On Labor Day weekend, 2007, I brought home two cute 3-month old female Devon Rex kittens. Tanya (TAN-ya) and Chanel. This was my first time living with cats, so I prepared with books for dummies and how-to manuals. During my readings, I came across books and websites about toilet training. Yes, you teach your cat to use the toilet! I was intrigued and read multiple strategies to train my kitties to poop in the commode. The process can take anywhere from 4 weeks to a year!! It was still early, and all sources advised to wait until 6 months of age.
So I waited. In the mean time, I learned how annoying litter can be. I got the automatic LitterMaid Elite Mega Advanced Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Box which scoops the poop every time the kitties go. I got it lightly used from a craigslist.org posting. It was worth the money and I didn't become too much of a slave to the litter box. Even though I didn't have the burden of all day scooping, I started noticing that litter traveled. I saw little litter granules beyond the laundry room (original location of the litter box). I 'd see it track out from the laundry room door and occasionally see a granule or two on the kitchen floor or on the couch. I know cats are clean animals, but litter granules on the couch can't be very sanitary.
So, as they started pushing their 6th month of life (Tanya was 6 months, Chanel was 5 1/2 months), I decided to start their training to use the toilet. I love my kitties, but I hate the litter. They are super smart, so I think they will pick it up quickly.
I'm writing this blog on Tanya, Chanel, and the Toilet so you can keep up with their (and my) daily progress (or lack thereof). I am by no means an expert. But you can see pictures and watch the brief videos that chronicle their status and the methods I've used.
You can start from Day 1 by scrolling to the bottom of the page.
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January 8, 2008:
Three days ago, I moved along to the Intermediate Amber Stage. When I first made the switch, Tanya and Chanel were very curious about the hole. They put their nose through it, they put their paws through it, they stared through it. Chanel wasn't able to center herself at first and as I coached her, her paw kept falling into the hole. This stressed and frustrated her to the point where she wouldn't center herself or be centered. I think she was just too preoccupied with the hole because it kept getting in the way. So, I created an
intermediate step to the Intermediate stage. I brought the hole-less Red tray back and placed it under the Intermediate Amber tray. So there is still a hole, but no drop down into water. I put a little litter in the center as well (not shown in the picture). I got the idea from a Litter
Kwitter newsletter archived on their website. This has helped.
It takes some effort to catch her in on the toilet and place her in the right position. She likes to back up and place her behind as peripherally as possible. I suppose in an effort to avoid the hole. I try to position her to put her front paws on the seat. There
is a point of no return when they can't stop the process and you can move them while they are still going. I try to take advantage of this as much as I can. I suspect this stage, which emphasizes
positioning, will take a while for Chanel. Tanya is a star and goes centrally with two paws on the seat. I'm proud of both of them.
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