To toilet train or not...

So I read a book at work this morning about toilet training your cats. The book acted like to make your cat use a litterbox was a sin, which seems like a bit of a stretch to me. But I am interested to hear what other people think about this issue. I found an article online that said you shouldn't make your pet use the toilet for reasons such as when it gets older what will it do, if it slips and falls in, it probably won't want to go again, and you can no longer monitor the cats wastes which can be big indicators of health problems.

So I would very gladly give up the mess of litter in the floor, spending the money on the litter, smelling the litter and all the great things that come with the litter, but of course not if it will be bad for my cats, so, what do you think?

In addition to the above reasons not to do it, consider what happens if your cat ever has to be away from home: either you need to board your cat or your cat has to stay overnight at a pet hospital. Then what?

Also consider your guests. Cats don't flush. And they don't close and lock the door. What happens if your guests need to use your bathroom and there's a cat in there, or there's cat waste in the toilet?

I think toilet training is done exclusively for the convenience of humans. It's not natural for a cat. I would recommend against it. All the problems that you are experiencing with litter have solutions. Which you can find by searching this forum.

My concern with it is the bacterial load in cat's waste. In a landfill environment this waste can be managed, but added to human sewage and even after processing what happens to all that bacteria. I maintain that it is a novelty to have a cat that uses the john, but is it wise? In my book, no it is not.

I'm interested to hear if it is very feasible. I have a septic tank, so all my bacteria and that of the cats stays right here. And I thought you would toilet train but also keep a litterbox available, so they would know how to use both.

I foster, and was thinking maybe I should toilet train the adults so they are more adoptable.

I've heard it's possible, but difficult. I was under the impression that the cats can learn to do both. However, if you want to do the toilet thing, you need a cat-only bathroom. Especially for training purposes. And kittens, of course, train better than adults. Also, some cats just don't go for it and will end up missing the rim. It kinda weirds them out, because there's nothing under them and there's no way to dig. The impression that I had is that it takes a few months to train them, and you have to start young. I had never heard of a problem with older cats, but I assume you could bring back out the litter box if they have trouble balancing.

I had looked into this at one point, but our girls were already a little old to try training. Patches might have still enjoyed it (she's obsessed with watching toilets flush), but it seems useless unless all the cats in the household will do it.

I am not in favour of it myself. Cats aren't humans and I personally think it puts too much stress on the cat.

I would love to try this but the reality is that toilets are not built for cats and it would make the very act of going to the toilet a chore for them. This could lead to UTI's if they hold their urine for too long.

I really don't think its such a good idea - well, for Harley at least. With as much as he plays in his litter box (ugh) He would probly try to play in the toilet which would lead to a very big mess, and one very mad kitty! I try to steer clear of both those situations as much as I can!

I thought about it 17 yrs ago but I am glad I didnt without Kandie using her litter box I would not have seen the signs of kidney trouble in time

Thanks for the feedback. My reasons to do it would be completely selfish, however the reasons not to seem to deal with things like the safety of my cats, which I of course don't want to threaten. My boyfriend is all for the idea as he is not tolerant of the smell. I have used crystals litter for over a year now, because I thought it really helped with the smell, but maybe there are better ways to deal. What would you all suggest as a better idea?

Switch to a bigger box, like a plastic toy chest and use more litter. That way they can bury better.

I've found that more litter boxes also means less smells as its not so concentrated.

Use scented candles to get rid of the smell, its burns it away and leave your house smelling fresh!

Originally Posted by mlckeysue

Thanks for the feedback. My reasons to do it would be completely selfish, however the reasons not to seem to deal with things like the safety of my cats, which I of course don't want to threaten. My boyfriend is all for the idea as he is not tolerant of the smell. I have used crystals litter for over a year now, because I thought it really helped with the smell, but maybe there are better ways to deal. What would you all suggest as a better idea?

Click to expand...

check the food your feeeding.. by products corn wheat and soy all seem to cause issues in some cats,,,, type of litter natural ones can work better than clay... bigger box with filter

wow! i'm glad someone asked this question. i was about ready to order the kit to train george. being able to identify any health problems would be reason enough not to.

Well I tried to get my first HHP to be toilet trained (this was in the late 70's). He was a very smart cat and was ok till I had to remove the clear pan. He would actually jump up on the toilet.

But Mitten was terrified of water and when the clear pan was removed and he realized the toilet bowl had water in it; he refused to ever use the toilet again.

So try it if you want. I never tried to teach another cat.