How to Train Your Cat to Use the Toilet

I have a confession to make. I simply hate to clean my cat's litter box. I have a friend who dislikes the chore as much as I do. Her answer is to ignore the litter box in her basement until the smell permeates through the entire house. Then, and only then, will she take action and clean the litter box.

My answer was a more proactive one. I had heard that cats can be trained to use a toilet. (Did you see the family cat use the toilet on TV's "Meet the Fockers"?) My two cats, Jay Paw and Las were pretty intelligent creatures, and so I was sure I could train them as well.

The first thing I did was to position their litter box in the bathroom right beside the toilet. This way, my cats would get used to going to the bathroom to do their business. That was a step closer to the toilet. After a few days, I decided Jay Paw and Las were ready to move onto the next step.

I purchased a round styrofoam form, a roll of duct tape, and a sheet of clear, heavy duty plastic. The form was originally designed to make a wreath with, so you know what I'm referring to. And, the clear plastic was the kind you tape or staple over a window to keep the winter cold and winds out.

Before I made my trip out to the dollar store, I had to use a measuring tape to determine how wide and long the seat on my toilet is. Because, the round styrofoam form had to fit on top of the seat.

The next step was to place the foam on a flat surface. I then centered the sheet of clear, heavy duty plastic over the foam form. You'll need to push the plastic down in the middle hole so it hangs down three or four inches below the foam. I then used a pair of sharp scissors to trim the plastic. I trimmed off enough so it hung about an inch above the edge of the side of the form.

Then, I used several strips of the duct tape. I placed the strips along the sides of the foam to fasten the clear plastic onto it. When I got done, I had a round piece of foam that was covered with a piece of clear plastic. Inside the middle of the form, the plastic hung down.