Cat Litter Versus Toilet Training
Cat litter can cost cat owners hundreds to thousands of dollars a year. Several cat owners become fed up with the cost and time it takes to clean the litter box and purchase the cat litter. One of the latest cat litter options is to avoid cat litter and take your cat to toilet training classes. Several pet stores have begun offering toilet training classes for cats and there are even published "how to" books on toilet training.
It is well-known that cats do not like to eliminate their waste in public areas, often causing the cat owner to place the litter box in the bathroom, laundry room, or garage. Cat owners are faced with the frustration of seeing cat litter tracked all over the home and having a mini-beach next to the side of the cat litter box. Cat litter comes in clumping and non-clumping formulas with bacterial killers and odor eaters.
There are self-cleaning litter boxes, however they are pretty expensive and have been known to break-down after only a few cleanings. The self-cleaning litter boxes will automatically scoop all the waste into a storage bag. The cat owner simply takes the bag, tosses it and replaces the cat litter. The self-cleaning litter boxes are great for the cat owner that doesn't like to deal with the cat litter cleaning regimen.
One way to decide that it is time to toilet train your cat is if you are having troubles getting the cat to use the litter box. Some cats absolutely refuse to get in the litter box to eliminate their waste, forcing the cat owner to walk around with ultraviolet lights and scrub up urine stains.
This is why some people turn to toilet training for their cats. The cat must show some interest in the toilet, meaning that they are curious about the porcelain device. The cat owner must be patient and willing to spend a lot of time teaching the cat to use the toilet. If you have ever toilet trained a child, be ready to spend that much time toilet training the cat. The younger the kitten, the easier it is to train them. In order to get started, you will need to follow these steps:
First, you need a cat trainer liner. The trainer liner is a thin plastic liner that fits under the toilet seat. Place some flushable cat litter on the liner and place your cat on the toilet. Normally the cat will play with the cat litter and get comfortable with the toilet.
Second, cut a small hole in the plastic liner and allow your cat to eliminate their waste in the cat litter on the plastic liner. The cat will learn to start going to the toilet when they need to eliminate their waste. Slowly start adding less cat litter to the liner and increase the size of the hole.
Third, remove the liner and place a few granules of cat litter on the edge of the toilet seat. The cat will then start eliminating their waste directly into the toilet. If you remove the liner and the cat starts having problems, purchase a potty training seat. The potty training seat gives the cat more surface area and reduces their chances of falling into the toilet bowl. Cats also like to scratch when they eliminate waste, so you may want to consider placing a scratching pole next to the toilet. If you use the potty training seat, the cat will be able to scratch at the plastic and satisfy their urge to scratch when they eliminate waste.
Pet stores sell toilet training kits for around $10-$30. The toilet training kit will include the toilet seat liners and some have cat potty training seats.
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