Cat toilet training. Follow the progress of my two cats being trained to use the toilet. They are going to be transitioned from a LitterMaid automatic litter box to the toilet bowl.
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. ________________________________________________________________________________
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.
Tanya and Chanel have been doing very well with the Litter Kwitter. I didn't really expect them to have problems at this initial 'Red' stage because they have been going on the toilet since Day 12! The Red tray does not have a hole in it. I am very tempted to move to the intermediate Amber tray that came with the Multi Kat Kit. It has a smaller hole than the regular Amber tray. This would put me to where I was last successful with the sitz bath.
Right now, Tanya and Chanel are not really positioning themselves centrally on a regular basis. Tanya has two paws on the seat, but Chanel has all 4 in the tray (see video). Once I advance to the intermediate Amber stage, I will start positioning their paws more.
I need to mention my experience with excellent customer service from the Litter Kwitter company. I got a very quick response from the inventor of Litter Kwitter, Jo Lapidge. There was most likely an error in packaging. They will be sending me the correct Green tray.
I took a little more time to explore their website and noticed they have a forum very similar to the Cats T-Training Yahoo Group. The Litter Kwitter Forum offers discussions and postings on cat toilet training using the Litter Kwitter. There is an interesting discussion on 'multiple cats in training' that I will be exploring and possibly joining. They have also posted the training videos that come on a DVD with the device. It looks like another plus of choosing the Litter Kwitter is device-specific support.
Happy New Year everyone! The much anticipated day has finally arrived. I got back from my vacation yesterday, but wasn't able to pick up the Litter Kwitter until today because of the holiday. Nevertheless, I still got rid of the LitterMaid litter box as soon as I got in from the airport yesterday. I think I wasn't alone in my happiness to see it go. When I replaced the sitz bowl, Chanel and Tanya looked excited to have it back! Not more than a minute of putting it back passed and Chanel had already jumping in to use it. I think they want to be litter box-free, too. Or at least I'd to think they do. :)
Anyway, the Litter Kwitter is installed and ready to go. The pictures show exactly what you get. There is a white base that fits over your toilet bowl (with the seat up). It's nice that they aren't training on the seat anymore. The MultiKat Kit gives you intermediate stages between the red-to-amber and amber-to-green stages. I personally think these should come with the main kit. The hole for the amber stage looks pretty big. Unfortunately, I got a faulty MultiKat Kit package. The green tray is identical to the one in the main kit--there is no intermediate tray. I contacted the company and I'm waiting for a call back. I won't need that tray for a while anyway. Together, the kits were $78.95.
The holidays have put a pause on the toilet training. I am away for about a week and had to replace the LitterMaid. I removed the sitz bowl & closed the toilet lid. Tanya looked around for the sitz bowl for a while, but realized it wasn't accessible. I kept the LitterMaid in the bathroom and it's elevated. There was a little disorientation, but Tanya and Chanel used it just as before.
As I was leaving to catch my flight, I noticed a note on my door from UPS about the Litter Kwitter delivery. It took exactly 1 week to arrive. It will be there when I get back on January 1, 2008.
Thank you to everyone who has left me comments and suggestions. I will be slowing way down and from my observations, Chanel (especially) will need a flat surface. After looking at several commercial and homemade devices, I chose the Litter Kwitter multiple cat kit. It's sturdy. It appears less complicated than the homemade devices. I also like that it allows me to go backwards if I go too fast. In other commercial and homemade devices (including the sitz bath), if you make the hole too big, you have to figure out a way to patch it up again.
On the 1st of the year, we'll see how well it works for Tanya & Chanel. Happy New Year!!
Well, another scratch happened yesterday morning as I was about to leave for work. The roasting pan buckled under the weight of Tanya. As I was gathering my things to leave, I heard a crash, splash, and saw Tanya darting out of the bathroom. Chanel calmly looked on, almost mockingly. After more cleaning up, calming down, and distracting treats, I reinstated the patched sitz bowl and was late for work.
I finally decided to get some help. That afternoon, I purchased the Litter Kwitter Multi Kat Kit. I have learned several things from this project.... Even if a book says 'how to toilet train your cat in 21 days', don't necessarily believe it will work that way for your cat. If you are Type 'A' and extremely goal oriented, it doesn't mean your cats will be. Neverput your cats on a deadline. And never make that deadline coincide with when you will be going out of town for the holidays. Training two cats with different personalities is much more difficult and takes longer. A member from the Cats T-Training Yahoo Group said I was going too fast. I completely agree. So, I will slow it down.
Hopefully, the Litter Kwitter will come soon so I can show you what it looks like and how it works (I hope it works). Until then, I'll use the sitz bowl.... Check back soon!!
There was a loud scratch in our successful toilet training record today. I enlarged the hole by about 1 inch. Tanya adapted well. But not Chanel. I figured it out when I saw the other locations she used--outside the toilet on the floor and on Tanya's favorite scarf. After a major clean up, I took her to the toilet and watched her try to use it. I could tell she just didn't know what to do with a hole that big. She didn't know how to get down into the 3-4 inch deep bowl with a large hole in the bottom of it. I immediate patched the hole with a piece of cardboard. Thankfully, she used it just as she had done before.
So I tried another method of placing a plastic sheet over the sitz bowl. I cut a whole in the plastic sheet. Again, I took Chanel to the toilet to see if she would go either through the hole or at least on the plastic. But she tried to climb through the hole under the plastic sheet to get down into the sitz bowl. Her futile attempts left both of us frustrated. I needed a new approach. I needed to create a level platform that is not deeper than the toilet seat. And I need to go slower, for Chanel.
I went to Kmart and got an aluminum turkey roasting tray. I cut off the sides to expose only the base and molded it to fit under the toilet seat. The tray is thick enough to carry their weight and it's flat. I sprinkled a little litter over it. They explored the new surface curiously, then used it without any problems. In the mean time, I asked for suggestions from a cat's toilet training discussion group on yahoo groups called Cats T-Training Yahoo Group (yes, you read correctly). I'll see if someone has any other ideas for me. The link to join the group is on the left side margin in case you are interested.
There is a small hole in the sitz bath now. So far, everything is going well. Chanel was more hesitant than Tanya, but eventually came around. I am so proud of them. I haven't had any problems with them finding alternative places to go. Tomorrow I will enlarge the hole.
After about 72 hours of Tanya and Chanel getting familiar with using the pink sitz inside the toilet bowl, I decided to make the next move. I used a hot temperature cautery to make a hole in the middle of the pink sitz. I sprinkled some litter around it. I am using flushable, biodegradable corn kernel litter.
This step requires a lot more attention because it has to be kept clean. That means discarding the waste as it's deposited. Otherwise, they won't want to go back to it.
They still have all 4 paws inside. Hopefully this will change as the hole gradually gets bigger. The pink sitz is very easy to manage because it can easily be removed when someone needs to use the potty. I keep the disinfectant wipes close by.
I finally got rid of the litter box! On Sunday night, I went to RiteAid and bought a sitz bath while on the phone with my fellow duo cat friend, Sharon. I got the idea from one of the YouTube videos that I listed above. I had to cut out the back of it, but it fits under the toilet seat perfectly. Just for good measure, I used a little duct tape to secure it down. The picture shows all the supplies I used for this step. You will see in the video why the disinfecting wipes are important. The odor is managed by the Arm & Hammer deodorizer. It's actually no worse than with regular scooping. And you need plenty of treats!!
I put in about 4 cups of litter into the sitz bath. It's about 1/4 filled. Tanya caught on quickly and used it perfectly! I had to coax Chanel a little and actually physically put her in there and not let her leave until she produced something. It worked (that and the abundant treats she got everytime she used the pot) and now she's jumping up to go by herself. I reward them both with treats when one of them uses the toilet-sitz bath litter bowl.
The video will show you a little mishap that happened today. They are doing so well!! But I think the search for the perfect spot in a really small space got the best of Tanya. Thankfully, they wait for me anyway and I'm able to keep an eye out most of he time. But overall, I think we are still headed in the right direction. Next, I'll make a medium sized hole in the sitz bath and they will hopefully start putting their paws up on the seat more.
We had a little snafu this weekend. Chanel jumped up on the edge of the litter box and the duct tape didn't hold her weight (which is only 4.1 lbs). Poor Chanel went racing out of the bathroom in horror after the litter box tipped over. As you can imagine, litter granules went everywhere!!! After I cleaned up the mess, I went to check on her. She was actually skittish and restive--a temperament she has never been before. Everything startled her, poor thing. I held her for a while and causally walked into the bathroom. She freaked out and jumped out of my arms and out the door. Shit!
I had to figure out a way for her to make nice again with the bathroom, or my plan was toast. Not to mention, she might find alternative areas to go if she feared the litter box. First off, I re-secured the litter box. I secured it more at the base instead of the top (see pic). And I had to always put on fresh duct tape after I unfastened it (It's actually easier to unfasten this way). Then I remembered something I read in a book about rewarding your cat with treats when she uses the toilet properly during training. I decided to use the same positive feedback association. I got their favorite treats and brought them into the bathroom. Now for me, eating in the bathroom is a major faux pas. But, I had to get over it for the sake of this toilet training process. I freely gave them treats and then tossed in one of Chanel's favorite toys. They were playing in there for half an hour.
But I had to see for myself if Chanel would use the litter box again. I gave them their wet food dinner early hoping to induce some peristalsis. Tanya went first. And then Chanel followed. Thank goodness! :) Back on track.
The next step is to exchange the litter box with a bowl of litter placed underneath the seat. This is reportedly the most malodorous stage so it's best to be around as much as possible to remove the smelliness. I've noticed that Tanya and Chanel actually wait for me to get home before they go #2. They must be missing the LitterMaid, too...
Well, since Tanya and Chanel are acting like they weren't cut open yesterday, I think it's okay to proceed with the next step. I moved the litter box directly over the toilet. Since it is larger than the average litter box, I had to use some duct tape to secure it. I don't want the litter box to be perceived as unstable and I certainly don't want it to shift or even fall while they jump onto it. Even if you are using a smaller litter box, you should still secure it down.
When you see you it, you will wonder how the heck I use the potty! Another inconvenience... I'll unfasten the tape and move it aside. It would be ideal if I had a second toilet for this, but I don't.
Watch the video and see how Tanya jumps up to use the litter on top of the seat. Chanel cheats a little, but they are catching on very fast. I'll keep this step for a couple days. I want them to be used to jumping on top of the toilet to use the litter before I remove the litter box all together.
Tanya and Chanel are home from the vet. They both have a 3 cm long abdominal wound from their ovariohysterectomy surgery. They are actually recovering very well--already romping around like crazy. I wonder if it's the pain meds...
Anyway, I didn't make any changes from Day 8 because I wanted them to have some consistancy for today. Also, they shouldn't be jumping too high with the fresh wound and stitches. This toilet training process can not be rushed and cats should move along at their own pace. So, I will wait another full day before I move the litter box on top of the toilet.
Here is a video of Chanel and Tanya over the past 2 days. You can see they are adjusting very well. They jump on the toilet seat to get to the litter box. You can also see their newly discovered play area!
I hadn't planned on making any changes today, but that ginormousLitterMaid was just too much of a pain. A friend of mine asked me how did I use the potty with the cats' potty box in the way? It wasn't easy....
So, I decided to make probably the most difficult step for me...removing the automatic component of the LitterMaid. I had to dismantle the litter box to make it smaller for the next steps. Yes, that means I'll have to actually scoop until Tanya and Chanel start using the bowl! :( The LitterMaid certainly spoiled me.
In this step, I am getting the litter box as close to the toilet bowl as possible. The goal is to get the cats very comfortable around the toilet seat. They will probably jump on the seat to get to the litter box. At this point in their training process, they are already getting on the seat with no hesitation--as you have seen in the past videos and pictures. The next step will be to place the litter box over the toilet itself...and then *poof*! The litter box will vanish. I think I'm most afraid about that step.
The vet had to reschedule their spaying surgery for Thursday (Day 11), so I don't want to make any shocking changes while they are recovering from surgery. I'll save the magic trick of the vanishing litter box for Saturday or Sunday.
It's been about 48 hours since I elevated the litter box to the level of the toilet. Tonight, I moved the whole complex closer to the toilet. Since this is my only bathroom, I have to move it out of the way occasionally. I have to admit, it's an inconvenience. But I just have to keep reminding myself, "I'm getting rid of the litter box forever!"
Last night I elevated the litter box to about 12 inches off the floor. I was a little nervous at first because the litter box is actually above their heads and out of their direct line of vision. I had to get rid of the Kitty Kabana. I will soon need to downsize on the litter box anyway. I'll return the Kabana to the store.
The goal is to elevate to the equivalent height of your toilet (for me 15 inches). If you look at the LitterMaid design, the cats are actually jumping up 16.5 inches to enter. So, I'm done with elevating.
I think my game plan from here will be to keep this height (a 16.5 inch-jump) and start moving the litter box closer to the toilet. I might have to wait until Monday to do this, so it doesn't get into my way. Also, the kitties are being spayed on Tuesday (Day 9 of training), so I need to get them to a comfortable stage so they can manage easily while they recover from the surgery.
November 29 & 30, 2007: Well, I kept the LitterMaid at 5.5 inches from the ground for about 48 hours and tonight I'll lift it to about twice that height. Most books and websites say to lift only a couple inches a day, but you have to tailor this process to your cat. Mine have no problems jumping up to use the litter, so I'll move faster on this stage. Here's a video showing what I've done so far.
Last night I elevated the litter box up to 5.5 inches off the ground using a storage crate and telephone books. The LitterMaid is a huge litter box and I will have to switch to a smaller one. That might actually be the trickiest part to this whole operation. They kitties are used to having a clean litter box everytime they use it. I hope they can cope with losing the automatic cleaning. I need to figure out when to switch to a smaller box. I will probably do it once the current box is raised to the level of the toilet.
But so far, so good. Tanya and Chanel are jumping up 6 inches into the LitterMaid box. I will probably keep it this height for another day and then raise it another few inches. Unfortunately, I'll have to remove the Kitty Kabana to prepare them for a new and smaller litter box.
On Day 1 of training, the LitterMaid litter box was moved to the bathroom. Tanya and Chanel caught on and made the transition quickly. But all of a sudden, they were obsessed with exploring every nook of the bathrooom. Chanel's new hang out is the bathroom sink (see video). I had to kitty-proof a little because from this day forward, the toilet lid will be kept up (seat down). My bathroom is small, so it's a little tough sharing the small space. It will be worth it. It's been 3 days of them getting used to the new location. I will start elevating the LitterMaid tomorrow. I don't think I'll elevate an inch or two a day like some books and websites wrote. I'll move by 5-6 inches a day and see what happens...
