CAT
ANTICS: Cats Use the Family Toilet
by
David the Dogman
Question:
Hi! How do you train cats to do it? (use the family toilet instead
of a catbox) I've heard this before, but I always thought people
were pulling my leg. I have a lovely Maine Coon cat, and he's
smart, but I don't know if I could train him to use the toilet.
Kathy Neufeld and Giggles! (Giggles is a Guide Dog for the blind.)
Answer:
It takes effort and you have to condition the cat to each step.
- The age of the cat may not matter. Though young adult cats might
adapt better than kittens.
Place
a toilet seat on top of the cat box. (In each of the following
steps the toilet seat and the other tools are bound together with
tape or other means.)
Let
the cat get used to the toilet seat being on the cat box. When
the cat gets used to this, then move the cat box nearer the toilet
in small stages. As soon as the cat box is as close as possible
to the toilet, and the cat has accepted this, the cat box is then
placed on a phone book.
Note:
From here on out, please, assume a two week wait between each
step. If the cat is willing you can speed up the steps. If the
cat is slower to get used to a step then wait longer between each
step.
The
cat uses the phone book seat for about two weeks; then a 1"
hole is placed in the center of the cat box and another cat box
is placed six inches under the hole.
Next,
place the cat litter in a dishpan instead of a cat box and phone
book and mount the cat box with the hole over the dishpan.
Every
two weeks, add another phone book until the cat toilet seat is
even with the toilet seat on the toilet.
Transfer the cat seat to the toilet with the cat box that has
a hole in it over the family toilet. At this point, you are no
longer using the dishpan.
Gradually
enlarge the hole until the hole is as large as the toilet seat
and remove the cat box. The cat is now using the family toilet
instead of a cat box.
It
is interesting to note that the cat will still go through the
instinctual motions of covering the excrement by patting the toilet
seat in the covering actions.