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 You may have heard about people who can
toilet-train their cats. Perhaps you’re
considering the idea yourself. It may seem
like a mess-free alternative, but don’t toss
out that litter box yet. There are serious
downsides to toilet-training and they’re
things many people don’t think about until
it’s too late.
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Toilet-training goes against a cat’s natural
instinct to dig, eliminate, and cover his
waste.
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You must always keep the lid of the toilet
open for the cat. The first time someone
closes the lid, the cat has no option but to
eliminate on carpet.
·
Cats can’t flush so the odor from solid
waste will linger until someone flushes.
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Even though you can buy toilet-training
kits, eventually you’ll have to do away with
the kit and have your cat straddle the
toilet. For a very young cat, an old cat,
one who is ill or has arthritis, this can be
difficult. Toilet seats are slippery.
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If your cat falls in the toilet, although he
may be able to get out, the panic and stress
of the event can cause him to not want to
eliminate in the toilet again. Should he
fall into a dirty toilet, then you have the
added stress of having to bathe him. If he’s
home alone, he’ll be dealing with the
traumatic event for hours by himself.
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Keep in mind that should your cat ever have
to be hospitalized or boarded he will be put
in a cage with a litter box. Once he returns
home, you may have to retrain him to the
toilet again.
Where and how a cat eliminates
shouldn’t be a cause of stress. A litter box
filled with the appropriate substrate is
closest to what a cat would choose outdoors.
Cats dig, eliminate and cover by instinct.
Covering the waste is how they prevent
predators from finding their nest. Even
indoor cats have that instinct and it
provides comfort and a sense of security. |
