Wouldn’t it be ‘convenient’ if your cat used the toilet?
Imagine a world where indoor cats no longer need litter boxes and cat litter tracking through the house was a thing of the past. Instead, they squat over the toilet bowl meaning a quick flush is all it takes for you to get rid of their offering.
Unfortunately this golden age may not be all that it’s cracked up to be, especially from the cat’s point of view. Whilst there are undoubted benefits from a human perspective, using the toilet instead of a tray can cause problems for the cat.
So before you ditch the litter box and dash out to buy a training seat, let’s look at toileting from a cat’s eye view so you can decide if this has potential for your cat or will be more of a nightmare than a dream.
Flushed with Success?
OK, the upside of toilet training a cat to use . . . ahem . . . the toilet does have advantages. These include no pooper scooping, no smelly trays, and no cat litter treading through the house.
You might think the main reason that more people don’t have toileted trained cats is the actual process of training them, but this isn’t the case. Whilst it does take a special sort of cat to use the toilet, the bigger issue is the resultant stress of a cat eliminating in what to them is an unnatural manner.
In an ultimate irony, if the cat feels stressed about going to the toilet, this can trigger episodes of urinary straining that make up FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease) as we’ll learn below.
Toileting Behaviour
Cats are sensitive to the messages sent out by their bodily functions. At one end of the scale they may want to advertise their presence and establish territorial ownership, and to do this they spray urine and midden faeces.
But in the great scheme of things, the majority of the time cats want to avoid advertising their presence, which means hiding their toilet. Indeed, cats instinctively want to bury what they produce, and won’t feel that the job is done properly unless they can scrape litter over their offering.
Not only that, but the location of their toilet matters a lot. Cats feel particularly vulnerable whilst relieving themselves, and so prefer a location that is partially concealed and feels safe. When this facility is a toilet, if the cat finds the location too busy or too exposed, this adds to their stress.
And if you’re still wavering as to whether toilet training is for your fur-friends or not, know that each cat likes to have their own toilet. This means in a multi-cat household your fur friends are going to be less enamoured of sharing facilities than you might suspect. And guess what. Anxiety over facilities equals yet more stress for the cat and an increased risk of FLUTD.
Why Litter Trays are Good
Actually, there are several positives to litter trays. For a start, they help you monitor what your cat is passing. Regular wet patches and solid offerings is a reassuring sign that all is well with the cat.
When a cat uses the toilet you aren’t going to know as quickly if they’re passing blood or have become constipated. Indeed, when they use a litter tray you become tuned into what’s normal for your cat and are therefore alerted sooner to when things aren’t right.
Another advantage of litter boxes is that it doesn’t cost the earth to have several trays to satisfy the needs of a multi-cat household. Plus you can locate them in nice, quiet, out of the way places where the cat feels safe.
Of course, one of the reasons people hate litter trays is the smell . . . but really, there’s an argument that’s down to the human part of the team. Twice daily scooping and regular litter top ups means there’s no need for a bad odour to develop. And in fairness, better hygiene is healthier for the cat because they’ll be less inhibited about going (just as no one likes using a dirty toilet.)
Then there’s the whole digging and scratching thing. Your cat obviously enjoys kicking up the litter, which is because of the natural drive to cover their tracks. Providing a tray with a suitable litter allows kitty to do just that. Imagine then their frustration of using the toilet and only half-completing the job!
Another consideration in favour of litter trays is that it leaves the toilet for the humans. Remember, cats can’t flush which means at some point you have to flush for them.
In addition, you need to leave the toilet lid open, which means you’ll probably get into the habit of flushing with the lid up. This is considerably less hygienic as all that whizzing water creates a considerable aerosol of water droplets contaminated with bacteria that are much better kept under wraps (or the lid at least).
The Bottom Line on Toilet Training
Whilst it’s possible to toilet train some cats, the more important question is whether it’s right to do so.
Changing your cat’s habit could cause them considerable stress, which could result in the discomfort of FLUTD or the inconvenience of spraying in the house. All in all, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, especially when you can meet everyone’s needs by pooper scooping more regularly.
Have you ever attempted to train your cat to use the human toilet? Please share your experiences below.
Top image: Eric Allix Rogers via Flickr
Years ago I trained my Manx when he was young to use the toilet and he did just fine. I am about to get a new cat, it will be a kitten, so using the human toilet will be what he or she knows at a young age. Obviously forcing an adult cat to change its ways would be unfair and possibly harmful.
I have tried those toilet training kits and I’ve got to say, this was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My two boys learned to use the toilet in just 5 weeks. No more litter arround my house, no dirty paws, big saving on litter cost. I can monitor their faeces just as I did with the box because, obviously, they do not flush it down. Plus they show no sign of stress and do it just the way they use the litter box. Well at least one of them. My second cat urinates to toilet but has a little bit of problem on using the toilet for defecating. But I believe he’ll eventually get used to it. All in all, I am happy and my cats look happy with toilet training.
It’s not just the convenience of not having to clean the litter box. It’s also the cost. It’s so expensive to buy litter all the time, especially for bigger cats like maine coons (at least mine, who poops a lot). I think you have very valid points. I think a compromise is better for me. The compromise being: we’ll try it, and if it doesn’t work or causes undue stress, we’ll go back. If it works, great!
While this sounds like a nice idea, I agree with you. It might not be the right thing to do. I had a friend who was filmed for some show on Animal Planet about their toilet-training experience. They sort of faked it for the show because the cat never really used the toilet after a month.
We’ve never seriously considered training our cats to use the human toilet. After reading your excellent post, we are glad we didn’t! 🙂
I never even realized you could train a cat for potty time. I would think it would be a great thing to do if the cat was amenable to it. Now, to teach the dog….well he would not put the lid down *giggle*. In all seriousness, yes, this is something I could see being very useful.
I never thought of it being stressful teaching cats to use the toilet. Thanks for giving me something to think about. I have never toilet trained a cat, but this is interesting as I’ve always wondered about it.
I agree that it sounds convenient … but the reviews of products that claim to help train your cat to do so tell a different story. With any behavior, some cats will be okay with it, and others will never comply. The best you can do is try and then recognize when you’ve been beat 🙂
I have no intention of ever toilet training my kitties. They are fine the way are. Sure, there are downsides to having a litter box, but I feel that the benefits for the cat outweigh them. I wouldn’t want to have to be trained to use some alien toileting system that seemed totally unnatural to me and I can’t imagine my cats would appreciate it either.
Thanks for sharing this information, I always thought it would have been great to train my cats to use a toilet. But I never considered these points, that it would be an unnatural behavior & could cause issues for cats.
Very interesting….I do not have any house cats, only and adopted outdoor feral. However, my grandmother successfully trained a bunny to use the toilet!
I thought this post was really interesting. I read previously that it was also bad for wildlife because the cat feces can contain a dangerous parasite that isn’t killed in sewage treatment facilities. Now whether or not that is true, I don’t know, but it is something else to consider.
I’ve read more negatives about training cats to use the toilet rather than a litter box. I have no plans to do it.
Great article. I can’t imagine the consequences in training a cat to potty on our toilet. And why? Crazy.
I think we will stick with the traditional litter box. We have very little odor issue since we scoop many times a day and use a great litter. I think with our cats ages it would be too distressing to try training them for toilet potty now. Maybe good for younger cats but your pros and cons have me convinced that the litter box is still best.
I had no idea that it caused cats such distress to use a toilet rather than a litter box. Aside from that, I don’t know that I’d want to share 😉 This is great for anyone with a cat considering their options.
I got a great cat toilet tray that has a special litter and sits inside the seat to try at a Pet Expo. Kilo the Pug often pees (and poops) on the bathmats in our bathrooms if it is cold or raining or he just can’t wait and we don’t get the message fast. He also likes jumping up on things and doing tricks. I thought it would be fun to train him to pee in the toilet tray and flush. He learned to jump up, sit on it and flush. It was a super cute trick but he always saw it as a trick for treats and never pooped and didn’t usually actually pee. The poop might have stuck in the tray so not a big benefit for poop anyway and he likes to circle around looking for the right spot so no way he could relax. I stopped letting him do the pee trick as one day he went and jumped up on the toilet without the Cat toilet tray in to impress me and nearly fell in (he could have got stuck and got a fright). I had removed it as we had guests coming. I realized it was dangerous unless you have a dedicated full-time toilet for your pet and he has not tried since that I know of.
Many years ago Mommy had a cat that used the toilet. He just started doing it on his own. She never took the litter box away, though.
I’m so glad you mentioned the burying issue. Newt is VERY thorough with her burying, and I think the toilet would not allow her to perform that instinctual behavior. Plus it’s just always seemed so strange to me? Keeping her box clean is such an easy chore, too. I’d rather her be happier and more confident and fulfilled than make her uncomfortable just so I didn’t have to scoop!
I would not as I feel that a cat is born to use a litter box and should be left at that
It sounds very disturbing. I say let cats be cats instead of caring more about what’s easier for us.
I wish we could train our dog’s to use the toilet! But, since that’s not happening we’re working to train them with a doggy door. Kitties like, or need(?), to fluff the litter (like they are burying their stuff/potty) don’t they? We have never known anyone who has trained their cat to use a toilet – I’m not sure I would do that, compared to a dog, kitties seems like a breeze (but I don’t know since we’ve never shared our lives with a kitty (yet))!
I hate when people attribute human behaviour to cats, including wanting them to use the facilities. What happens if they use that blue toxic stuff and kitty slips and falls in? TW has a calendar where she marks my poos and pees so she knows if anything is up. You made some great points about not training them. BTW, have you read about “Squatty Potties”? Apparently they’re the new rage for humans.
If I thought I could train Mr. N and not have him traumatized by him possibly falling in, I would totally do it!
We wouldn’t consider toilet training either! It just seems like a bad idea all around. It all seems like a cat might fall in, which to me, would create a much ickier mess than a litter box! MOL!
My human has never even considered doing this! She wonders what happens if the cat gets arthritis and has difficulty getting up and balancing on the toilet seat. Plus all the other stuff you mentioned.
Exactly EXACTLY what we were going to post! That’s so wrong for kitties, and when they get older or infirm … Well. We’re completely against this ‘convenience’, too.
I think using the toilet is frustrating to cats because they can’t bury it like in a box. The only cat I knew of that did this died from a urinary blockage and I always felt it was caused by not getting to use a litter box ( not my cat, a friend of a friend).