Teaching cat how to use toilet has many benefits. Firstly, it eliminates odors caused by a litter box and saves you the work of cleaning it. However, this process requires time, education, and patience. Follow the training process precisely and be prepared to experience potential setbacks.
Step 1: Place the litter box in the bathroom.
The first thing you should do is to have the cat’s litter box near the toilet. You would now have to start getting him used to going into the bathroom. Normally there shouldn’t be any problems at this step. The cat will go to the bathroom to do his business without any problem and will only need a couple of days to adapt.
Step 2: Raise the height of the box.
There is usually a height problem between the litter box, which is at ground level, and the toilet. How do you solve it? By gradually training your cat to go higher. One day you put a book. Another day a short object that no one uses. Continue until the cat gets used to jumping almost to the height of the toilet.
Make sure the box is placed on top of what you have placed underneath, whether it be magazines, wood, or any other material.Â
Step 3: Move the box closer to the toilet.
You should by now have your litter box in the bathroom at a similar height to the toilet, now it’s time to move it closer. Every day a little bit closer, it’s not good to go from having it in one corner to having it right next to the toilet. Remember that it’s a gradual process, so every day you push it a little bit more and more. In the end, when you reach the toilet, you will put it on top.Â
Step 4:Â Reduce the level of litter.
The cat is already doing his business on the toilet but in the box. Now you have to get him used to less and less litter and the box, so you will remove more and more litter. Gradually reduce the amount until only a small layer remains with barely a couple of centimeters in height.
Step 5:Â Replace the box with a basin or similar.
Now you need to change the cat’s mindset. He must go from doing his business in the box to doing it directly in the toilet. There are different options to do this, from training boxes sold in pet stores to a simple basin you have at home. As you are teaching cat how to use toilet, you can create your box with a basin placed on the toilet and sturdy paper that can support the height of the cat under the lid. Also, you can put some litter so the cat still feels a slight resemblance to his litter box and relates to it.
Step 6:Â Make a hole in the paper and remove the basin.
When the cat is used to doing his business in the basin and on the paper, you must remove it and make a hole in the paper so that it starts falling into the water. This phase can be difficult, but you must take it calmly until the cat manages to do it comfortably. Once you see that he is comfortable, you start enlarging the hole until there is practically nothing left.
As you enlarge the size of the hole, you have to remove the litter that you have been placing on top of the paper. When teaching cat how to use toilet, you should know that your cat has to get used to doing his business without litter. You have to gradually reduce it. In this phase, you will have already managed to make him do his business in the toilet. One more step is needed to solidify this behavior.
Step 7: Flush the toilet and reward your cat.
Cats do not like to defecate or urinate on their urine. Also, it is not hygienic to leave their waste in the toilet because the smell is quite strong. Therefore, you would have to flush the toilet every time the cat uses it, both for our hygiene and for that “cat quirk”. To reinforce the behavior, you will reward the cat every time he urinates or defecates in the toilet. This will make the cat think that he has done something good and that next time he will do it again to receive his reward.