This Cat Literally Taught Himself How to Use the Toilet

Source: © Shutterstock

Cleaning up after your children is hard enough as it is so most people would be glad to have their cat know how to use the toilet. However, while some try to train their furry friends without fruition, others are lucky enough to have cats that learn to do it on their own. As much as it is hard to believe, this cat taught himself how to use the toilet, and here are the details of how he did it.

Michelle Bryan, a nurse from New Hampshire, never bothered with training her kitten on how to use the toilet. She never even knew that there were training kits, not that she would use them anyway. Therefore when she found Hot Dog’s litter box was dry for a few days, she was worried. However, as the nurse was getting ready for work, the mystery was resolved by a sound coming from the bathroom. Michelle, therefore, went to look at what was making the trickling sound only to discover Hot Dog on the toilet seat, peeing.

Of course, it was unbelievable, and Michelle, unfortunately, did not have her phone to record since she knew sharing such news without proof would only mean skeptical responses. The nurse thus only continued watching Hot Dog continue with his business as he inspected the toilet to ensure he had not made any mess.

How did he do it?

Hot Dog is a smart cat, and he taught himself to use the bathroom by merely observing how people did it. He would follow his humans into the toilet and picked up the “toilet trick,” which he must have found useful since he did not see any more need for the litter box. Although Michelle had not captured the moment on her phone the first time, the opportunity arose again some days later. Days later, when Michelle’s daughters, Lylah and Ardyn, brought Hot Dog back into the house, the cat ran into the bathroom, obviously pressed to do his business. Michelle knew and followed him into the toilet, thus taped him. Michelle’s daughters followed, and Ardyn was hysterical with laughter as she watched Hot Dog use the bathroom. Although Hot Dog can boast of being toilet trained, Michelle is not ruling out a litter box; after all, cats are unpredictable creatures, and he might get tired and resume his previous routine.

Hot Dog is not the first toilet-trained cat

While Hot Dog’s bathroom skills are impressive, she is not the first smart cat to learn how to use the toilet by observing the owners. In 2013, Mail online published the story of Bella, a stray taken in by Paul Lloyd. Bella followed Paul and other people in the house into the toilet and insisted on sitting on the bath, watching what the humans did. It was, therefore, much to Paul’s surprise when he heard a noise from the bathroom and found Bella on the toilet seat. Bella continued using the toilet and started sitting up like humans and cuddling under the covers with her head on the pillow.

In 2014, the story of Pinky, another cat that had trained herself to use the toilet, was published. This time, the owner could have never imagined that a cat would pick up the human trait because Pinky neither seemed interested nor curious about whatever goes on in the toilet. However, the owner remembered his wife usually invited Pinky to sit on her lap whenever she went into the bathroom. Hence, it was most likely that Pinky had learned how to use the toilet from such experiences. Andrew Couts, also recently in March 2020, posted a video on Twitter of his cat, Wiley, using the bathroom. He was shocked despite having seen Wiley do it a few days before and dismissing it as a fluke. Andrew even went ahead to investigate if the behavior is normal in cats but learned that it is weird.

Why you should not toilet-train your cat

Emptying the litter box is not something most pet owners look forward to; therefore, entrepreneurs have devised toilet training kits. However, before you go rushing off to buy one, experts do not think it is such a good idea. Most agree that the moment you flush away your cat’s poop or urine, you get rid of essential health indicators. For instance, the frequency, volume, or color of the feline’s urine can help you determine if he is suffering from kidney dysfunction, hyperthyroidism, and diabetes, among many other diseases. The texture and consistency of the feces can also give you an idea about your cat’s health.

Toilet training also means putting your cat under physical stress. According to Feline Behavior Solutions, getting onto the seat, and staying on it, is stressful for your kitty. The article explains that the cat has to jump to reach the seat, which can be set quite high, and it can get uncomfortable when he has arthritis or is generally hurting. Moreover, the seat is slippery, and holding a particular position while using the toilet can be tiring, especially when the cat has diarrhea or is constipated.

Additionally, cats naturally have to bury their waste, and using a bathroom takes away that instinctive habit from them. For this reason, once your cat gets tired of using the toilet, which most likely will since it goes against nature, he will find another way to bury his poop. You might, therefore, start experiencing a foul smell from your pile of dirty laundry since by then, you will have convinced yourself to get rid of the litter box.

Finally, you will only be adding more problems to your cat when he is exclusively toilet-trained because when you have to leave him elsewhere, not everyone will like to share their toilet with a cat. Besides, even if they make that accommodation, they might forget to leave the lid open, leaving your cat stranded or finding another alternative that you will not like.