litter box on the toilet until you find one.

STEP SIX: This step requires that you be in the bathroom with the cat. Or if that is not convenient, take the cat into the bathroom with you (this may or may not work. If it doesn't, back up to Step Five). Place the cat on the edge of the toilet bowl (lid up) and press on its rear end. Every time it cooperates, praise it and give it a small treat - this may be the most difficult part of the process for your cat to grasp, so a treat is important. Again, do this for 3-4 days, until the cat lowers its rear by itself. Praise extravagantly.

STEP SEVEN: Add a little water and some litter to the bowl. This should not bother your cat at all; indeed it may increase its comfort.

STEP EIGHT: After a few days, remove the litter from the bowl. Leave the water. Then, after a few days, remove the bowl altogether.

If any of these steps fail, you will need to back up to the previous step.

Make sure the lid on the toilet is up at all times

During this training period, the family must cooperate in making sure the toilet lid is up at all times. If you like, you can tape it up with duct tape.

There! You have trained your cat to use the toilet! Aren't you proud of yourself?