| Training the Cat to Use the Toilet |
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Something many cat owners think about at some point, is training their cat to use the toilet. There are some dos and don’ts in regard to training your cat(s). Here detail a few. As the title suggests, our focus is on things that will help potty train a cat to act more like a human. One of the first things to keep in mind is that cats keep their focus in the very short term, often simply “Just now”. The means used to train dogs, particularly rubbing their nose in poop, won’t work well at all. Anything like this you do with a cat will just stress them and push them away from you and more onto their independent nature. You may wonder why anyone would want to train their cat to use the toilet. The benefits of a potty trained cat are many dollars saved in kitty litter, boxes, as well as a lot of time it takes over time to maintain and clean it. It also does away with most smell since rather than lingering, it gets flushed. Often, the smell of kitty litter with the strong odor of cat waste will mix to make smells that will make many sick. It doesn’t smell good at minimum. While cats are more likely to be tolerant of their own smells, even they try to minimize it. Doing away with the kitty litter can have many benefits, including happiness for all involved, less potential for disease, and better overall harmony. When a cat uses the potty, the smell and solid waste go under water. This dilutes it and also contains the waste. Within reasonable time it gets flushed and pushed further away. You will find devices at the pet store that can help potty train your cat. These include many books on the subject, and general cat training hints. The potty device will have directions as well. You may start wondering if it will be too much work, but remember the end benefits, and consider one more aspect. The more you and your cat do together, the better you will get along, and the closer you will be. In the end there is more at stake than just using the potty. The device fits in the toilet. It’s more or less a insert that fits under the ring in the toilet. Among the directions, you should find a suggestion to put a little kitty litter in the small part of the bowl, and then remove all the kitty litter boxes you have so they will find only the toilet. It would also be wise to cover plants to prevent digging at this time. Your local pet store may have other scents that might help train your cat; ones that can also be put on the toilet device that will attract the cat to use it. It’s wise to close the cat in the bathroom at first with the device, and leave them alone. At first it will intrigue them and work on their curiosity. Cats also like privacy, especially when going potty. If it seems they still aren’t using the device, try putting a kitty litter in the bathroom near the toilet and give them some more privacy. Putting them up on the toilet may be necessary as well for awhile. All in all, this isn’t a one minute fix. It will take time, and a lot of patience, but in the end, you and your cat will be a lot happier, have more time for other things, save, and probably have a better relationship to go with it all. Good luck, and expect results! When you are done, both you, and your cat should be much happier without the smell of the kitty litter to deal with. Cats really like rewards. When training, if you reward what they do when you see them, they will train much better and love you more too. Cats actually realize when you see them and when you don’t. As long as you aren’t intentionally ignoring them, they will understand why you don’t reward them on occasion. It’s part of their instinct to pay attention to who is paying attention. |
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