Success with Toilet Training?

[mommyto]

My youngest kitty, Oliver, had a bout with a urinary blockage back in November.  We've been having litter box issues ever since.  The only real good spot in our house for the boxes is the basement, and he really just doesn't want to go down there unless we go with him.  I don't think he is re-blocking (a couple of panicked visits to the vet have confirmed this), I think he really is just afraid of the pain he remembers near the litter box.  We had tried having the box upstairs, and it worked great - but one of my other kitties found it and made a ridiculous mess.  It was seriously not pretty.  Anywho, I was thinking about toilet training him.  He loves to pee in the sink and the shower, and has actually gotten himself up on the toilet and peed on his own before.  That may solve him having to go to the basement.

Any recommendations on kits or training methods?

 

[laralove]

I considered toilet training my little Oliver, but decided against it after some consideration. Though it sounds like it would be the preferable option for your Oliver.

I was going to start with the roasting pan method, as it seemed to work for a lot of people. You basically measure your toilet, then go buy a sturdy aluminum roasting pan (not the thin ones you get at the dollar store). Cut a small hole in the center and put some flushable litter in. Leave it that way for about a week. Then cut the hole slightly larger every week before you finally take it away. 

This method doesn't work for heavy cats, who could cause it to collapse into the toilet. And, again, thicker roasting pans, not the thin ones. A good method also because a lot of the kits, once you remove part of them, you can't put it back. So if you progress quicker than your kitty and cut the hole too big, it's not expensive to get another pan. It's expensive to buy another kit. 

That said, it sounds like your kitty may take to it quickly since he's already attempted it on his own. You may only have to have the the pan or kit (depending on what you go with) up for a short time before he learns that's the place for him to go. 

 

[mommyto]

Okay, the more I think about this and read, the more questions I have )  I love the idea of using a roasting pan - I agree that I don't think it will take him long to adapt.  He was always a good potty box guy before this.  Do you think the pan will be able to handle a 11 1/2 pound guy?  I know he isn't small by cat standards.  

But my questions - how does it work during the way when I am at work?  Obviously, leaving the door to the bathroom open is no issue.  But will he use the toilet without it being flushed afterwards?  Like a second time?  Can't expect him to hold it all day.  Or will they use the toilet multiple times without flushing?

 

[laralove]

From what I read, it seemed important to do it during a time when some attention can be given, especially in the early stages, in case something happens. And so you can observe how things are progressing. Some of these questions can only be answered as he begins training. All cats are different. 

As for his size, I don't know if a roasting pan would support that weight. What I read tended to be kittens being trained, so they were lighter. 

My thinking, considering he's done it already before, would be to use the roasting pan method but skip ahead so that the hole is fairly big. This would allow you to sprinkle a some litter around the edges of the opening in order to indicate to him that this is where you want him to go. Just buy the smallest bag of the flushable kind you can find if you don't already use flushable. Hopefully he would already be good to keep his footing on the seat, not in the pan. But you'd want to do this when you've got a couple of days off, so that you can be there the first few times he does it. And give him treats when he does. That's an important part. Reinforce the behavior with treats so that he'll preferentially use the toilet and not the tub, for example. 

 

[mommyto]

Yeah, I think I may have to buy the kit.  With three of the two legged kid variety in the house, they shook and rattled that roasting pan within two seconds of me having it in the house (let alone putting it to use).  All of the cats scattered after that P  Don't think that will work for us.  

I will definitely work on it over a weekend, no extended days off for awhile here.  Wishing I had thought of this over the Christmas break!  We can't really do treats - due to his prescription diet.  I will at least ask the vet though.  I'm so paranoid now to let anything into his little system!!  

And you are right, his footing is great on the toilet.  He actually has only used it when the seat was up (I have a husband and a son, it happens).  It will probably be even easier for him with the seat down.  I think just getting a ring in there, with some litter sprinkled around to attract him will help.  I think once he figures out it is okay and I approve, he will take right to it.  He is one of the oddest cats we've ever had - totally does the strangest things to emulate humans!  You should see how he loves to sit )  Back on the wall, chilled like he is in a recliner!

 

[baconman]

I don't know if it would be too much work but if you fear him falling in because of the water you could always shut off the water to the toilet (under the toilet) flush it (allowing the water out), then turn the water back on to let a little back into the bowl of the toilet then shut it off again before it fully fills. That way it will have a little water, but not so much that it will become a situation. Might be a pain in the beginning but if you do it during the day when no one is around, you can have some more confidence with the falling in part. If you decide to use the rings, like citikitty, it can handle up to a 25lbs cat. Just a thought. Good luck to you! hope it all works out.

 

[mommyto]

That was the ring set I had planned on buying )  I'm not too worried about him falling in - he has done it before without falling.  He's pretty agile.  I just need to get him to realize I want him to pee there all the time.  He's gotten scolded out of the shower, so may just equate the whole room as being a no-no.  And he isn't too afraid of water.  He's one of the weirdos that sticks his head right into the water fountain.  Every. Single. Time.

 

[baconman]

LOL my cat hates water. I even bathed him as a kitten and it never took. So that is good for you. I'm not sure if you have the shower/tub combo... but if you do, I have seen people suggest keeping it filled with like an inch of water. It might not persuade him out of there, but I doubt he will pee in it if you do. Kinda a pain i know lol Best of luck, sounds like your already on a good course for him and he is taking to it well.

 

[jamaal]

I successfully toilet trained one of my cats, I used citikitty, it worked great for her, she loved it, she's always loved water though, so being able to poop and pee in it was fun for her, or at least that's how it seemed! She would go and then look in the toilet at what she did and then jump off, she was never big on covering her poop when she used the litter box. She was about 16lbs, and it didn't take very long, and was pretty easy.  You just have to move the litter box next to the toilet, and then gradually lift it higher and higher until its at toilet level and then move on to the toilet, after that  you cut away the holes at like 2 week intervals, getting bigger and bigger until there's just toilet there. Maybe for a cat who doesn't like using the litter box, it'd be like another option, litter box or toilet. It only worked for one cat though, the other one wasn't a fan of jumping up on things, and didn't like the first little hole I made, she would look into it and see the water and then jump down, cry for a second and then pee on the floor!  So it depends on the cat, but if your cat has already gone in the toilet it may work.  She didn't have any litter box issues before I tried it, just wanted to eliminate the whole litter box in a small apartment thing!  My cat wasn't very graceful, kinda clumsy, and she never fell in!