Teach Your Cat How to Use the Toilet the Easy Way

By Sarah Ince

Hallee Berry loves cats

Teaching a cat (like Hallee Berry’s lucky cat) or kitten how to use the toilet like a human being may seem strange, however many cats all over the world have already mastered this trick, making their owners job of cleaning up after them much easier. Toilet training your cat is very beneficial for many reasons. Cat litter tends to hold odor and if your cat is toilet trained guests will enjoy spending time in your home because they won’t smell a litter box. Your home will naturally be cleaner and more sanitary.

Another benefit is the money you will save on cat litter. When your cat no longer needs cat litter to do his business the savings add up very quickly. For instance, even cheap cat litter is about $5.00 per box. If you have one cat and you like your home to smell nice, you are probably replacing that box about every week.

The monthly cost of cat litter is about $20 or more depending on which brand you buy. After one year you will end up spending over $240 on cat litter. That may not seem like much, but it adds up over the years and that number increases if you have more than one cat.

Before you begin to train your cat how to use the toilet the cat needs to already be litter trained. Toilet training works best for cats over 6 months of age.

You will need:

Litter Pan
Cat Litter
Bowl to sit inside the toilet
Duct Tape

The first step is to put the litter plan right in front of the toilet and leave it there for a few days. The goal is to help your cat become accustomed to using the litter pan by the toilet first. After 5 days you will need to raise the little pan higher up off the floor. You can do this by using a few phone books or a box.

You will want to raise the litter box a few inches each day until the litter box is the same level as the toilet. Secure the litter box with some duct tape to be sure the box is sturdy. The next step is to put the litter box on the toilet and secure it with some tape. Leave the litter box there for one week so your cat will adapt to using the box on top of the toilet.

Once you know that your cat is comfortable take the litter pan off the toilet completely. Place a large bowl or colander inside the toilet bowl. Fasten the bowl with some duct tape to the toilet bowl. Pour cat litter in the bowl. Remove the cat litter box from the home and watch your cat carefully to be sure he or she is using the little bowl inside the toilet. (If your cat has an accident you may need to back up a few steps and start over.) Just watch your cat carefully and bring the littler pan back if your cat is not ready for it to completely gone yet.

Over time you should put less and less litter in the bowl over time until your cat is ready to use the bowl with no litter in the bowl. Your cat will continue to use the toilet with the empty bowl inside. Finally, remove the bowl completely and watch your cat carefully to be sure he is using the toilet.