Even if the cat uses the litter box well, it is often thought that it would be a good idea to teach it to do its business on the toilet. It is not very difficult – all you need is a litter box, litter, a bowl (to be flushed down the toilet), adhesive tape, paper boxes, magazines and, of course, patience. Although cats are very clever, they are rather suspicious of new things and are not always positive about their owners’ ideas. So good luck!
Step 1: Repositioning the litter box
The first thing you will need to do is to place the litter box next to the toilet. Cats usually get used to changing the location of the litter box very quickly, so there should be no problem. If your cat does not know how to open the door on its own, always leave the door open or install a trap in the door.
Step 2: The litter box goes up
After a few days, raise the litter box a little higher – for this you can use a low-rise box that is strong enough and holds steady. Every day, raise the litter box higher and higher (magazines can be used for this) until the litter box reaches the edge of the toilet.
Step 3: Attach the litter box to the toilet lid
Place the litter box on the toilet lid and secure with adhesive tape. Remove the litter box only when you use the toilet yourself. Only proceed to the next step when the cat is used to using the litter box in this unusual position.
Step 4: Hide the litter box
Hide the litter box in a place where the cat cannot find it. Place a large bowl inside the toilet, secure it with adhesive tape and put the litter inside. Make sure the cat does its business inside the bowl, but not outside. If you notice that the cat is afraid to defecate inside the litter tray or slips off the edge, reattach the litter box and leave it for a few days.
Step five: reduce the amount of litter
Once your cat has learnt to defecate in the bowl inside the litter tray, slowly reduce the amount of litter you pour in, and finally remove the litter tray altogether.Of course, your cat won’t learn to flush, but you’ll be saving a lot of money – after all, a litter tray usually only lasts for a couple of weeks.
If your cat doesn’t care about your efforts…
Most cats are very opinionated about certain things, so even if you put a lot of effort into your cat’s litter box, you may not always get the result you want. Well, if you have had to give up, think about what litter you will use in your cat’s box. The price of the litter is usually the focus, but it really shouldn’t be limited to that. The more expensive litter is often sufficient for a longer period of time, so it is important to consider a few other criteria.
5 key rules for choosing the right litter
Litter can be bouncy or not. If you choose the former, you will have to clean the litter box much less often. With this type of litter, you will only have to dispose of faeces and clumping pieces and you can change the whole litter box a couple of times a month. However, non-scooping litter is much more effective at absorbing odours.
It is very important that the cat likes the litter. If the cat does not accept the litter, it may defecate in other parts of the house, which is definitely not desirable. When choosing a new litter, it is worth considering whether the litter has an overpowering smell – remember that a cat’s sense of smell is much more sensitive than that of a human. So, an odourless litter can always be a good choice.