Dog and Cat Training

Cats are wonderful pets but cleaning the litter box can be a real drag. But what if you could train kitty to use the toilet? Instead of dealing with messy, smelly litter, you could eliminate your cats elimination with just one flush!

When training your cat to use the toilet, it's best if you have two toilets in the house. Using one just for the cat and one for yourself during the training period will make things much more convenient although you can train your cat with only 1 toilet.

For toilet training your cat you will need an aluminum tray that fits into the toilet as well as an aluminum tray as a replacement for his litter box. The idea is to get him used to the aluminum tray in the same spot his box is usually in and then the tray in the toilet won't seem so foreign.

Keep the litter box in it's original spot but replace the box with the aluminum tray instead. Use the same litter and keep everything else the same.

Gradually move the litter box closer to the toilet. Don't move it too far each time and make sure your cat knows where it is by taking her over to it and scratching her paws in it. If your cat stops using the box, you are probably going to fast for her so slow down. Training a cat to use a litter box is a process that takes a long time so patience is key.

Once the cat is using the litter box next to the toilet, raise it an inch off the floor. make sure you use something that will keep the box stable and where the box will not slide off. Gradually, raise the box an inch higher until it is level with the toilet. As it gets higher the cat will have to jump up into it so it is critical that the box is stable, if it tips over this will scare your cat and she might not want to use it again.

At this point, you should have the tray ready in the toilet. You can use a cooking tray that is wide enough to fit the toilet. Put the tray in between that seat ring and the toilet base - make sure this holds it in place. Put some of the litter the cat is used to (make sure you use flushable litter) in the tray.

Leave the litter box level with the tray in the toilet for a couple of weeks, gradually taking away the litter in the box. Eventually, the cat should just jump up and use the tray on the toilet. Once this is happening regularly, take the litter box away.

The next step is to gradually reduce the amount of litter that is in the tray on the toilet. Also, make a little hole in the tray. Each day, reduce the litter more and make the hole a bit bigger. Do not move to fast on this or your cat might not feel comfortable using it. Eventually, you can remove the tray all together and your cat will be toilet trained!

Since your cat needs to balance on the toilet seat eventually, it is not recommended that you train cats that are too young. Wait until your cat is about 6 months old so that he is big enough to balance on the toilet seat. One important point that should be obvious is that once your cat starts using the toilet - you MUST leave the toilet lid open at all times - the cat can't open it himself!

Be patient as this training process can take several months, but when your cat is trained you will have eliminated the smell and mess of a litter box. Now the only problem you will have is remembering to knock next time you want to use the bathroom as your cat may be using the toilet!