A few weeks ago, I discovered that training a cat to use a toilet instead of a litter tray is possible. I was curious and excited to try this, even knowing it could be challenging. I was confident that Coco could do it; she seemed easy to train and listened well.
So, I bought a toilet training kit that fits on the toilet seat. The elevated oval markings are guides for cutting the hole, gradually enlarging it to allow more and more water to be visible.
Since her litter tray was already in our spare toilet, she was used to going in there, which made the transition easier, saving me a couple of weeks.
I immediately put the litter-filled training kit on the toilet seat. She jumped on it right away to do her business.
After a week, I made the first hole. The first time she did it, she was not shy to show me.
Once she got used to a small hole, I made the hole bigger.
I have also been using oats as litter, It is cheaper than the cat litter being sold in the shops. It is non-toxic and very absorbable. A smaller amount and change every day or 2, is better.
When I felt she was ready for a bigger hole, I enlarged it. She was very curious about the water underneath.
She figured out that she could wee straight in there, although she still missed sometimes.
Sometimes, she would still try to scratch the litter into the hole.
There were challenges along the way, but she was very easy to train. Lots of reinforcement and encouragement at first, and small victories called for a celebration in our household. Every successful trip to the toilet was met with cheers and treats!
Overall, I find this more hygienic and it saves a lot on litter; she hardly has any soaked litter now. Couple more steps and I'm hoping that in the next few weeks, she will be using the toilet on her own like a pro.
It makes me smile whenever she confidently jumps into the toilet bowl to do her thing and hears it drop into the water, ewww 😆
By the way, I found out that they can learn how to flush—maybe that will be next. haha!
A wonderful Caturday to everyone! 😊
Mariah 💗