Sunday, January 6, 2008

How To Train Cats to Use the Toilet

Playing and stroking your cat is all fun and games but when it comes to cleaning after your cat it’s not that much of a kick, right? What if I can tell you that you can leave that behind you two and begin a better smelling relationship? It’s not that hard… you just have to be patient with the cat and praise every improvement.

It’s usually easier when the cat is a kitten but if you take into your home an adult cat, it can also be done. First thing you must do is to get her used to the litter box. She will like that because it is in a cat’s instinct to play with something sand-like before and after they “go”. But after a while you are glad she’s not “going” on your carpet, the frequent disposal of the litter and cleaning of the litter box will become a drag.

The next step is to put the litter box next to the toilet and put some newspapers underneath it to raise it some inches. Remember to tape the two together so that the cat won’t play and destroy the paper. The idea is to rise up the litter box until it is at the toilet’s level and you should do that in a gradual way so that she will have time to get used to the change. She will eventually jump on the toilet first and then on the litter box and this is a great point because she will be then used to it. Always remember to let the lid up and the seat down!

Then, you take a metallic bowl by the size of the toilet’s diameter and place it in the toilet and the litter box in it. After a day or two when she is used to the toilet put the litter in the metallic bowl and then gradually in time leave as less litter as possible in it. After she gets used to the situation put some water in the bowl to resemble the usual quantity in the toilet. Flush her leavings after she is done.

There is something you should take care of that isn’t easy but think about no more litter box cleaning days! You have to teach her how to seat on the toilet with all four paws; you can do it, just have patience and reward each progress!

Finally, get rid of the bowl and voila! Your cat will no longer leave a messy litter box; she is toilet-trained!

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