At What Age Should I Toilet Train A Kitten?

[sweetsoulsister]

Hi there,

I'm planning on getting a kitten at the end of September and want to use the Litter Kwitter Toilet Training Kit to teach it, gently, to use the toilet. I would let it use a regular box for about 2 weeks as everything is so new to it, then introduce the Litter Kwitter toilet seat with full litter tray in it, on the floor, for some time. Then the tray would move to the toilet. My concern is going to the amber stage where there is a hole cut out of the middle of the tray. A 4 month year old kitten could fall in could they not?!

It is likely good to train young, but how young for this type of behavior modification? ( If I wait too long with a regular box, won't the training be harder... but if I start too soon might it be too difficult for the little guy...?)

Thanks for any replies!

 

[ArtNJ]

Well, kittens are very different sizes depending on breed, sex and random factors, so who knows?

I've always been afraid to try. It has 3 out 5 stars on amazon with 694 reviews and the leading product has 3 stars with 1904 reviews. So seems like some possible frustrations & failures to go along with the success stories.

 

[susanm9006]

Yes, I would be concerned that a 4 month old kitten could fall into a toilet and with the tray on top they may not be able to get out. I also think that is a lot of litterbox changes for a young cat. I would suggest waiting until the kitten is at least a year old before starting your training program or leaving them around an open toilet.

 

[lollie]

Be aware that there is a possibility a cat will not be willing to ever use the toilet. Cats have varying bathroom behaviors. Some are fervent litter diggers, while some barely cover their poo. Some insist on a separate box for poo altogether. You could end up with a cat who decides the corner of your room makes a better potty than a porcelain bowl. Just be aware before you get a kitten, that you need to be willing to have a litter box in case it cannot be potty trained

There are risks as well to not not seeing what potty behaviors your cat has had that day. There are cats who die of a UTI before an owner realizes they have one. If I had not seen that my cat was urinating more frequently, and in much smaller amounts when I cleaned her box, I would not have realized she had an infection.

 

[Kieka]

I tend to agree with Jackson Galaxy on the subject of toilet training, Why You Should Not Toilet Train Your Cat

If you must toilet train, wait until your kitten is an adult to move it from the ground. Kittens are by nature a little more clumsy then adults. They are growing and sometimes loose track of their limbs. I know my cat hit his head on chairs frequently as a kitten when he got to big to run under them without ducking. The last thing you need is your kitten to slip into the toilet while training. It would create a negative relationship with the toilet and you'd never succeed.

Please note that even trained cats have been known to have accidents. If you have company over and they forget to leave the lid up or door open you could end up with a puddle on the floor. It also will only take one bad experience to make your cat reluctant or refuse to use it any more. So if your cat starts to refuse to use it please switch back to a litter box. Trying to force it when the cat decides they are done will only increase anxiety and stress which can have detrimental health impacts.

 

[abyeb]

If you do decide to toilet train, I would wait until your kitten is older. One thing that I think is so important about the litterbox is that your can gain an insight into your cat's health. If you notice, for example, that your cat hasn't pooped in a few days, or isn't peeing enough (or too much), then you know that it's time for a vet visit.

 

[danteshuman]

I'm with Jackson Galaxy all the way. Once I learned that litter box was a major way to mark their territory and it increases a cat's confidience, well I could not imagine taking that from my boys (who pee in one box, poo in the other!)

If you are going to go down this path I would strongly advice waiting until your cat is a year old begore you start training. Also please realize you are signing up to have that extra litter tray on the toilet and cat poo floating in the toilet, for the next 15 years or so! When I have to pee the last thing I want to do is add another step

 

[sweetsoulsister]

Thank-you guys for all the input. I will wait until kitty is big enough and agile enough to navigate a toilet with the last stage tray in it. I don't think I will ever take away the last stage tray as a full toilet seat is too big for any cat (imo). This also means I can have a layer between the seat my guests use and the one the cat uses - although I'm sure there will be a guest here and there that won't want to use the toilet at all if a cat is also using it. Probably kitty will have to be a year old. This is good in that he can get nice and comfortable in his new forever home before having to deal with litter box changes.

All your suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Caspers Human]

I suggest that you don't toilet train your cat at all.

Flushing cat feces down the toilet can spread toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that can infect people and virtually any other warm-blooded animal.

If infected cat feces goes down the toilet, it goes through the sewer system and can end up being washed out to sea where it can infect marine animals like sea otters, whales, dolphins, etc. Toxoplasmosis cysts, spread through the water supply can, then, reinfect people.

Although the chances of this happening might be small, the damage that toxoplasmosis does to those it infects can, potentially, be great.

It's better just to not take the chance... don't flush cat poo!

 

[molly92]

I agree that toilet training is risky because cats do have a lot of instincts that revolve around litter.

And while toxoplasmosis is definitely a problem, it only is infectious for a couple of weeks if a cat has it, and a cat can only get it by eating an infected mouse or bird or by walking through dirt with cysts outside. So if your cat has been indoor only for several months, there's basically no risk of their waste carrying it and it should be safe to flush. (People are much more likely to get toxoplasmosis from unwashed vegetables or even just spending time in the dirt gardening than from cats.)

 

[Caspers Human]

I agree that one particular cat has a low chance of contracting and spreading toxoplasmosis but it's not one individual that is the concern. It is the sheer numbers of cats and other animals that can contract and spread the disease which becomes the problem.

One cat with toxoplasmosis is spit in the ocean but with thousands or even millions of cats spreading the disease it becomes a real problem.

If one simple thing can prevent the spread of the disease it makes sense not to do that thing.

As a general policy, it's better not to flush cat feces down the toilet.