How To Toilet Train A Cat
Introduction
I love my cat. She’s good company, a snuggler, and an all-around great buddy. But I never expected to find a way to improve my relationship with her: toilet training her. When I first heard about this idea, it seemed insane—cats are notoriously independent animals that don’t take well to being told what they can and can’t do. Yet the more I thought about it, the more I realized that toilet training my cat would be a healthy challenge for us both. If you’re thinking of giving this idea a go yourself, here are some expert tips from me and others who have been where you’re going:
Always flush the toilet after your cat uses it.
To start, make sure your cat has a healthy dose of curiosity. Cats are naturally curious creatures, but they may not want to explore new things if they’re afraid. Toilet training is all about positive reinforcement and rewarding your cat for good behavior. This can be as simple as giving her a treat every time she does what you ask her to do or making sure that no one bothers her when she’s using the toilet. You can also give her lots of attention when she uses the toilet properly, so long as she doesn’t mind having people watch her go pee or poop!
If your cat is afraid of loud noises or being startled by sudden movements, try putting on some soothing music in the bathroom while you’re training her—this should help keep her calm during this transition period where everything around her is changing rapidly (and might even make it easier for both of us!). If there’s any chance that someone might flush while I’m still on my way back into my litter box after going outside just once…
Put your cat’s litter box up as high as you can get it.
To make the process of getting your cat accustomed to using their litter box as easy as possible, you’re going to want to place it in a place that’s convenient for both you and your cat. Here are some suggestions:
- Put the litter box up high so that your kitty can climb into it without difficulty. This will make them less likely to avoid using their new toilet altogether just because they don’t know how to get in and out yet!
- Make sure the area is quiet—cats like peace and quiet while they do their business. It also helps if there aren’t too many other people or pets around during this time, since cats tend not like loud noises or other animals trying take over their space when they’re trying socialize with each other (and no one wants an upset feline).
- Make sure that whatever part of your house/apartment/etc., where you plan on placing said litter box has easy-to-clean surfaces such as tile floors instead of carpets (which can get dirty quickly). This way when something does happen like spilled food or droppings from another animal outside our control then we won’t have too much trouble cleaning up after them!
Don’t use a lidless toilet or a self-cleaning litter tray.
You should also avoid using a lidless toilet or a self-cleaning litter tray. These can be frightening to cats, as they do not understand how the water comes out of the bowl.
Cats are naturally very clean animals that like to bury their waste, so you should avoid using a toilet with an automatic flush. The sudden noise and movement of water may scare your cat away from using it!
As well as scaring your kitty off the toilet altogether, these toilets will also make them afraid of flushing noises in general – which can lead to other problems later on!
Start by keeping the toilet seat up, and then close it once your cat gets used to using the toilet.
- Start by keeping the toilet seat up, and then close it once your cat gets used to using the toilet.
- Close it when you’re not using it (this will help prevent accidents).
- Don’t close it when you’re going to be away for a long time (this will make your cat think they can’t use it anymore).
- Don’t close it when you’re going to be away for a short time (your cat may try to use the closed lid as leverage and fall in).
Introduce each step gradually and gently.
Let your cat get used to the idea of having a litter box in the house. If you have never had one before, or if your cat has always been an outdoor cat, this may take some time. Start by putting it up high, maybe on top of a shelf where they can look down at it and smell it but won’t be tempted to use it right away. Then put it down low so they can get inside and sniff without having to climb or jump up there. Finally move it up higher again so that when your cat goes inside there’s no reason for them not to use the box instead of going elsewhere in your home!
If this seems like too much work just start off with any old litter box and place it somewhere convenient for both you and your furry friend.
Use positive reinforcement techniques to encourage good behaviour and discourage bad behaviour.
- Positive reinforcement:
- Reward good behaviour by giving your cat something they like, such as a treat or a toy. This encourages them to continue doing what they’ve been doing.
- Negative punishment:
- When cats do something you don’t want them to do, remove the thing that causes it. For example, if your cat scratches or bites on the couch and you find them doing this, move their scratching post or scratching mat around until they find it and start scratching there instead of the couch again.
- Negative reinforcement:
- If your cat does something bad but stops when you tell him off or hit him with a rolled-up newspaper, then he has learnt from his experience and will be less likely to do it again in future because he doesn’t want another telling off!
If you can train yourself to lift the seat every time you go, you can train your cat to use the toilet.
If you can train yourself to lift the seat every time you go, you can train your cat to use the toilet.
Cats are clean animals and will generally not soil their own den or sleeping area. They also like to explore new environments if given the opportunity, so once they’ve been introduced to a litter box or toilet bowl, they’ll often be curious about it and use it for relief. As for intelligence, cats learn quickly when motivated by food rewards (or any other reward) so once they understand what is expected of them in using a particular surface as their bathroom, they will remember how well it works on an ongoing basis—even after weeks without training!
Conclusion
So if you’re ready to train your cat to use the toilet, set aside some time and follow these steps. And remember: even if you don’t succeed on the first try, keep going!