With time and patience most cats can be trained to use the toilet instead of a litter box. The most important thing to remember is to go slow with each step of the training. Don't move on to the next step until your cat is totally comfortable with the current step. An extra toilet that won't be used by people during the training process will be helpful, but isn't absolutely necessary. If everyone in the house will be sharing the same toilet, the two-legged family members will have to remove the training apparatus from the toilet and replace it when they are done. Do not attempt to toilet train a very young or very old cat, or any cat that may have balance issues. Make sure to give your cat plenty of treats after each successful attempt, and remember to be patient. Forcing your cat into any of the steps will only make the whole process more difficult for you and your cat.
- First, move your cat's litter box close to the toilet you will be training him to use. Leave it there until your cat is used to the new bathroom spot.
- The next step is to gradually raise the litter box by placing books underneath it. Add one book each day until the box is the same height as the toilet seat. Make sure that the box won't move around as the cat is jumping into and out of it- if your cat knocks the box over, it could be a big setback in the training process. Each day, remove a small amount of litter from the box.
- Once your cat is comfortable using the box at toilet height, move it over onto the toilet seat an inch or two each day, until it is sitting completely on the toilet. Again, you may need to secure the box to the toilet so it doesn't move when your cat jumps into it.
- Keep removing litter from the box until there is only about 3/4 of an inch left. Change the litter more often at this point- many cats will avoid a dirty box, and with just a small amount of litter, your cat will consider the box dirty after each use.
- At this point, as long as your cat is regularly using the box on top of the toilet seat, you can replace the regular litter box with a toilet training box. There are many commercially available toilet training systems, such as CitiKitty, Litter Kwitter, and The Toilet Trained Cat. If you don't wish to buy a training box, you can place a heavy piece of cardboard covered in waxed paper, or an aluminum bowl or pan under the seat, and then close the seat on top of it. Make sure that whatever you use will support your cat's weight if he steps on it. Add a thin layer of flushable litter and make sure to change the litter after each use.
- The next step is to get your cat to gradually progress to using just the toilet. If you are using a homemade training device, cut a 1 inch hole in the middle. Gradually increase the size of the hole every day or 2 until the training device is gone. If you are using a device that you purchased, remove 1 ring each day or 2. For both methods, gradually remove litter so the cat will get used to eliminating into the water.
- Check the toilet several times a day, and flush for your cat when necessary. It is possible to teach your cat to flush the toilet, but this is not recommended because many cats will make this into a water wasting game.
