Teaching the cat to use the toilet

Do you think teaching your cat to use the toilet is impossible? That it's just a movie thing? So we have good news for you: it is possible to teach your cat how to use the bathroom, yes. It's not easy, it's not fast and you won't do it in two days either, but by following our guide you can make your cat the most hygienic on your street.

Before we start, we want to clarify that it is much easier to get a trained cat to do it than one that has not been trained. Continue reading this PeritoAnimal article and learn how to teach your cat to use the toilet.

Steps to follow: 1

put the sandbox in the bathroom: The first thing you should do is have the cat litter box near the toilet. You have to get the cat used to going into the bathroom, so there's nothing better than leaving your litter box there. The normal thing is that there are no problems in this step. The cat will go to the bathroom to take care of its needs without any problem and it will not need more than two days to adapt.

2

put the tallest box: There is a height issue between the litter box, which is at ground level, and the toilet, which is higher. How to solve this? Little by little educating your cat to go up.One day he puts a book under the litter box, another something a little taller than the book, and so on until the cat gets used to jumping practically to the height of the toilet.

Make sure the box is securely on top of what you put underneath, which could be magazines, pieces of wood or any other material. A bad or unstable placement can cause the cat to jump, the box to fall and our companion think "I won't jump here anymore". This would make the cat more afraid when climbing into the litter box.

3

Bring the box closer to the toilet: You already have the sandbox in the bathroom and at the same height as the toilet, now you have to bring it closer. Bring it a little closer every day, remember that it's a gradual process, so you should push it a little more day after day. In the end, when you already have the box right next to the toilet, what you should do is place it on top. It is important to make sure there is no instability problem, otherwise you will leave the cat traumatized.

4

Reduce the sand level: The cat is already doing its needs on the toilet, but in the box. Now you have to get him used to the sand and the box, so you should get more and more sand out of him. Little by little you should reduce the amount of sand, until a small layer is less than 2 centimeters high.

5

Replace the box with a container: Now you have to change the cat's mindset. You must go from doing your needs in the box to doing them directly on the toilet. There are different options for doing this, from training boxes that are sold in pet stores to a simple plastic container at home. You can create your own box with a container that you'll put in the toilet and a sturdy paper that can support the cat's weight under the lid. Also, you can add some sand so that the cat still has a memory of his litter box and can relate to it.

6

Make a hole in the paper and take out the container: When you have been used to doing your necessities in this container and on the paper for a few days, you should take it out and make a hole in the paper so that the feces start to fall into the water. This phase can be complicated, but we should take it calmly until the cat can do it comfortably. When you see that it's comfortable, go on widening the hole until there's practically nothing left. As you enlarge the size of the hole, you have to remove the sand that you put on top of the paper. Your cat has to get used to doing its needs without sand, so you should gradually reduce it. At this stage, you should have already managed to make him do his needs on the toilet, but this behavior still needs to be reinforced.

7

Flush and reward your cat: Cats do not like to defecate or urinate on their own urine. Also, it's not hygienic to leave your necessities on the toilet because the smell is quite strong. Therefore, you will have to flush the toilet every time the cat uses the toilet, both for our hygiene and for this "mania" of cats. To reinforce the behavior, you should give the cat a prize each time it urinates or defecates down the toilet. This will make the cat think that he has done something good and that he will do it again next time to receive his reward. And if you made it this far... congratulations! You got your cat to learn to use the toilet. Was difficult? Do you have another method to do this? If yes, then tell us what your method was.