Kitty Potty Training - HELP!

[LianneCatherine]

My kitty of 2 years, Scout, has recently been using my makeshift potty that I constructed after reading "How to Potty Train Your Cat: 21 Days To a Litter-Free Home." I followed the instructions carefully, but I have not yet been successful for the reason that Scout cannot grasp the idea of balancing on the seat.

I didn't see a "contact" section or FAQ for this problem in the book, so I am hoping that someone else has been sucessful at this. One suggestion in the book if the cat is still getting into the box rather than balancing on the seat, is to put a piece of tape facing up across the inside of the box. I have tried this, but no matter what I do, he still squeezes himself in the box and makes a huge mess. Because he has to fit himself in the box to go, he usually ends up peeing on himself and splashing it all over the place!

The litterbox is covered with a spare toilet seat which is raised to the height of the toilet. He's been using this contraption for about 3 months or so, but has not thought of sitting on the edge rather than going in. If I use too much tape in the box, he will just go on the floor.

Any suggestions for teaching him to balance on the seat? Is he just untrainable?

[jessi76]

I don't really understand why cats should go on the toilet. my own personal opinion is that you're now confusing the cat. He was once allowed to go in his litter-box, but now, putting tape across it, making it inaccessable, putting contraptions on it, making it difficult... this *may* be asking for trouble, resulting in him finding other places to go... such as a closet, or on your clothes.

honestly, I think you should LET IT BE. Let him have his litterbox back, sans the toilet seat.

another thing that worries me, is toilet bowl cleaners. Personally, I wouldn't want my cats anywhere near those chemicals.

how's the housebreaking going w/ the pup?

[Lucky Rescue]

I think you should LET IT BE.

Agree 100%. Don't do this. You are creating terrible stress on this cat, and you'll soon have more to worry about than him using the toilet. You may have a cat who refuses to even use a litterbox, and then what?

More cats are abandoned for not using a box than for any other reason.

[LianneCatherine]

Originally Posted by jessi76

how's the housebreaking going w/ the pup?

Thanks for the reply!

Housebreaking is going...no messes the past couple days - but that's because I've been keeping a much closer eye on her, and have been keeping her on a leash a lot in the house too. We will get through it, one day at a time!

I suppose having pets inevitably means poop in the house for life....sigh!

[LianneCatherine]

Originally Posted by Lucky Rescue

More cats are abandoned for not using a box than for any other reason.

Even if Scout decided to poop on my pillow daily, I would never under any circumstance abandon him!

I'd just like to find a way for us to all coexist without the poopies between us lol! The book says that kitties get stressed out when they can smell their litter box, and since I'm in a condo, I'm sure he can smell it pretty good.

As good as I am about cleaning his litter, things happen, and I am not always 100% diligent. It seems that both the kitties and us strive for a stink-free existance, and I thought I'd give it a try.

[Lucky Rescue]

Even if Scout decided to poop on my pillow daily, I would never under any circumstance abandon him!

I mean no offense by this, but if it actually happened, and your bedding, furniture and floors were messed, peed on and stinking every day, you might say differently.

The book says that kitties get stressed out when they can smell their litter box,

I've had more cats than I can count, and not one was stressed by the smell of the litterbox. If you never clean it, and it reeks of ammonia, then yes, the cat might go elsewhere but if you perform daily scooping - no problem.

I hate litterboxes too, but am just glad my cats always use them.

[jessi76]

litter-box tip: if you can't scoop daily, put about an inch of regular baking soda in the bottom of the litter box, then cover with kitty litter. Scoop litter as you would normally do, then replace the baking soda and fresh litter frequently (when you have more time than just for scooping). This helps immensely, and is fairly cheap.

VERY glad to hear the housebreaking is going well w/ the pup

[LianneCatherine]

I'm not taking offense, but I will tell you with 100% certainty, that no matter what my kitty did or where he did it or how often, I would not get rid of him. There are always other solutions!

It's not that I don't clean it out often enough, it's that even when I am diligent, there is still an odor. That's the same with the pup, which is why I am transitioning her to go outside. Just trying to see all of the options, I'm sure you can relate!

[rainbow]

Agree 100%. Don't do this. You are creating terrible stress on this cat, and you'll soon have more to worry about than him using the toilet. You may have a cat who refuses to even use a litterbox, and then what?

I agree...that`s what happened to my SIL`s cat.

another thing that worries me, is toilet bowl cleaners. Personally, I wouldn't want my cats anywhere near those chemicals.

How true!!!

[LianneCatherine]

Originally Posted by jessi76

litter-box tip: if you can't scoop daily, put about an inch of regular baking soda in the bottom of the litter box, then cover with kitty litter. Scoop litter as you would normally do, then replace the baking soda and fresh litter frequently (when you have more time than just for scooping). This helps immensely, and is fairly cheap.

VERY glad to hear the housebreaking is going well w/ the pup

Great tip, thanks!! I might do that anyway!!

[CyberKitten]

My Siamese baby's mother - a Grand Champion with many many awards - was toilet trained quite easily but once her meomy read about the downside of this trendy notion - which I very briefly considered until I too read some of her articles and more - she promptly let her return to what cats are meant to do once she had her babies. Cats who use the toliet make a great TV news story but with all due respect, that might be the extent of it. It may be easier for the human but it really is not that healthy for the cat and I think my cat's health is more important than my own needs. (iwe time to scoop out litter boxes et al).

The studies that have been done demonstrate cats becoming arthritis since cats while they have good balance are not meant to have to sit that way to do their biz - and it goes against their natural inclination to hide their "stuff". I do not want a cat with arthritis or other msucular diseases as she ages - since she will have enuf as it is (I have had cats live very long lives so know what geriatric cats go thru and they need all the help they can as early as possible which means starting in kittenhood).

I would have loved to have had YY go to the bathroom or my other two as well but cats who give birth or who become ill always revert to their litterbox so that should tell us something. Vets also say - my own included and she is somoene I respect (and there are some vets I cannot say that about sadly - and I don't mean just the ones who work for meat packers) - that if a kitten (which is the ideal time to train this, and really should be the only time) does not want to learn this or (thinking of the psychiatric term here but I am exhausted and it will not come to me) resists it, the meomy should stop so as not to stress the cat. If you really think your needs are that significant (perhaps you are in a situation where you live with a situation and ppl hate or are allergic to cat doo, very rare btw), yiu could wait a month and maybe try once more. My advice is that if she continues to resists, I would allow her to be herself - a kitten!!