Informative Guest Articles

Everyone's heard of cats out there using a toilet rather than a litter box. Most of us probably just think that those cats must be specially trained in the same manner you would train a circus elephant or an animal that's used on a movie set, i.e. it is way over our heads. The fact of the matter is that these cats have simply been trained by their owners using consistent training methods. Anyone can do it.

To begin, you need to get your cat used to a cardboard litter box rather than the plastic one most cats use. This is because later on you will need to put that box in the toilet. After your cat gets used to the cardboard box, replace their litter with cut up newspaper clippings. This is because later on you need something that's flushable and cat litter is not. Now, notice when your cat has become accustom to this new form of litter, and day by day move the cat box a few feet towards the bathroom. Don't move it too fast though. If your cat gets confused most likely they'll just return to where the box started and eliminate there. As you move the box start cutting down the sides of the box. It will need to fit in the toilet. After the days go by and the box has gradually walked over to the toilet now put the box in the toilet, hung up with some string. Leave it in this position for a week or so. Until you know your cat is completely comfortable using it here.

Next, cut a two- to three-inch hole in the bottom of the box. As a cat's instinct tells them to cover up their waste, your cat will soon begin to push their waste and some of the shredded newspaper into the hole. In case your cat needs to go when you are cleaning the bathroom, you may find it advantageous to have on hand a flat piece of cardboard with a small hole cut in it. If they need to go and their box is unavailable, all you have to do stabilize place this flat piece under the seat and let them go.

Once they've gone in the toilet, cut down the sides of their litter box until there is nothing left but the bottom section of the box. As was mentioned before, you can place this flat piece under the toilet seat to keep it in place, but you still want to leave a little bit of the shredded newspaper so that your cat doesn't get confused. Pretty soon you can eliminate the cardboard altogether and they'll just be going in the toilet! The entire toilet-training process will probably take about three or four weeks for most cats, though some have learned even faster. You know your cat better than anybody, so just be patient and let them go at their own pace. You don't want to disrupt the training by pushing the issue and making them uncomfortable. With some patience and a bit of animal know-how, anyone can use this method to train their cat to use the toilet.