The trouble with toilet training
Toilet training a cat certainly has benefits. For one, the environment. Stateside, more than two-million tons of kitty litter are piled onto landfills every year. That’s around 100,000 truckloads. {1}. It also makes economic sense. Litter ain’t cheap. And if you have a Persian cat, like I do—or any long haired cat for that matter—and use a specialty brand, cha-ching, it can really add up.
Precious Cat, which bills itself as to No. 1 long-haired cat litter, costs around $15 for an 8 lb.-plastic bottle which, surprisingly enough, doesn’t seem much larger than a gallon of milk, and can fill up my Gizmo’s litter box maybe 2.5 times. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-.
There is also some health concern surrounding conventional litter; a clumping clay controversy. Some argue it can clot in cat’s intestines if they ingest it, from licking their paws after using the box, for example. As a non veterinarian, the validity of this claim is beyond my technical knowledge, and the scope of this post. But as a cat owner, I have to ask myself: do I even want to take the chance?
Of course, there’s a flip side to everything. Here are some cons to toilet training. Aside from the obvious, like an impromptu bath—don’t worry, that’s not ’lil Gizmo pictured there—it can create anxiety for the cat. And even more troubling, you can’t monitor your cat’s urine output, an early red flag for serious health issues, such as bladder infections. Actually, Gizmo has a history of bladder infections. So, as a cat owner, I have to ask myself: do I even want to take that chance?
Obviously, I’m still torn. I ordered the training kit weeks ago and it’s still in the brown box. Yet, the litter box continues to inch it’s way closer to the toilet each day.
She has an appointment with the vet to get her teeth cleaned Sept. 9. Perhaps I will take that opportunity to consult my veterinarian. And perhaps, if I do get Gizmo toilet trained, I will put her litter box back and let her decide where to go. She always has had a mind of her own.
