Can You Teach a Cat to Use the Toilet

If yous've already read through 101 Essential Tips for Kittens and New Cats: Wellness & Condom, then you'll know I'm not a fan of toilet training cats. Don't misfile this with litter box (a.chiliad.a. potty) training, which is where I am a huge fan. What I'm maxim is that training your cat to use an actual toilet is typically non a good idea.

Sure, there are a few toilet preparation kits for cats out in that location, and no shortage of beautiful and/or funny videos of cats using a toilet. And so it might be tempting, or seem "natural" to teach your cat how to "go" in the toilet. Particularly if y'all don't want to make clean a litter box, you live in a tiny apartment, or just because the thought of a cat perched above the basin seems oddly entertaining to you lot.

Any your reasons for wanting to toilet train your true cat though, there are quite a few important reasons Non to toilet train your cat that you lot really should consider first.

1. Flushing the Evidence

A change in the frequency or volume of urine your cat is producing can exist an important sign of a whole host of medical atmospheric condition that arrive beyond "just" a urinary tract infection. Here'due south a partial list of kitty health problems that can exist accompanied by a modify in frequency and/or book of urine:

• Diabetes
• Hyperthyroidism
• Kidney dysfunction
• Float inflammation (cystitis)
• Dehydration
• Urinary (urethral) obstacle (this ane tin exist rapidly fatal!)

As with many things, before detection and action on any of these medical problems can mean less pain and suffering for your cat, as well as a better chance of easier management and lower costs for you. So you really don't want to miss these changes.

If your true cat is urinating (or not) in a toilet basin, you're not going to see when their frequency or volume of urinations changes. On the other hand, these changes are easy to observe in cats that use litter boxes. Are in that location more or fewer pee clumps than normal? Are the pee clumps larger or smaller than normal? You'll get an "update" from your cat's endocrine and urinary systems each time you scoop the litter boxes. Non and so when kitty is peeing in a toilet!

2. Terrible Toxo

Have you heard of Toxoplasma gondii, or the disease it causes "Toxoplasmosis" (a.k.a. "Toxo")? Toxo is a nasty little parasite that cats can get infected with when they eat a mouse, rat, bird, or other wildlife. (Indoor-simply cats are at lower take chances, but fifty-fifty they aren't completely safe from Toxo, every bit rats and mice are pretty practiced at finding their manner into homes.)

Though not all infected cats volition testify signs of the illness, they all will shed infective Toxoplasma oocysts in their poop for a catamenia of fourth dimension. And, unfortunately, the typical wastewater treatments that flushed water goes through don't kill these infective oocysts. Meaning that the parasite and the disease it causes can air current up in local lakes, rivers, streams and other bodies of water, where they tin can infect and kill seals, otters, and other water-dwelling wild fauna. And it's not just wild animals that's at risk here, if your cat ever "misses" and drops a bomb on the toilet seat, you and the other people in your home can be at risk from the Toxo oocyst contagion, likewise!

3. Chapeau Goes Down or Cat Goes Down

Yep, you can teach a cat to perch on the edge of a toilet basin to do their "business." But even cats have their agility limits. If you plan to let the true cat "go" in the bathroom, y'all will need to brand sure that the pinnacle lid is always open, and the lesser chapeau is always downwardly to requite the cat a place to perch. Not even the incredible Mr. Jinx from Meet The Parents tin lift a toilet seat... remember, even he lacked the strength and the opposable thumbs.

If someone leaves the top lid down, your true cat won't be able to employ their toilet and will find somewhere else, like your carpet, shoes, bed, or potted plants to make their deposits. And if someone leaves the seat up, your cat will likely fall in! Actually, a true cat can easily fall into the toilet whether they have a perch or not, and the possibility of dealing with a cat that'south drenched in toilet h2o should be reason plenty to steer clear of toilet training!

4. Access Needed

If you lot've got a toilet-trained cat that's gotta become (similar now!) and you, one of your other family members, or even a houseguest is already on the throne, what do yous call up your true cat is going to do? Or what if there'south nobody currently in the loo, but they left the door closed on their mode out. Maybe you ran out of air freshener in your bath, or maybe they merely forgot about the fact that your cat uses the people potty, besides. Either manner, what's your cat going to do?

Unfortunately the answer, in many cases, is going to be that they're (1) going to become stressed and so (2) discover somewhere else to become… like your carpets, bed, laundry, or somewhere else that'south readily available. It'due south not spite, it'due south only that, well, y'all know… when you gotta go, y'all gotta go!

5. When Jumping Hurts

Unless yous're setting upward a ramp or staircase to your toilet, your cat is going to have to jump a pretty decent height to get onto the toilet every fourth dimension they've got to practise their business concern. But what happens when your cat can't, or isn't supposed to jump (similar subsequently surgery)? Or what about when your cat develops painful arthritis and it hurts them to bound? Did you know that more than thirty% of cats over 8 years quondam have arthritis and that arthritis is too present in more than ninety% of cats over 12 years old? Arthritis in cats is far more than mutual than you probably realize! So fifty-fifty if your true cat doesn'tcurrently suffer from arthritis, there's a good chance they will later in life. And then you lot'll have to re-train your cat to stop using the toilet and use a litter box instead, specifically ane with lower sides.

If your cat has to jump onto the toilet to become pee or poo and it either hurts them to do then or they're just incapable of doing then, so they're going to notice someplace else to become.

half-dozen. It Goes Against Their Instinct

The reason we lay down litter in the start place is because cats instinctually coffin their waste product. In the wild, this is a vital mode to ward off predators past hiding the smell. But only considering your cat isn't in the wild, it doesn't mean they lack the instinct to bury. Merely listen the next time your cat goes to the litter box, you'll hear them scratching and burial their waste matter… fifty-fifty if you're downward the hall.

If you take away their litter and supervene upon it with a toilet, y'all get rid of their power to bury, but not their desire or instinct. Even when toilet trained, cats volition still paw at the area effectually them to act out this instinctual behavior, but the inability to bury their waste material could cause additional stress, which could lead to potty accidents or other stress-related issues.

7. Kitty Tin can't Travel

If there might be times that you'll desire to take your toilet-trained cat on a trip — maybe home for the holidays, or on a prissy long visit with friends — you might desire to check with your family unit or friends that it's OK if your cat shares the toilet. Otherwise that can be an uncomfortable problem when you make it… for everyone. And even if they're cool with it, do you remember they'll take a defended toilet for your cat or e'er recollect to proceed the hat open up?

And what about when your true cat needs to stay at a boarding facility, or gets sick and needs to stay at the vet's? Unless your toilet-trained cat is also trained and comfortable with using a litter box, expect big problems there, too.

What Are Your Thoughts?

Well, there are my 7 major reasons NOT to toilet train your cat. I exercise hope you'll take these into consideration when deciding whether or not toilet training is correct for you and your true cat. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. And if you've got a few minutes, I'd beloved information technology if you would assistance united states of america better assist you and other true cat owners by taking our short cat feeding and litter box survey.

Please share your cat'due south experiences with their litter boxes and their food

The information you share volition assist many other cats.
Information technology'due south bearding and will have 1- ii minutes.
Give thanks yous!

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Source: https://www.preventivevet.com/cats/7-reasons-not-to-toilet-train-your-cat

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