Tips so You Can You Train a Cat to Use a Toilet

Cat lovers enjoy almost every thing about their pets. The purring, adorable antics, meowing and affection the cats show their owners, make cats a joy as pets. The litter box is another story, nobody enjoys cleaning out a dirty, smelly litter box. Cats are clever and clean creatures and with a little effort on your part, your cat can be trained to use the toilet. Professional animal trainers have been potty training cats for years. Training your cat to use the toilet, not only eliminates a dirty job, it saves you money. Cat litter is expensive and it’s an environmental hazard. Training your cat to use the toilet will rid your home of the unpleasant smells of a litter box. Here are some basic tips for cat toilet training.

The Litter Box

If your litter box is already in your bathroom, you’re halfway there. If your litter box isn’t in the bathroom, move it slowly, a few inches each day, until it is in the bathroom this is training your cat. Once you have the box in the bathroom, begin elevating it. You can use bricks , concrete blocks or telephone books. Make sure it’s secure so your cat can’t knock it over. Raise the box until it is level with the toilet. As you raise the litter box, slowing reduce the amount of litter in the box, so your cat becomes used to using less litter.

When the litter box height is even with the toilet, slowly begin moving it closer to the toilet. Keep reducing the amount of litter that you use until there is less than an inch of litter. You want the cat to understand that the toilet is a litter box. Get the litter box as close to the toilet as possible. Cats are intelligent and very clean by nature. They can also be stubborn, but they just need a little time to get used to new ideas. Move at a pace that is comfortable for you and your cat.

Making the Switch

The final step in training your cat to use the toilet is to put a litter pan over the toilet , but under the seat. You can use any pan the will fit, or you can buy a special training pan at your local or online pet store. Put less than an inch of flushable litter in the pan. Make sure the pan is secure and won’t slide around and scare the cat. If you can’t find a training aid pan, or don’t want to spend the money on one, use duct tape to secure the pan in place.

The last step in training your cat to use the toilet is to cut a hole in the litter pan. Start with a small hole and gradually increase the size. Some toilet training aids may have sections that can be removed. Eventually, as the hole becomes larger, the cat will become accustomed to not having any litter. When the hole in the cat pan is almost as large as the! toilet opening, its time to remove the pan. This training process is slow and will probably take several weeks or more to complete. This takes patience on your part, since cats don’t like change. Don’t expect Fluffy to flush, that’s another training lesson.