Although toilet training your cat may seem like a good idea at first. There are some situations where it may not be the appropriate thing to do. 

For instance you might find it hard to teach an old cat new tricks. An older cat may find it difficult to jump up on the toilet lid or balance itself. The result might be an animal that urinates or defecates beside the toilet instead. Older animals might also get angry with you and defecates elsewhere in your home anyway. 

Toilet training on kitties will also not work if any one in your house (including your spouse, guests and your kids) forgets to leave the toilet lid up. This is incredibly frustrating for a feline who is trying to please you but can’t because you won’t let him. If the cat constantly encounters a closed lid he or she may eliminate elsewhere in your home. One solution to this problem however is to simply remove the lid from your toilet permanently. 

Visitors and guest might be disgusted by the idea of having to share a toilet with a furry animal. They may not like seeing cat hair on the toilet seat.  In some cultures this idea would be very objectionable as cats are seen as vermin or rodents. One plus about having a litter box is that it can be easier to see if your kitty is suffering from health problems if you are looking at his or her feces. It is harder to see problems in their feces or urine if it is diluted by toilet water. 

Some cats will naturally object to fouling where they like to drink. Your cat may refuse to use the toilet because it would rather drink from it. Cats like to drink cold, fresh water and may see attempts to convince him or her to go in the bowl as being a sin that is hardwired completely against their natural instincts. Your cat may leave footprints on the seat or decide to play in the toilet water. This means that you may need to clean the toilet seat every time before you sit on it. This is also something that will not be enjoyable to your guests. If your cat is fluffy he or she may shed in the bathroom so bath mats and towels could be covered with cat hair. Another drawback is that training your cat to use the toilet can take a long time – as long as six months in some cases.

All of these months you will be looking at a messy bowl or tray of some kind filled with feces, litter and also possibly water. This will be in your bathroom, beside your toilet and then eventually in your toilet. If you don’t like the smell of cat urine or feces in your bathroom then toilet training your cat may not be for you.  Many people who have two or three bathrooms reserve one especially for the cat to solve this type of problem.

There are tons of advantages to toilet training your cat and in this blog I am going to describe just a few of the ways cat toilet training can improve your life. 

First of all you are going to eliminate that musky smell of kitty liter mixed with ammonia that is always so much a part of being a cat owner. No longer will you suffer this stench as urine builds up in clumps in your litter box.  You will also not be subjected to the smell of feces. The other good thing about getting your cat to use the toilet is that most bathrooms are ventilated with fans.  This helps eliminate any odor caused by a cat. Most cat litter boxes really smell simply because they are always located in places where there is little air such as behind doors or under staircases. 

No more lugging around heavy bags of kitty litter from the grocery store. Your arms will thank you.  It will also eliminate the absurdity in life for paying absolutely good money for what are essentially designer brands of dirt (Multi-cat, with baking soda, flushing, clumping, anti-bacterial etc.) Everything simply gets flushed away instead. 

You can also stop spending money on baking soda, deodorizers and candles as there will be no more kitty litter box odor to disguise.  The odor will also be less noticeable on your clothing. Another bonus is that you won’t be vacuuming up all that cat litter that gets tracked all over the house once your cat is done using the box. Sometimes you just don’t feel like cuddling your cat if it smells too much like the litter box.

Another problem that is eliminated is that kitty litter that gets caught between your cat’s toes and then is tracked all over you bed, linen and pillows at nap time. If you go away for a weekend you no longer have to get someone to enter your litter box for you although they might want to visit to flush the toilet. There will also be more cash in your pocket as the need diminishes to spend money on things like big plastic trays, hoods for kitty litter boxes, automatic litter cleaning devices and all of the other things one needs to maintain a clean litter box.

No more spending money on cleaners to wipe up spills or get ground in kitty litter out of your carpet. You also keep the environment in general more hygienic. This is especially important if you have a pregnant mother, a new baby or toddlers in the house (who may try to play with cat feces.) If the feces are flushed away there is nothing for vulnerable individuals to be concerned about. Another perk is it makes your cat look really smart. In fact, toilet training is one of the better cat tricks that you can teach your feline and she will look very clever if one of your guests catch her in the act.

You have probably seen those commercial cat toilets in pet stores and realized by now that they can go for a pretty penny, in some cases as much as forty bucks for some cardboard cutouts or what essentially is just a plastic bowl with a hole cut in the bottom.  The good news is that there are cheaper options for making cat toilets. 

If you really want to make a cat toilet on a budget then try the plastic wrap method. However keep in mind that this method best suits a cat that is lighter in weight and also light on its feet as the plastic can easily be ripped. The method suits kittens best of all but make sure it is a smart kitten you are training as some cats cannot relate to the idea of “see-through” plastic at all. They simply end up falling in the toilet all the time instead. 

To make a plastic wrap cat toilet all you have to do is stretch plastic cross your toilet seat and secure it with clips or duct tape.  You can put the lid of the seat down to make it more secure or you can stretch it across the actual plastic seat lid. It depends on how big your cat is. Once you have fitted the plastic sheet on top of the bowl somehow you then sprinkle litter is on top. This gives the cat the idea that the top of the toilet is where they are supposed to squat and eliminate. 

Of course the main risk of this method is that the cat will rip the plastic with claws and fall into the toilet, be drowned or be smothered by the loose plastic. This is why you should assess the danger, especially if you have a kitten even though the method is actually most recommended for kittens.  The reason is that it the plastic is supposed to be less intimidating for the smaller animal because they can see into the toilet. Still if you were using this method with a kitten I would keep an eye on it while it is learning. With all of the above methods it is absolutely necessary that you use flushable litter. This makes the training easier for you as you can empty the plastic sheet straight into the toilet and flush it away.  It also makes for a quicker clean up. Also you will have no problems with litter that falls through the holes in the plastic, into the toilet. You can just “flush” that away as well. 

A word of warning though – your probably don’t want to flush the plastic that you used for the litter “tray” down the toilet as that will probably clog your pipes. It is also essential that you use genuine flushable litter and not clumping litter. Clumping litter is especially not because it can clog up your pipes. Make sure that the label on the kitty litter box specifically says “Flushable Litter” and not anything else.

It is so easy to teach your dog how to your bow. You just have to catch him at the right moment when he is already bowing and sooner or later he will get the idea. When you see your dog take a big stretch, with his head down low, say, “Take a bow.” Every time he wakes up and stretches say, “Take a bow.”  This will eventually catch on in your dog’s head.  Some day you will say, “Take a bow.” and your dog will take a big stretch, but it will look like he is bowing. As soon as he is finished, give him the treat.

Sometimes you have to be a little more blatant with the food lures to get your dog to bow.  Place a treat between a standing dog’s front paws.  The dog’s first instinct will be to look down and go for the treat. As he does this, with his rear still launched in the air, keep repeating the command “Bow!” If it seems that it is too easy for the dog to get the treat, then try placing it just behind his two front legs so he must bend his head and look between his legs to see it.  The dog will now naturally perform a bow just to keep his balance.  Keep repeating the word bow and repeat this ritual until he bows when you say the command. 

Most dogs make the association between the word and the action very quickly but it can depend on the swiftness of the individual dog. If the dog lies down or even somersaults to get the treat instead of bowing, gently put your hand on underneath his tummy while the dog is standing. This should keep his rear half from descending to the ground. If your dog doesn’t respond to treats. In this case, begin by kneeling next to the dog with one hand on his shoulder and the other supporting his belly. Now say the “Bow! “ command and gently apply pressure to his shoulder while keeping his rear end aloft with your hand, Repeat this, saying “bow” every time and rewarding the dog for being forced into the position. Once he starts getting it, you won’t have to apply so much pressure anymore and the dog gets the idea of what you what him to do. 

If you are working with a really big dog, you might not be able to force him into any position. In this case, kneel next to the dog and put one hand on his tummy and the other on his forelegs. Now say the command “Bow!” and gently grab his front legs. Start pulling the front legs forward until the big dog finds himself in the BOW position.  Be sure to be very gentle and praise the dog generously. 

Warning – never pull a dog’s hind legs too hard if you are using the above method as you do not want to cause the dog any injury.