Teaching Your Cat To Use The Same Toilet As You

Yes.

I know it may sound a bit odd to some, but there are people out there who have successfully trained their cat to use a human toilet - and think it's brilliant. No more litter trays, no more cats meowing into your ear at 4 in the morning to go out, you will save money, and it's clean and convenient.

(Note: Some people believe toilet training your cat is wrong due to stress and confusion to the cat, causing severe behavioural problems.)

Firstly, you don't have to have a kitten to do this. As long as your cat is litter trained age doesn't matter. You can teach an old cat new tricks!

• This step can take a week or so, so you need patience. Gradually move your cat's litter tray towards the bathroom - but not all at once. Move it to the middle of the room first, then the doorway the next day, etc. Make sure that you show your cat where the litter box's new location is every day.

• Next, once the litter tray is in the bathroom and the cat is comfortable with this, place a smaller bowl beside the litter tray, and fill with litter. Let the cat become used to the second bowl and then a couple of days later, take away the first litter tray.

• When your cat has gotten used to the new litter bowl, you need to elevate it bit by bit. Start by simply putting a small pile (no more than 5cm high) of newspapers underneath the litter bowl, and then increase the height of the bowl by 5cm daily. Be sure to use non slippery materials and a secure stand for the litter bowl.

• Once the litter bowl is at the same height as the toilet, leave it on top of the toilet seat with the lid up. Make sure the bowl is secure and won't fall off, scaring your cat. Keep this going until your cat is confident in using the litter bowl up there.

• If the litter bowl you have already can fit snugly inside the toilet, this is great, but if not then you should buy a sturdy (preferably metal) bowl or tray that will fit comfortably inside the toilet.

• Fill this new bowl with litter (flushable litter will make your life easier!) and take away your cat's old litter tray again, so his or her only option is to use the new one you have placed safely into the toilet. Leave the lid open at all times.

• When your cat is using the new bowl in the toilet, pay attention to where its paws are. While your cat is squatting, try to move its paws onto the toilet seat.

(Eventually you'll need all four paws to be on the toilet seat. It doesn't matter if you start off with just moving two of your cat's paws onto the seat, so long as you don't remove the bowl before it can confidently use the toilet with all of its paws on the seat.)

• Start to use less and less litter in the tray. Because of instinct, cats like to cover up the smell by scratching the litter over it, so make sure to constantly clean the bowl.

• Now that you've removed all of the litter from the bowl, begin to gradually fill the bowl with water. When the water level is about 4cm and you are definitely sure that you cat is comfortable using it, then you can remove the bowl completely.

Your cat should now be successfully toilet trained!