I just toilet trained my new kitten

I adopted a cute all white kitten when she was six weeks old, four
months ago.

Believing that litter boxes are unhealthy for cats (imagine having to
walk around on litter contaminated with urine and feces) not to
mention tracking all that waste material around the house, I decided
to toilet train her.

I began by putting the litter box on the floor near the bathroom.
Every day I would raise the litter box another inch or two until it
was at the level of the toilet. Precious had no problem with this at
all.

After a couple weeks I purchased a Sitz Bath at a local drug store for
about ten dollars. I put it in the toilet and filled it with litter.
Precious had no problems with this either.

After about another week I made a hole in the Sitz Bath about the
diameter of a toilet roll tube and pushed an empty toilet roll holder
through the hole so that it extended a couple inches. I put litter in
the Sitz Bath as before. When Precious first got up she was very
curious about the hole and put her paw inside only to find it was wet.
This did not deter her from using the new litter box for her toilet
needs. I would give her a special treat whenever she used the toilet.

At night I would put her in a luxurious crate next to my bed and first
thing in the morning take her down to do her business. I did not want
to have any accidents at night.

Every week or so I would gradually enlarge the opening in the Sitz
Bath. When the opening got about six inches in diameter Precious was
unable to put her all her paws in the litter so she began to put her
from paws on the toilet seat to do her business.

I would flush the solid wastes down the toilet after Precious went #2.
She was fascinated by the water going down the toilet and would watch
as her feces disappeared.


When the opening got to the point where there was only a small rim of
litter Precious had to have all four paws on the toilet seat. I got
some of those no stick shower strips to prevent any slippage. She did
it like a champ.

Well she is now five months old. I removed the Sitz Bath completely a
couple weeks ago. She jumped on the toilet, looked inside and proceed
to relieve herself directly into the water. She jumped off to get her
treat.

Now all I have to do is teach her to flush the toilet:-) This should
not be a problem since she has occasionally done it for me when I am
on the toilet.

I encourage anyone with a new kitten to consider toilet training. It
is much easier to train a kitten and I believe it is much healthier
for the cat especially for those who used silica based litter which
are harmful when inhaled or eaten. I used Feline Pine for the toilet
training as it is flushable and totally natural. It also has a
wonderful woodsy odor. I still have two bags of it left.

I am very happy with the fact that my Precious no longer has to put
her feet into disgusting feces and urine soaked litter and track it
all over the house not to mention ingest it when cleaning her paws.

She also does not have to inhale the dust from the litter.



When she gets too old to jump up on the toilet seat I will set up a
stool or some other system to help her do this.

For those who are interested in toilet training I would be happy to
answer any questions you might have.

RC

wrote:
I adopted a cute all white kitten when she was six weeks old, four
months ago.

cool beans, im too lazy to do this, but I want to

how did you keep the litter out of the toilet after the hole was bigger
than the temp tube plug

i have heard that newspaper stips are helpful for toilet training.
it's ok if some of them go in, while the hole is getting larger.

WTG!

On 22 Jan 2006 14:07:20 -0800, "Mr Tibbs"
wrote:


wrote:
I adopted a cute all white kitten when she was six weeks old, four
months ago.

cool beans, im too lazy to do this, but I want to

I have a few friends who are in the process of toilet training their
kittens too. It helps to have a spare bathroom to do the training.


how did you keep the litter out of the toilet after the hole was bigger
than the temp tube plug

I used an empty large round plastic container that I cut and rolled up
to fit the opening. Litter still ends up going in the toilet when the
cat scratches at it especially when the hole is a novelty. That is why
you need to use flushable litter.

WTG!

Thanx. Both Precious and I are very happy. No more litter!!!!

RC

wrote:

I adopted a cute all white kitten when she was six weeks old, four
months ago.

Believing that litter boxes are unhealthy for cats (imagine having to
walk around on litter contaminated with urine and feces) not to
mention tracking all that waste material around the house, I decided
to toilet train her.

I began by putting the litter box on the floor near the bathroom.
Every day I would raise the litter box another inch or two until it
was at the level of the toilet. Precious had no problem with this at
all.

After a couple weeks I purchased a Sitz Bath at a local drug store for
about ten dollars. I put it in the toilet and filled it with litter.
Precious had no problems with this either.

After about another week I made a hole in the Sitz Bath about the
diameter of a toilet roll tube and pushed an empty toilet roll holder
through the hole so that it extended a couple inches. I put litter in
the Sitz Bath as before. When Precious first got up she was very
curious about the hole and put her paw inside only to find it was wet.
This did not deter her from using the new litter box for her toilet
needs. I would give her a special treat whenever she used the toilet.

At night I would put her in a luxurious crate next to my bed and first
thing in the morning take her down to do her business. I did not want
to have any accidents at night.

Every week or so I would gradually enlarge the opening in the Sitz
Bath. When the opening got about six inches in diameter Precious was
unable to put her all her paws in the litter so she began to put her
from paws on the toilet seat to do her business.

I would flush the solid wastes down the toilet after Precious went #2.
She was fascinated by the water going down the toilet and would watch
as her feces disappeared.


When the opening got to the point where there was only a small rim of
litter Precious had to have all four paws on the toilet seat. I got
some of those no stick shower strips to prevent any slippage. She did
it like a champ.

Well she is now five months old. I removed the Sitz Bath completely a
couple weeks ago. She jumped on the toilet, looked inside and proceed
to relieve herself directly into the water. She jumped off to get her
treat.

Now all I have to do is teach her to flush the toilet:-) This should
not be a problem since she has occasionally done it for me when I am
on the toilet.

I encourage anyone with a new kitten to consider toilet training. It
is much easier to train a kitten and I believe it is much healthier
for the cat especially for those who used silica based litter which
are harmful when inhaled or eaten. I used Feline Pine for the toilet
training as it is flushable and totally natural. It also has a
wonderful woodsy odor. I still have two bags of it left.

I am very happy with the fact that my Precious no longer has to put
her feet into disgusting feces and urine soaked litter and track it
all over the house not to mention ingest it when cleaning her paws.

She also does not have to inhale the dust from the litter.



When she gets too old to jump up on the toilet seat I will set up a
stool or some other system to help her do this.

For those who are interested in toilet training I would be happy to
answer any questions you might have.

RC

I find this somewhat problematic.

What happens when the cat becomes a senior citizen and is perhaps unable
to make the leap to reach the toilet? The stool may not cut it.

What happens if you, for some unforeseen reason, need to give this cat
up? It may become a difficult adoption case.

What happens if you live somewhere with only one washroom? Kitty may not
like waiting while you enjoy a long relaxing soak in the tub.

What happens if the cat needs to spend extended time at the vet? Will
they provide a toilet or litter box? Will your training be undone by this?

What happens if the cat starts to go other places besides the toilet?
You either have a medical or behavior issue. If it is behavior issue you
may need to go back to basics to get it straightened out... meaning back
to the litter box.

I'd encourage anyone to think twice about this. Domestic cats have been
using the litter box for a very long time, why mess with something that
is a well established behavior? Cats dig in the dirt and bury their
waste... this is instinctive behavior.

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 17:31:39 -0500, Joe Canuck
wrote:

wrote:

I adopted a cute all white kitten when she was six weeks old, four
months ago.

Believing that litter boxes are unhealthy for cats (imagine having to
walk around on litter contaminated with urine and feces) not to
mention tracking all that waste material around the house, I decided
to toilet train her.

I began by putting the litter box on the floor near the bathroom.
Every day I would raise the litter box another inch or two until it
was at the level of the toilet. Precious had no problem with this at
all.

After a couple weeks I purchased a Sitz Bath at a local drug store for
about ten dollars. I put it in the toilet and filled it with litter.
Precious had no problems with this either.

After about another week I made a hole in the Sitz Bath about the
diameter of a toilet roll tube and pushed an empty toilet roll holder
through the hole so that it extended a couple inches. I put litter in
the Sitz Bath as before. When Precious first got up she was very
curious about the hole and put her paw inside only to find it was wet.
This did not deter her from using the new litter box for her toilet
needs. I would give her a special treat whenever she used the toilet.

At night I would put her in a luxurious crate next to my bed and first
thing in the morning take her down to do her business. I did not want
to have any accidents at night.

Every week or so I would gradually enlarge the opening in the Sitz
Bath. When the opening got about six inches in diameter Precious was
unable to put her all her paws in the litter so she began to put her
from paws on the toilet seat to do her business.

I would flush the solid wastes down the toilet after Precious went #2.
She was fascinated by the water going down the toilet and would watch
as her feces disappeared.


When the opening got to the point where there was only a small rim of
litter Precious had to have all four paws on the toilet seat. I got
some of those no stick shower strips to prevent any slippage. She did
it like a champ.

Well she is now five months old. I removed the Sitz Bath completely a
couple weeks ago. She jumped on the toilet, looked inside and proceed
to relieve herself directly into the water. She jumped off to get her
treat.

Now all I have to do is teach her to flush the toilet:-) This should
not be a problem since she has occasionally done it for me when I am
on the toilet.

I encourage anyone with a new kitten to consider toilet training. It
is much easier to train a kitten and I believe it is much healthier
for the cat especially for those who used silica based litter which
are harmful when inhaled or eaten. I used Feline Pine for the toilet
training as it is flushable and totally natural. It also has a
wonderful woodsy odor. I still have two bags of it left.

I am very happy with the fact that my Precious no longer has to put
her feet into disgusting feces and urine soaked litter and track it
all over the house not to mention ingest it when cleaning her paws.

She also does not have to inhale the dust from the litter.



When she gets too old to jump up on the toilet seat I will set up a
stool or some other system to help her do this.

For those who are interested in toilet training I would be happy to
answer any questions you might have.

RC

I find this somewhat problematic.

What happens when the cat becomes a senior citizen and is perhaps unable
to make the leap to reach the toilet? The stool may not cut it.

If the stool does not cut it then I will try my best to find a good
way to get around it. I have carpentry skills and can build steps for
her to climb. And if I cannot do any of this then I will use a litter
basket. I suspect this will not happen for many happy years for both
of us if it happens at all.

What happens if you, for some unforeseen reason, need to give this cat
up? It may become a difficult adoption case.

Why? I have friends who have toilet trained their cats who would be
happy to adopt her. And if worse comes to worse she can always go back
to litter. The transition would not be that difficult.

What happens if you live somewhere with only one washroom?

I live in a house with four bathrooms. I don't plan to move as the
house it paid for and I am very happy with it. Precious has her own
bathroom. She is quite happy.

Kitty may not
like waiting while you enjoy a long relaxing soak in the tub.

She does not have to wait. She can go to the toilet while someone is
in the bath. Precious does not mind other's watching her go pee. She
is an exhibitionist.

What happens if the cat needs to spend extended time at the vet? Will
they provide a toilet or litter box? Will your training be undone by this?

No, my training will not be undone by this. When Precious returns she
will likely go right back to the toilet. If not, I will deal with that
when it comes up.

What happens if the cat starts to go other places besides the toilet?

I will deal with that when it happens. I will try to figure out why
and take steps to remedy it.



You either have a medical or behavior issue. If it is behavior issue you
may need to go back to basics to get it straightened out... meaning back
to the litter box.

I will deal with that if and when it comes up. Precious and I have a
very good relationship. I have been very good about giving her much
praise and rewards for certain behaviors and she responds positively
to it.

I'd encourage anyone to think twice about this. Domestic cats have been
using the litter box for a very long time, why mess with something that
is a well established behavior?

My kitten only used a litter box for a few months til I weaned her off
of it to something that is much healthier. As I said she no longer has
to put her feet in a place with feces and urine. She no longer has to
clean her paws and ingest lord knows what. She no longer has to inhale
the litter dust which can be very toxic depending on the litter. I
believe that Precious will live a much longer and healthier life than
cats who are forced to regularly walk in their excrement and inhale
dust from litter.


Cats dig in the dirt and bury their
waste... this is instinctive behavior.

If it is so instinctual then how do you explain how easily I trained
her to engage in a behavior that is much healthier for her IMO. YMMV.

RC

wrote:

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 17:31:39 -0500, Joe Canuck
wrote:


wrote:


I adopted a cute all white kitten when she was six weeks old, four
months ago.

Believing that litter boxes are unhealthy for cats (imagine having to
walk around on litter contaminated with urine and feces) not to
mention tracking all that waste material around the house, I decided
to toilet train her.

I began by putting the litter box on the floor near the bathroom.
Every day I would raise the litter box another inch or two until it
was at the level of the toilet. Precious had no problem with this at
all.

After a couple weeks I purchased a Sitz Bath at a local drug store for
about ten dollars. I put it in the toilet and filled it with litter.
Precious had no problems with this either.

After about another week I made a hole in the Sitz Bath about the
diameter of a toilet roll tube and pushed an empty toilet roll holder
through the hole so that it extended a couple inches. I put litter in
the Sitz Bath as before. When Precious first got up she was very
curious about the hole and put her paw inside only to find it was wet.
This did not deter her from using the new litter box for her toilet
needs. I would give her a special treat whenever she used the toilet.

At night I would put her in a luxurious crate next to my bed and first
thing in the morning take her down to do her business. I did not want
to have any accidents at night.

Every week or so I would gradually enlarge the opening in the Sitz
Bath. When the opening got about six inches in diameter Precious was
unable to put her all her paws in the litter so she began to put her
from paws on the toilet seat to do her business.

I would flush the solid wastes down the toilet after Precious went #2.
She was fascinated by the water going down the toilet and would watch
as her feces disappeared.


When the opening got to the point where there was only a small rim of
litter Precious had to have all four paws on the toilet seat. I got
some of those no stick shower strips to prevent any slippage. She did
it like a champ.

Well she is now five months old. I removed the Sitz Bath completely a
couple weeks ago. She jumped on the toilet, looked inside and proceed
to relieve herself directly into the water. She jumped off to get her
treat.

Now all I have to do is teach her to flush the toilet:-) This should
not be a problem since she has occasionally done it for me when I am
on the toilet.

I encourage anyone with a new kitten to consider toilet training. It
is much easier to train a kitten and I believe it is much healthier
for the cat especially for those who used silica based litter which
are harmful when inhaled or eaten. I used Feline Pine for the toilet
training as it is flushable and totally natural. It also has a
wonderful woodsy odor. I still have two bags of it left.

I am very happy with the fact that my Precious no longer has to put
her feet into disgusting feces and urine soaked litter and track it
all over the house not to mention ingest it when cleaning her paws.

She also does not have to inhale the dust from the litter.



When she gets too old to jump up on the toilet seat I will set up a
stool or some other system to help her do this.

For those who are interested in toilet training I would be happy to
answer any questions you might have.

RC

I find this somewhat problematic.

What happens when the cat becomes a senior citizen and is perhaps unable
to make the leap to reach the toilet? The stool may not cut it.


If the stool does not cut it then I will try my best to find a good
way to get around it. I have carpentry skills and can build steps for
her to climb. And if I cannot do any of this then I will use a litter
basket. I suspect this will not happen for many happy years for both
of us if it happens at all.

What happens if you, for some unforeseen reason, need to give this cat
up? It may become a difficult adoption case.


Why? I have friends who have toilet trained their cats who would be
happy to adopt her. And if worse comes to worse she can always go back
to litter. The transition would not be that difficult.

What happens if you live somewhere with only one washroom?


I live in a house with four bathrooms. I don't plan to move as the
house it paid for and I am very happy with it. Precious has her own
bathroom. She is quite happy.


Kitty may not
like waiting while you enjoy a long relaxing soak in the tub.


She does not have to wait. She can go to the toilet while someone is
in the bath. Precious does not mind other's watching her go pee. She
is an exhibitionist.

What happens if the cat needs to spend extended time at the vet? Will
they provide a toilet or litter box? Will your training be undone by this?


No, my training will not be undone by this. When Precious returns she
will likely go right back to the toilet. If not, I will deal with that
when it comes up.

What happens if the cat starts to go other places besides the toilet?


I will deal with that when it happens. I will try to figure out why
and take steps to remedy it.




You either have a medical or behavior issue. If it is behavior issue you
may need to go back to basics to get it straightened out... meaning back
to the litter box.


I will deal with that if and when it comes up. Precious and I have a
very good relationship. I have been very good about giving her much
praise and rewards for certain behaviors and she responds positively
to it.

I'd encourage anyone to think twice about this. Domestic cats have been
using the litter box for a very long time, why mess with something that
is a well established behavior?


My kitten only used a litter box for a few months til I weaned her off
of it to something that is much healthier. As I said she no longer has
to put her feet in a place with feces and urine. She no longer has to
clean her paws and ingest lord knows what. She no longer has to inhale
the litter dust which can be very toxic depending on the litter. I
believe that Precious will live a much longer and healthier life than
cats who are forced to regularly walk in their excrement and inhale
dust from litter.


The only reason cats that use litter boxes regularly walk in their
excrement is because of lazy owners who don't scoop out the litter box
regularly... i.e. daily.

In any case, if the cat buries their excrement in the litter they won't
be walking on it directly.



Cats dig in the dirt and bury their
waste... this is instinctive behavior.


If it is so instinctual then how do you explain how easily I trained
her to engage in a behavior that is much healthier for her IMO. YMMV.

RC


It isn't an easy process.

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 18:35:06 -0500, Joe Canuck
wrote:

The only reason cats that use litter boxes regularly walk in their
excrement is because of lazy owners who don't scoop out the litter box
regularly... i.e. daily.

Daily does not cut it.
Scooping out the litter box does not get rid of every bit of feces or
urine. Even when it looks clean it is filled with disgusting feces and
urine. The only time it is truly clean is when you change the litter
completely. And then as soon as the cat uses it, it will be
contaminated to some degree or another.

In any case, if the cat buries their excrement in the litter they won't
be walking on it directly.

Even if they bury it there will be reside of fecal material on the
surface of the litter. And it is not buried very deep. And what do you
think that they use to bury it?? Their paws. How do they clean their
paws. With their mouth. If you want your cat to spend years of
cleaning their feces covered paws with their mouths, walking in urine
and feces contaminated litter and then track it all through your house
then by all means go for it. I choose a different route and I believe
much healthier route for both the cat and their owners.

If you do it right it is not as difficult as you might think. It is
very important to have a good positive relationship with your kitten
and use the techniques of behavior modification with much praise and
rewards for good behavior. For Precious it was a piece of cake. She
was very responsive to the rewards that I gave her.

RC

wrote in message
...
I adopted a cute all white kitten when she was six weeks old, four
months ago.

Believing that litter boxes are unhealthy for cats (imagine having to
walk around on litter contaminated with urine and feces) not to
mention tracking all that waste material around the house, I decided
to toilet train her.

I began by putting the litter box on the floor near the bathroom.
Every day I would raise the litter box another inch or two until it
was at the level of the toilet. Precious had no problem with this at
all.

After a couple weeks I purchased a Sitz Bath at a local drug store for
about ten dollars. I put it in the toilet and filled it with litter.
Precious had no problems with this either.

After about another week I made a hole in the Sitz Bath about the
diameter of a toilet roll tube and pushed an empty toilet roll holder
through the hole so that it extended a couple inches. I put litter in
the Sitz Bath as before. When Precious first got up she was very
curious about the hole and put her paw inside only to find it was wet.
This did not deter her from using the new litter box for her toilet
needs. I would give her a special treat whenever she used the toilet.

At night I would put her in a luxurious crate next to my bed and first
thing in the morning take her down to do her business. I did not want
to have any accidents at night.

Every week or so I would gradually enlarge the opening in the Sitz
Bath. When the opening got about six inches in diameter Precious was
unable to put her all her paws in the litter so she began to put her
from paws on the toilet seat to do her business.

I would flush the solid wastes down the toilet after Precious went #2.
She was fascinated by the water going down the toilet and would watch
as her feces disappeared.


When the opening got to the point where there was only a small rim of
litter Precious had to have all four paws on the toilet seat. I got
some of those no stick shower strips to prevent any slippage. She did
it like a champ.

Well she is now five months old. I removed the Sitz Bath completely a
couple weeks ago. She jumped on the toilet, looked inside and proceed
to relieve herself directly into the water. She jumped off to get her
treat.

Now all I have to do is teach her to flush the toilet:-) This should
not be a problem since she has occasionally done it for me when I am
on the toilet.

I encourage anyone with a new kitten to consider toilet training. It
is much easier to train a kitten and I believe it is much healthier
for the cat especially for those who used silica based litter which
are harmful when inhaled or eaten. I used Feline Pine for the toilet
training as it is flushable and totally natural. It also has a
wonderful woodsy odor. I still have two bags of it left.

I am very happy with the fact that my Precious no longer has to put
her feet into disgusting feces and urine soaked litter and track it
all over the house not to mention ingest it when cleaning her paws.

She also does not have to inhale the dust from the litter.



When she gets too old to jump up on the toilet seat I will set up a
stool or some other system to help her do this.

For those who are interested in toilet training I would be happy to
answer any questions you might have.

RC

Are you going to put no-slip strips on the toilet seat so your kitten isn't
as likely to have a mishap and fall into the toilet. I had to rescue my cat,
Mabel (RB '87) after she slipped and fell into the toilet. She had all four
paws on porcelain and was freaking out as she slipped towards the water. My
cat, Tigger (RB '05) slipped into the toilet when she was a kitten. I heard
her splash, give a yell and manage to get herself out of there in a hurry.
She was lucky and all that got hurt was her dignity. I've kept the lid shut
since then.

Wendy

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 18:58:11 -0500, "Wendy"
wrote:

Are you going to put no-slip strips on the toilet seat so your kitten isn't
as likely to have a mishap and fall into the toilet.

Yes, Wendy. I have already done that. I think that I mentioned it in
an earlier post. I forgot to mention that once Precious did fall into
the toilet. This was when she was about two months old and jumped up
on the toilet I was using after I got up when I flushed it. She
slipped in and got a bath. But that did not seem to have any negative
impact on her toilet training. But it is why I got the no slip strips
for training purposes. I may remove them later as she gets more agile
on the seat. She seems to have fairly good balance.


I had to rescue my cat,
Mabel (RB '87) after she slipped and fell into the toilet. She had all four
paws on porcelain and was freaking out as she slipped towards the water. My
cat, Tigger (RB '05) slipped into the toilet when she was a kitten. I heard
her splash, give a yell and manage to get herself out of there in a hurry.
She was lucky and all that got hurt was her dignity. I've kept the lid shut
since then.

Precious is pretty nimble. She managed to jump back out when she was
just about two months old. I am wondering if she will start using the
other toilets to relieve herself. Time will tell. At this point I keep
the bathroom doors closed except for Precious'. I do this after
finding the entire roll of toilet paper unrolled on the floor.
Precious loves unrolling toilet paper. I am glad she does not have to
wipe herself after going:-))

RC

wrote:
On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 18:58:11 -0500, "Wendy"
wrote:


Are you going to put no-slip strips on the toilet seat so your kitten isn't
as likely to have a mishap and fall into the toilet.


Yes, Wendy. I have already done that. I think that I mentioned it in
an earlier post. I forgot to mention that once Precious did fall into
the toilet. This was when she was about two months old and jumped up
on the toilet I was using after I got up when I flushed it. She
slipped in and got a bath. But that did not seem to have any negative
impact on her toilet training. But it is why I got the no slip strips
for training purposes. I may remove them later as she gets more agile
on the seat. She seems to have fairly good balance.


Yes indeed, a bath... in germ infested waters. Likely far worse than she
gets in the litter box.



I had to rescue my cat,
Mabel (RB '87) after she slipped and fell into the toilet. She had all four
paws on porcelain and was freaking out as she slipped towards the water. My
cat, Tigger (RB '05) slipped into the toilet when she was a kitten. I heard
her splash, give a yell and manage to get herself out of there in a hurry.
She was lucky and all that got hurt was her dignity. I've kept the lid shut
since then.


Precious is pretty nimble. She managed to jump back out when she was
just about two months old. I am wondering if she will start using the
other toilets to relieve herself. Time will tell. At this point I keep
the bathroom doors closed except for Precious'. I do this after
finding the entire roll of toilet paper unrolled on the floor.
Precious loves unrolling toilet paper. I am glad she does not have to
wipe herself after going:-))

RC