Training Your Cat to Use a Toilet

By David Aaron Moore, Networx

The thought of a feline urinating on a ceramic bowl generally reserved for the passing of human waste seems to conjure up endless reams of laughter among most individuals – both cat lovers and non.

Call it toilet humor if you like and throw in a joke or two about scatology if you feel so inclined, but for many cat lovers, teaching their four-legged friend how to use a toilet like us humans is serious business. “There are issues to consider when you have a kitty that uses a traditional litter box,” says Richard Johnson, a cat owner who lives in Houston, Texas. “It’s important to stay on top of it constantly. That’s why I chose to toilet train my cat.”

Feline fecal matter, especially when mixed with moisture from cat urine and traditional clay-based cat litter can potentially become a veritable breeding ground for bacteria. It’s easily tracked out of the litter box, throughout the house and can ultimately be harmful to humans and other pets.

Depending on whom you talk with and your individual cat, toilet training for felines can be a breeze or a hellish, screeching, claw-fest nightmare. “My efforts attempting to train a mixed breed stray that I adopted after he showed up at my door one day was a miserable failure,” recalls Montreal resident Thomas Monture. “I tried the method everyone suggested, but my cat Pierre just never really caught on. Perhaps he was too old, or maybe he just wasn’t clever enough. Every time we broached the subject it began and ended badly. Eventually, I just gave up.”

Although Monture’s efforts with Pierre were a failure, that doesn’t have to be the case if you decide it’s time for your furry buddy to use indoor plumbing just like the rest of the household. “Some cats just aren’t as smart as others,” says Deborah Tiganila, the owner and operator of Aristocat Bengal, a Bengal Cattery and obedience school in Charlotte, N.C.

“It can be difficult if the cats aren’t bright, but I think any cat can eventually be taught to use a toilet instead of a litter box,” said Tiganila, who once worked for the CIA and trained dogs. She said, “I use the same method to train the cats as I did with dogs. It is better to start younger, but you want to avoid accidental falls into the toilet bowl.” Like with dogs, “You demonstrate and repeat. When they learn the behavior properly you reward them with a treat or a snack, just like you would a dog.”

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Read more: Bed & Bath, Cats, Health & Safety, Home, Humor & Inspiration, Pets, toilet

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Nikki B.

8:05AM PDT on Mar 18, 2012

I'm going to toilet train my 4 cats, one already knows how to flush, I had to close the lid for a while to get her to stop.

send a green star

Sarah M.

2:40PM PST on Feb 27, 2012

Thanks for the tips.

Carrie Anne B.

4:08AM PST on Feb 22, 2012

interesting article, thanks for sharing :)

Howard C.

1:19PM PST on Feb 21, 2012

In a busy household the cats joining the teenagers in the morning queue for the bathroom ..... maybe not!

Colleen W.

4:22AM PST on Feb 21, 2012

I have 6 cats and their toilet is the great outdoors!!!! Thank goodness!!!

paul m.

3:59PM PST on Feb 20, 2012

Well,Tilly,my cat can open the back door,bang on the window untill I let her in,
don't know if she uses the toilet?

Judy A.

2:08PM PST on Feb 20, 2012

Good info.

Elaine A.

12:11PM PST on Feb 20, 2012

I too have 4 cats and ones nickname is Einstein, she's the smartest animal I've ever had the opportunity to have, and I fully believe, that if any cat could do it, it would be her. However, the rest would be a freak out session and being I'm so not into drama/trauma, that the litter box is the only way of life that I and they, are going to be forever confined to.

Nancy P.

6:18AM PST on Feb 20, 2012

Care2....careful on your articles.....there is a serious decline in sea otters and one of the reasons is "toxoplasma gondii" caused by cat feces showing up in ocean waters. The reason....cat feces flushed down the toilets.

Mary Beth M.

11:19AM PST on Feb 19, 2012

I saw a friend's cat do this once, told my husband about it-it was hysterical, although the cat didn't flush. With our 3 cats, I'm afraid my husband would move out if the cats started using the toilet!!!