Teaching your furry pet to utilize the toilet can hold a number of benefits for any cat owner. The biggest advantage of having your cat use a toilet is that it eliminates the need for a litter box. Cat litter can be expensive and if you can train your cat to use the toilet you will be saving a lot of money over time. This method also gets rid of that smelly litter box and the constant battle to clean it. The water in the toilet bowl will cover most of the smells and the only task left to you is to flush the toilet. What could be easier?
Think of the times you have had to ask a family member or friend to check in on your cat when you have to be gone for long periods of time. It’s asking a lot to hope that they will volunteer to clean the litter box. If your cat is toilet trained they will only have to flush and their work is done.
Can You Toilet Train Your Cat Yourself?
Yes, it just takes some patience and consistency but the result is worth it. Like people, each cat is different and will need some special treatment to make the training work. Successfully training your pet can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on your cat and how much time you can spend with them.
Toilet training your cat is based on a basic and simple set of steps. Each couple of days you will begin to move your cat’s litter box closer to the bathroom. Once you have moved it into the bathroom you will slowly move it towards the toilet. You are trying to get your pet to be comfortable with their litter box in the bathroom and then eventually in the toilet itself.
Toilet Training A Cat Takes Patience
The next set of steps involve raising the litter box off of the floor, you want your pet to get used to the height. Every couple of days you will set the litter box on another larger box so that your cat can climb up and use the elevated litter box. Once you have reached the height of the toilet bowl you should leave it there for a few days. Again, you are trying to make your cat very comfortable with the new location of their litter box. Make sure that you are leaving the toilet lid up and the seat down all of the time that you are doing the training.
Once your cat seems comfortable with the height of the litter box you can set the box to rest on the open toilet seat. You are still using the cat’s familiar box but now you have made your pet comfortable with the box being in the bathroom on the toilet.
The next step requires a purchase, a training box for your cat and some kitty litter that you can flush. Using the tray or box that comes with your kit you will fill it with the flush-friendly litter and set it in the toilet. It will rest in the bowl above the water. Your cat can now use this litter box by having all four paws on the toilet seat. Gradually reduce the amount of litter in the box. Most training sets will have removable sections in the bottom of the pan so that the cat will get used to having their waste go right into the water.
A Few Other Toilet Training Tips
Cats are quite clean by nature and their instincts tell them to scratch at the litter to cover up any smells. They will learn that they don't need to do this once they are toilet trained, the water covers up any odors. Remember to flush the toilet often to keep you cat from smelling anything.
Always leave the toilet lid up and the seat down. This may cause some issues with the male adults in the household but your cat needs to put all four paws on the seat for safety reasons.
Don't get discouraged if your pet regresses during the training. Just go back a few steps and be patient with them. A toilet trained cat is worth the effort.
Comments
Post a Comment