Teaching the behavior causes more problems than it solves.
©seregraff/Adobe Stock
In “Meet the Parents,” Robert DeNiro’s character owns a cat named Jinx that has a unique talent: The cat uses the toilet instead of the litterbox. At first thought, the idea of your cat using the toilet instead the litterbox may have great appeal. Who wouldn’t like to avoid scooping the litterbox.
However, the majority of cat behavior experts agree that cats should not be toilet trained. It’s worth noting that in the aforementioned movie, the cat did not really pee into a toilet. Jinx was actually played by two 5-year-old Himalayans, Bailey and Misha. In the two scenes in the movie where Jinx uses the toilet, both cat actors were trained to sit and stay on an empty commode.
Besides taking a considerable amount of time and effort on your part, training your cat to use a toilet instead of a litterbox turns her simple act of eliminating into an anxiety-filled event. It prevents your cat from following her natural instinct to dig, eliminate and then bury her waste—she cannot do that on a toilet seat.
Your cat also cannot “mark” her territory on a toilet. Even a well-cleaned litterbox retains scents that cats can detect but humans cannot. When these scents are flushed away, your cat might become insecure in her territory and could begin to urinate in inappropriate locations.
©ajlatan/Adobe Stock
In addition, adult cats (you cannot toilet train kittens as they are too small) typically resist changes to their normal routine. A cat who has used a litterbox for several years will most likely become stressed when introduced to toilet training, which could also result in elimination accidents.
Another thing to consider is that is your cat will need to balance on the edge of the toilet during training and for regular use. This can be difficult especially if she is older, very young or suffering from illness or in pain. If your cat should slip and fall in, she will most likely reject the toilet altogether and begin eliminating elsewhere in your home.
One of the biggest cons to toilet training a cat noted by the majority of animal experts involves changes in a cat’s waste. Such changes typically indicate health problems or issues. If your cat begins eliminating in the toilet, you will not be able to see changes in her type or frequency of output, which will affect your ability to catch health issues early on. This can drastically effect treatment options and prognoses—sometimes at great cost to your cat’s health and/or your finances.
Toilet training a cat is not recommended and really should not be done.
About the Author: Stacy N. Hackett is an award-winning writer with more than 25 years’ experience in the pet industry. She is the former editor of Pet Product News and a former staff editor with Cat Fancy, Cats USA, Critters USA and Ferrets USA. To learn more about her work, visit stacynhackett.vpweb.com.
I tried this with my cat but it never worked. She never used the toilet and like you mentioned, she has gotten used to the litter box
I think it would work if you started the cat at an early age (kitten) but like the article says It’s not a natural habit for the animals so I would not recommend it either.
I don’t mean a small kitten I mean a kitten that is fully grown but not too old to train- I forgot to add that
I don’t mean a small kitten I mean a kitten that is fully grown but not too old to train- I forgot to add that
I brought home a male bengal kitten at christmas 2017. He was a handful and super loving but always jumped on my lap while I was on the toilet. My friend read about Bengals and how in the wild they would eliminate in running rivers, water. So….I purchased kwitter litter. He jumped up the first day I put it on the toilet. He’s never once gone #1 anywhere but the toilet. He’s fallen in with one or both back legs a few times when he’s tired but he doesn’t seem to care. He LOVES water and jumps in my shower daily if I let him. I only had issues with #2 a few times but when he wasn’t feeling well. I look at this as him trying to tell me something is wrong. But he goes right next to the toilet. I have to disagree with the noticing if something is wrong as I refused to train him to flush….that way I can check it out and I do this daily. He had issues with a top commercial food and the Breeder recommended a raw diet which she raises her Bengals on. I switched and he is doing very well. I’m so proud of him and I put the kitty litter box down after he was neutered and he jumped on his toilet. I was in shock….but kinda happy. I really think it depends upon the cat. I’ve also changed the seats to a wider seat that is cushy so he can grip it better with his paws. I’ve put up a small sign that says “A Bengal Cat resides here…leave seat up – Thank you” above the toilet. It’s very cute and people are respectful about it. I find it’s cleaner and he is very tidy. He got over the digging thing after 2 months. I haven’t seen him do that for a long time. If by chance he ever starts to eliminate elsewhere in the house, I kept his original litter box and won’t have an issue going back. But for now….he seems to be doing just fine.