A Blog by April 😺:
I’d considered toilet training my cats, but after researching, I found some vets discourage it. So, I keep ‘panning for gold’ every morning and hope that everyone had their bottoms INSIDE the box. I even keep pee pads in front of the box my Number Four uses because she usually has her bottom sticking out and makes a puddle on the floor! Then there’s Sunny – she always gets everything in the box but proceeds to cover by flinging litter out of the box all over the floor.
One reason many experts discourage toilet training is because it goes against a cat’s nature to dig, eliminate, and cover. Well, from my observations of my indoor and outdoor cats, not all of them dig or cover – they just eliminate. Even those who try to cover often end up scratching the sides of the litter box rather than covering with litter.
Another reason is that it may stress a cat out causing he or she to hold their bladder to the point of causing a UTI or going in inappropriate places. While that is definitely a possibility, some cats are stressed out using a litter box. My Little Bill is a perfect example. She wishes she was an only child and doesn’t like anyone else around while she’s in the box. I have litter boxes in every room upstairs, and one downstairs for Bill.
Now about Nate the Nut! He looks like a turtle with a shell when using the litter box because his whole body is out and he balances on his back feet on the front edge of it. Silly to me, but if he gets everything in the box, that’s fine! Then one day when I was doing my business, I watched him assume the stance and use my bathroom sink for his business (just pee, thankfully, but unacceptable!).
So, it seems to me that every cat is different, and some may be fine using a toilet! However, there is one other reason not to toilet train. According to Petfinder (and other resources), “Toxoplasmosis, a parasite shed in poop, particularly winds up in water sources when flushed, essentially killing seals, otters, and other water-dwelling wildlife.”
I’m going to stick with litter boxes and panning for gold but have been trying different litters to be more ecological. I only change one box to try new litters, so they have their others to use if they don’t like it. So far, I’ve only tried grass litter and it isn’t very popular. I’m going to try tofu litter next!