Go Cat Go

It’s hard to tell who is being slow about this kitty toilet-training business: me or my cat. I started to raise her litter box off the ground right next to the toilet September 29. Since that time, there have been a few “oh no, what have I gotten myself into” moments. But all in all, it’s been a pretty amazing process.

I’ve proceeded very slowly from one stage to the next. Gizmo wasn’t litter-box perfect to begin with. Surprisingly enough, she was OK with her litter box being raised to a certain point. That point: exactly 6.5 inches.

After that, a laundry basket became an all-of-sudden desirable place to pee. That was a first in her house-cat career.

In a preemptive move, I broke open the CitiKitty toilet training kit box early. Obviously, she wanted other options, so I thought I’d offer her a more preferable one to me: the toilet.

The kit sets easily on the toilet under the lid. The plastic tray is made to hold a flushable brand litter, and the kit includes a bag of what looks like cat nip to lure them in. Just sprinkle it on.

After a few days of sniffing around to scope out the new situation, she had an epiphany: “Omg, this is a litter box.”

When she began to use the catseat I was overjoyed. And she continued to do so almost flawlessly for the entire month of October—but only to pee. She still buries her other business in the box.

To all the detractors of toilet training cats out there claiming it’s cruel and unnatural, please note: her litter box is still available. She has a choice where to go, and so far at least, she prefers the porcelain throne. (She’s such a princess.)

The seat has four perforated rings to punch out. (They’re really hard to punch out, by the way.) The center hole gets wider and wider until the cat is comfortable just using a plain, old toilet seat.

Gizmo passed the one-ring mark with flying colors. The second ring proved to be a bit more of a leap for her, so she used the bathroom rug as a stopgap for a few days before returning to the john.

She’s been really, really good. But we’ve stalled out on the second ring. The last transition was a wee—no pun intended—bit shaky, so I’m trying to give her plenty of time to adjust to each step.

Of course, it would be ideal if she used the toilet exclusively. But, as mentioned in a previous post, she likes to do the doo standing straight up on her hind legs. She uses the edge of the litter box for balance. Understandably, this peculiar position is quite difficult to pull off on the rim of a toilet seat.

Still, I’m hopeful I’ve found the solution: I’m getting a special extra-wide seat made for her with handlebars to help her keep her balance while standing. Gee, just what every cat wants for Christmas. It should make a real splash.