Toilet training your cat is an attainable feat, made even more famous by Mr. Jinxy in the movie Meet The Parents. Cats make wonderful pets, however dealing with a litter box is never a pleasant experience. Instead of dealing with a foul smelling litter box, here's how to toilet train your cat in a few simple steps. Preparation
During the training process, it is best to have two toilets in the house. The first toilet will be set up for the cat's use only during the training process and any additional toilets will be used by you. Setting it up this way, makes it far easier for the cat in terms of convenience, conditioning, and practice as different toilets may have different heights and strengths of flush handles. If you only have one toilet, training can still be achieved by following the steps below.
It is important to note that your cat will need to balance on the toilet seat at some point during the training and therefore you should not attempt to train cats that are kittens or too young. It is ideal to wait until your cat is at least six (6) months old, because at this point your cat should have the ability to balance on the toilet seat. Materials
You will need two aluminum trays: One aluminum tray will fit into the toilet and an additional aluminum tray will replace your cat's litter box. The purpose of this is to condition the cat to use the aluminum tray in the spot where his litter box was kept and then when the transition is made to the toilet, the aluminum tray will seem normal to your cat.
You will also need flushable litter that the cat will become accustomed to. This litter must be flushable because some of it may fall into the toilet during the training process. The Litter Box
The original litter box must be kept in its original place, however replace the physical litter box with the aluminum tray. Also, use the same litter that the cat is accustomed to. The only difference in the cat's new litter setup is the aluminum litter box replaces the original litter box. Patience Is Key
Allow your cat a few days to become accustomed to the new aluminum litter box. Once the cat is comfortable, gradually move the litter box closer to the toilet. Depending on your cat's reaction, this may be done daily, weekly or monthly. You must not move the litter box too far or to fast. Also, you must ensure that your cat can locate the litter box, even if it is necessary to physically place your cat's paws in the litter box. Remember, patience is key, training your cat to use a litter box, let alone a toilet is a process that could take some time.
When the cat is finally using the litter box directly next to or against the toilet, raise the litter box about 2-4 inches off of the floor. Ensure that the litter box is on a safe and stable platform and your cat has sufficient room to maneuver around the litter box and use it comfortably. As the cat becomes comfortable with this stage, continue raise the litter box 1-2 inches each time until the box is level with the toilet. As the box gets higher and higher, stability is critical due to the fact that your cat will need to jump onto the box. Should your cat jump onto the box and the box fall, it could scare your cat into not wanting to attempt it again.
When you have successful reached this stage, the litter tray in the toilet should be added. For the aluminum litter try, many common cooking trays wide enough to fit in to the toilet can be used. Gently place the tray in between the ring and the toilet base. Again, stability is critical and make sure that it is held firmly in place. Next, place the same litter you have been using with the cat into the tray. Using The Toilet
Over the next couple of weeks, leave the litter box level with the tray inside the toilet. Once the cat is accustomed to this, slowly begin reducing the amount of the litter in the box. As the litter gets lower and lower, make a small hole in the aluminum litter box. As the litter gets lower, the hole should get bigger. It is important to take this process very slow as your cat may feel uncomfortable should you go to fast. Eventually, there will be a an aluminum litter box with no litter and a good size hole. Let your cat use this for a couple weeks and then remove the aluminum tray. Your cat will be fully toilet trained.
An important point is that your toilet seat must always remain up, because your cat will not be able to lift the toilet seat itself and consistently leaving the seat down may frustrate your cat.
Remember this toilet training process may take several months and it is important to be patient. The rewards for you and your cat once training is achieved are remarkable. The litter smell and consistent changing of the box are eliminated and the cat will remain toilet trained for many years to come.
one of my cats will only shit in the tub, which obviously is a problem. maybe this aluminum tray method could be modified to un-train her, but i don't have room for a second litter box and i think the root of the problem is that she doesn't want to share a box with the other cat. maybe if i toilet train the one that uses the box, the tub-shitter would go back to the box.
Sep 25, 07
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