How to Teach a Dummy to Toilet Train a Cat

Maybe you’re concerned about the tons of chemical-ridden, non-biodegradable, clay-based cat litter that ends up in municipal landfills each year. Maybe you’ve found an eco-friendly, biodegradable litter but are tired of ponying up the extra cash necessary to make your kitty’s bathroom experiences as green as possible. Or maybe you’re just plain sick of scooping the litter box every week. Either way, toilet-training Mittens will cut down on your chores and put money in your pocket at the same time. Here’s how:

1. Get your cat used to going to the bathroom in the bathroom: Move your cat’s litter box from its current location and place it right next to your toilet. Make sure he’s using the litter box and knows where it is. Wait at least a week before continuing on to step #2.

2. Get your cat used to jumping up into the litter box: Place something underneath the litter box to raise it about two inches from the ground. Phone books and newspapers work very well. Make sure the litter box is sturdy and won’t slide when your cat jumps in.

3. Get your cat used to jumping higher into the litter box: Place an additional two inches of phone books, newspapers, etc., beneath the litter box. Your cat is slowly becoming accustomed to jumping up onto a higher surface before going to the bathroom.

4. Continue step #3: Continue raising the litter box by one or two-inch increments, leaving at least one week in between each adjustment. Once the litter box is level with the toilet seat, continue on to step #5.

5. Get your cat used to jumping onto the toilet: Move the litter box so that it is directly on top of the toilet seat. Make sure he is continuing to use the litter box, and wait at least a week before moving on to step #6.

While you’re waiting, measure the inside diameter of the toilet bowl at its widest point. Purchase a metal mixing bowl that is roughly the same diameter. Make sure it is a metal mixing bowl, not a plastic one.

6. Get your cat used to the toilet itself: Remove the litter box from the toilet. Raise the toilet seat, place the metal mixing bowl in the toilet bowl, and lower the seat. Place two or three inches of litter into the mixing bowl.

• • • Warning*** This is the hard part! Don’t give up now!

7. Observe your cat and help him learn where his feet are supposed to go: This is where you become an active participant in this magical process. If you catch your cat going to the bathroom with all four feet in the mixing bowl, gently place his two front feet on the toilet seat in front of him. Praise him with a treat. When your cat begins to go to the bathroom with two feet in the bowl, gently place one of his back legs onto the toilet seat, and reward him with a treat. Having three legs out of the bowl will feel awkward and uncomfortable to your cat, so be persistent in correcting him and continue to praise and reward him. Repeat this step with the other foot until your cat becomes comfortable squatting with all four feet on the toilet seat.

8. Begin to reduce the litter in the mixing bowl: Your cat needs to get used to a litter-free bathroom experience. Over the course of a week, reduce the amount of litter in the bowl each day until only about a teaspoon is left. Watch out, the bowl will start smelling pretty bad—you will be required to clean the bowl daily, so move as quickly as your cat is willing. Depending on how finicky your cat is, take as little or as much time as you need for this final step.

9. Remove the mixing bowl: Get rid of the mixing bowl and make sure to leave the lid up and the seat down. Your cat is now ready to use the toilet all by himself!

Tips

• Throughout this entire process and beyond, keep the toilet lid up and the seat down: Your cat can’t lift the seat for himself, so you need to get used to leaving it up. There’s no point in training him to use the toilet if he can’t access it!
• Be patient! Wait at least a week between each step. Some cats need more time than others to adjust to these changes. Try to disturb the toilet as little as possible-consider having a "cat" toilet and a "person" toilet until the training period is over.