To Potty Train or Not to Potty Train a Cat: That is the Question

Whether you like the idea of a cat using your toilet or not, this is a real deal for many cat owners who prefer to not deal with litter boxes. Some people may think toilet trained cats don’t really exist, except in Hollywood, like in the movie, Meet the Parents, but there really are cats that will use the toilet, if you know how to train them right.

Actually, it is this very movie that inspired a potty training kit, and it was developed by Jo Lapidge. The system is called the Litter Kwitter, which Lapidge says she thought up after getting tired of cleaning up kitty litter. She also says that it is so effective, that it literally takes less time to potty train a cat, than it does a child.

Cats use litter because they prefer to bury the smell of their waste. This is the theory behind the Litter Kwitter. It works on the concept of giving cats that same control and satisfaction of hiding their waste when they use the toilet. The only difference is, they get rid of it in the potty as opposed to burying it in the litter.

About the Litter Kwitter

The system is really ideal for kittens about 3 months of age and older. Most every one is a candidate, although there are a few types of kitties that aren’t the right fit for the program. They include, fearful cats, cats with arthritis, and cats who already display trouble using the litterbox. A lot of cats who have trouble using the litterbox and get it outside the box or use it outside the box, are often candidates for being taken to the shelters. This is why it is important to consistently work with training your cat to go in the designated area, whether it be a litterbox or the toilet, and don’t deviate from their routine.

Here’s how the system works

Here is how the system works in a step-by-step breakdown:

It’s designed with a four color-coded set of trays that will fit over the rim of any standard toilet. The first tray is white and it fits over the seat of the toilet and acts as the anchor to all of the other trays.

The second tray is red. It has no hole, but it will hold up to five cups of your standard litter, just as a regular litterbox does. This one hooks onto the white tray. The next two trays both have holes in the center of them and a lip that holds litter. As your cat gains more confidence with the toilet itself, you will start the changing of the tray process. First, you will change from the red tray (with the small hole), moving to the green tray (with the larger hole). Each tray has a lip or ridge to hold the tray in place so it won’t slip and frighten your cat. The process takes a total of two-three weeks to get your cat completely acclimated to using the toilet.

To begin, place the red tray with no hole, inside the white tray and set them on the floor of the bathroom. Introduce your cat to them and put her inside the tray. Put your other litterbox up so this is her only choice of where to go. Clean the litter every day with a non-ammonia-based cleaner.

Once your cat gets to where she uses it on a regular basis with no accidents outside the box, yo can move to the next level, and until then, stick with the same level. This may apply to slow learners. The next step is to get your kitty to hop up on the toilet to use it. Practice this first, by keeping the lid of the toilet down. Put treats on the lid if you need to, to get her interested. Once you see your cat is fine with hopping up there, you can move the first Litter Kwitter tray from the floor to the porcelain rim of your toilet, and clip it on securely. You may choose to leave the toilet seat up or keep it down on top of the Litter Kwitter, whatever you prefer.

After some dedicated training, your cat can be free to use the toilet without all the mess and frustration of litterboxes and litter spills or accidents.

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