The topic idea came about by a recent question from a cat owner, relating to the problems with a cat being toilet trained. And she explained how her cats that had been using the toilet fine for years, all of a sudden started pooping on the floor in various parts of the home. So I made an easy, three-step suggestion:
Get Them a Litter Box: Buy a litter box and some proper litter.
Get Litter Box Use: Let the cat use it like the new litter box.
Keep It Clean: Clean the litter box every day, by ridding the waste.
The following steps will often fix the problems associated with toilet training that no longer goes as expected.
Why I’m uncomfortable: a request to toilet train your cat
I get it—the litter box is probably not the most glamorous part about owning cats. But this is the point: toilets are designed for human use. We sit, conduct our business, and flush our waste. But for cats — this is a wildly unnatural experience. Just think of how strange it must feel for a cat to sit perched on the rim of a toilet seat because it needs to pee, right? So why do we insist on making our cats do such? You walk your dog and then you clean up afterwards—why is that any worse or more inconvenient than dealing with a litter box? You train dogs to use a toilet, right? The idea seems absurd!
Now let us dive into this some more. What is my vehement, vitriolic opposition to the idea of toilet training cats about?
Feline Behavior and Waste Elimination Explained
Cats have in fact evolved certain behaviors for a specific purpose which especially applies to their waste elimination. Cats also leave a territory mark in the form of pee and poop and we all know that cats communicate a lot through poop. They can smell these markers to tell other cats around if there is a threat or if there is another cat that they can be friendly with. Acting out, yes, even in a litter box scenario. Flushing away a cat’s poop might sound like a nice gesture, but kitties actually depend on their scent to feel safe in their domain. Also, as far as I know, there is an instinct to scratch/cover their waste, probably a survival behavior they formed when they were wild animals so predators/preys do not notice them. Disallowing these natural activities can lead to stress and behavioral problems such as non-elimination.
Tracking Changes in Your Cat’s Health
One of the most common – but potentially serious – conditions you need to keep an eye out for is a urinary tract infection (UTI). Frequent and volume of urination can be monitored simply by consistently cleaning litter boxes. Any change which is in any way marked, a visit to the vet ought to be made; we have to investigate the likelihood of utis or other health problems.
On the other hand if your cat uses the toilet then you could actually lose valuable information on its urinary health and miss out on early warning signs of potential problems. Also, the texture and consistency of faeces must also be monitored, since such parameters can provide a lot of information about the condition of your cat. The fact you might notice your cat’s poop in the toilet doesn’t help, as water essentially washes away certain signs of a good or bad health state.
Physical Stress on Cats
Now think about why a toilet seat is shaped the way it is — the toilet seat itself is usually smooth plastic, and is at a slight funnel shape in order to direct splash into the bowl and not off the edge. In addition, there is a large cut out in the middle of the seat. It starts with having to leap over the seat of the toilet—without falling into the bowl filled with possibly-unflushed poop—for a cat. When getting on the seat, the cat must keep his balance and should position all four feet in a line balancing on top of the whole. It’s a difficult position to maintain, even more so when the cat is suffering from constipation or diarrhea and needs to poop or pee.
In comparison, a litter box offers a firm foundation, enabling the cat to maintain balance without slipping around and to position its paws comfortably for a safe, relaxed stance when eliminating. The age of the cat is also an important factor to take into account. Older cats are commonly afflicted with joint pain inside their hips, legs, and again. As this leads to discomfort, it would deeply affect their transition into using a toilet. Now, this raises pretty big questions about the level of stress cats generally experience in places like this one.
Your Cat Will Never Use the Litter Box Again After One Bad Toilet Experience
Your cat can be so discouraged from using the toilet if one time was unpleasant. Now imagine your cat trying to go to the bathroom on the toilet, missing her mark with the jump or losing her footing in the water, and falling completely into the toilet bowl, and getting wet and dirty. For a cat that is prone to anxiety, this traumatic experience causes them to yell: “As if! I have to go somewhere else to do some business. But that can pose special frustrations for you as the pet owner.
If your cat does become uncomfortable or stressed with going to the toilet, she will undoubtedly find another spot to relieve itself and you may not like where that is. Reasons that cats could start rejecting the toilet are due to a bad experience, physical discomfort or increased stress. As time goes on, many cats begin to use other less agreeable spots in the house like a fresh pile of laundry, that one corner along an outside wall or even your bed.
At this point, some cat owners might have already marked the day by saying goodbye to litter boxes. But be cautious! Just because you add another litter box does not mean the cat will stop going somewhere else, because she could have
1.Established a favorite spot.
2.Developed a favorite sort of surfaces,
3.Damages to carpets or flooring, and even walls
This usually entails a stressed cat and frustrated owners, as resolving these issues can prove to be difficult and expensive. This is a frequent situation and we see this during behavior consultations as invariably toilet training may appear an attractive proposition but the longer term consequences horrify us all.
Save yourself and your cat some trouble: Keep the toilet lid shut, move onto providing a few well-placed litter boxes for that inspiration. If you are not certain how to align the litter placement in a manner that promotes optimal behavior, there is guidance available. While cleaning litter boxes may not be the most fun chore to do, it is one of great magnitude and can mean a world of difference with a happy cat and peaceful household.