[sugarcatmom]

First, welcome to pets.ca, and congratulations on your new kitties!

Now for the downer part: I urge you to rethink training your cats to use the toilet. Here is an article explaining why it's so NOT a good idea: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/toilet.html

Toilet Training Your Cat

Written by: Susie S. Bachman
Copyright - All Rights Reserved

Why can't people just let cats be cats? What's the big deal about cleaning litterboxes? Scooping and cleaning litterboxes are part of the bargain we make when we get a cat and everyone knows it. It certainly isn't time-consuming for the average cat owner. It's much fairer to the cat. I have yet to see a cat voluntarily, without provocation or training, rush to use a human toilet. Yet, when I scoop my cats' boxes in my home, or place a scrubbed litterbox down with fresh litter in it, the race is on to see who can get in there and eliminate first.

Cats shouldn't be made or expected to use a toilet for several reasons. First, it is an absolutely unnatural thing for a cat to do. By expecting and forcing cats to eliminate in a "human" way, they are unable to do what comes as instinctual - such as dig and bury their urine or feces. Isn't it enough that people attempt to modify their cats so they fit in with what that person might deem as "socially acceptable" - such as declawing? Expecting cats to do things as humans do is going just too far.

Second, toilet seats are slick and slippery even for young children, so think what it must be like for a cat. There is always a chance of a cat slipping and falling, possibly injuring himself in the process. This could also be an experience that will frighten the cat enough that he will refuse to use the toilet again. Toilets also require that the cat jump up. While this may be easy for a younger cat, it will be difficult and/or painful for an ill, or injured, or older, or arthritic cat to attempt. We provide hand-grips in public restrooms and our homes' bathrooms for our elderly and infirm humans. We also provide for them portable toilets in hospitals, nursing facilities, and our own homes, so why should we expect our elderly and infirm cats to eliminate with difficulty and pain?

Third, toilet training a cat also makes it impossible to see the urine output, which is important in monitoring the cat's health. A cat who has a urinary tract infection may not feel comfortable trying to balance on the toilet seat when he is already miserable from painful urination or an inflammed bladder. He will more than likely seek out other spots in which to eliminate. Feces can't be checked accurately if there is a possible problem, as the water in the toilet will change the feces' consistency.

And fourth, another problem is that many cats have a location preference when they eliminate. A toilet can't be moved from room to room. While a litterbox in the bathroom may work for some cats, in many households there are litterboxes placed in other locations as well. Not able to move an elimination area can be a setup for innappropiate elimination by cats who prefer other locations, especially in a multi-cat household.

Toilet training a cat does NO favors for the cat. It is done strictly as a convenience for the owner. Be a responsible cat owner, please ... let a cat be a cat.