Toilet Training- Pooping On The Floor

[Britishshorthair]

Hi all-

We have a 1 year old british short hair. We started at 3 months with the litter kwitter toilet training system and she did fantastic. Never had an issue after the first day, even when switching between the stages/rings. After a month (probably only a week on the green ring), she just started using the other toilet in our apartment (with no rings.. just standard toilet) by herself. I was super proud and she seemed happy. All worked well for 6 months or so and never any accidents. Then when I was traveling one week, my husband accidentally shut the bathroom door when he left for work (she could have used the original bathroom upstairs but I don’t really blame her). She ended up pooping on the floor right outside the bathroom. My husband got home, felt horrible and saw she clearly felt terrible (slinking around, meowing a lot) so gave her loads of attention. We got something to put on the door so it wont ever happen again and she was fine again for about a month. Then we went on holiday and had a friend pop in daily to see her. Half way through she started pooping on the floor again right outside the toiley which I guess was her acting her. After we came back, she went back in the toilet which was frustrating but we understood. Then recently, we went on holiday again and she did the same after 2 days of us being gone and now since we came back she went in the toilet one and has pooped every day since on the floor. I’m extremely frustrated as now its been almost 3 weeks. I’ve tried foil on the floor and she just plays with it (seems to really love it) and then eventually poops on it. We’ve tried ignoring her after she does it but she just ignores us back (usually comes over for attention often and she wont try at all if we ignore her the first time she does it, then wont sleep in our bed at night/etc). We’ve tried giving her treats after she goes pee in the toilet (this has never been an issue but still, figured we’d give it a try). We also tried putting the green stage of the litter kwitter back on but she didn’t even seem to notice and has made no difference. She’s honestly a very sweet/ loving cat, doesn’t seem remotely stressed and I cant imagine why she would be acting out still. If she wouldn’t have taken so well to the toilet originally then I would just assume its not for her but she did it for so long that its so frustrating to think we may need to get a litter box. Anyone have a similar problem and figured out a way around it? She also always waits until we go to work or bed to poop on the floor, never when we’re downstairs/ near the bathroom so it seems impossible to catch her in the act and move her back up to the toilet.


Thanks in advance!!

 

[yeva2292]

Have you tried putting a litter box at or near the spot she is pooping?

 

[Kieka]

Toilet training cats isn't really a recommended practice. I know people do it but it really isn't healthy or a good idea for a variety of reasons. See the following two sites for some of them: 7 Reasons NOT to Toilet Train Your Cat and Why You Should Not Toilet Train Your Cat | Tips & Tricks | Jackson Galaxy Store

I'd personally put in some litter boxes and stop trying to force her into a situation that isn't beneficial for your cats health or long term mental well being. She is pretty much making her opinion on the matter clear by refusing to go back to the toilet and waiting to until you aren't around/awake to do so. If you are dead set on the toilet training, you have to start all over at this point because she has decided she doesn't like it and you'd need to redo the first steps to reacclimate her to the idea. Which again, I strongly recommend against.

 

[Britishshorthair]

Have you tried putting a litter box at or near the spot she is pooping?

No, im worried if we put a litter box there, she'll start peeing in that as well. I'd rather get her going back in the toilet as she was clearly happy with it for so long and was only using the floor to act out.

 

[Britishshorthair]

Toilet training cats isn't really a recommended practice. I know people do it but it really isn't healthy or a good idea for a variety of reasons. See the following two sites for some of them: 7 Reasons NOT to Toilet Train Your Cat and Why You Should Not Toilet Train Your Cat | Tips & Tricks | Jackson Galaxy Store

I’d prefer comments from people that can help, not shame us when they haven’t seen our cat and likely haven't tried toilet training themselves. I'm looking for help to continue the path we're on, not switch to a litter box. She still pees every time in the toilet to be clear.

I did quite extensive research on this before starting and spoke to the vet who disagreed with almost all the stuff in these articles. Regardless, and more for the benefit of future readers that are debating whether to toilet train their cat, I’ll go through the article’s points (FWIW, even with the problems we're having now, i'd highly recommend at least trying the toilet training approach assuming you get a kitten and can start right away)

1. Flushing the Evidence- this seems ridiculous, you can see poop and pee much more clearly in a toilet than clumped in litter. I’m far more comfortable inspecting it there than in the litter box

2. Terrible Toxo- we live in Switzerland on the 7th floor and shes purely an indoor cat, theres zero chance of this for us and the vet also said even an outdoor cat in Switzerland doesn’t need to worry about this. Also the logic seems funny that a cat would get this from a rat, poo out the parasites which then goes into drinking water, lakes, etc... yet the rat (which you'd think would be in the exact same area) dying or pooing in a lake or stream wouldnt do the same thing? .........

3. Lid Goes Down or Cat Goes Down- we don’t use her toilet so the seat never goes down

4. Access Needed- we don’t use this toilet and now have the bumper on the door so it cant close

5. When Jumping Hurts- shes a 1 year old kitten, as she gets older, if we see her stop jumping from the ground straight to the top of her cat tree, then we can consider stairs up or a litter box but once again, not applicable

6. It Goes Against Their Instinct- being indoors “goes against their instinct”. Cats are trainable and she used it immediately and started using the other toilet by herself

7. Kitty Can’t Travel- we’ve traveled with her many times and she uses the new toilet immediately and hasn’t had any accidents, im happy to bring a litter box when we travel if she ever does have an issue, it was always the original plan anyway before she switched so easily

 

[yeva2292]

No, im worried if we put a litter box there, she'll start peeing in that as well. I'd rather get her going back in the toilet as she was clearly happy with it for so long and was only using the floor to act out.

Your cat isn't acting out. She's not comfortable pooping on the toilet.

 

[AbbysMom]

1. Flushing the Evidence- this seems ridiculous, you can see poop and pee much more clearly in a toilet than clumped in litter. I’m far more comfortable inspecting it there than in the litter box

If they are urinating into the toilet, how can you monitor the amount of urine? My cat had an issue last year where she was only urinating droplets and there was an occasionally drop of blood. If she was urinating into the toilet bowl, I never would have known.

If that's what you prefer for your cat, that's cool, but just like anything else, there is a downside.

 

[Kieka]

I’d prefer comments from people that can help, not shame us when they haven’t seen our cat and likely haven't tried toilet training themselves. I'm looking for help to continue the path we're on, not switch to a litter box. She still pees every time in the toilet to be clear.

I did quite extensive research on this before starting and spoke to the vet who disagreed with almost all the stuff in these articles. Regardless, and more for the benefit of future readers that are debating whether to toilet train their cat, I’ll go through the article’s points (FWIW, even with the problems we're having now, i'd highly recommend at least trying the toilet training approach assuming you get a kitten and can start right away)

1. Flushing the Evidence- this seems ridiculous, you can see poop and pee much more clearly in a toilet than clumped in litter. I’m far more comfortable inspecting it there than in the litter box

2. Terrible Toxo- we live in Switzerland on the 7th floor and shes purely an indoor cat, theres zero chance of this for us and the vet also said even an outdoor cat in Switzerland doesn’t need to worry about this. Also the logic seems funny that a cat would get this from a rat, poo out the parasites which then goes into drinking water, lakes, etc... yet the rat (which you'd think would be in the exact same area) dying or pooing in a lake or stream wouldnt do the same thing? .........

3. Lid Goes Down or Cat Goes Down- we don’t use her toilet so the seat never goes down

4. Access Needed- we don’t use this toilet and now have the bumper on the door so it cant close

5. When Jumping Hurts- shes a 1 year old kitten, as she gets older, if we see her stop jumping from the ground straight to the top of her cat tree, then we can consider stairs up or a litter box but once again, not applicable

6. It Goes Against Their Instinct- being indoors “goes against their instinct”. Cats are trainable and she used it immediately and started using the other toilet by herself

7. Kitty Can’t Travel- we’ve traveled with her many times and she uses the new toilet immediately and hasn’t had any accidents, im happy to bring a litter box when we travel if she ever does have an issue, it was always the original plan anyway before she switched so easily

I apologize if it came across as shaming. My intent was not to shame you but share why I personally disagree with toilet training cats.

Since she is having problems you likely have to restart training from the beginning as if she wasn't already trained.

 

[mani]

Way back I had a cat who happily pooed and peed in the one litterbox. When she was almost a year old she started peeing in the shower bay, but kept pooing in the box. After a while I did some research and realised that some cats get to a stage where they won't poo where they wee (or vice versa...). I got another litter box and the problem was solved.
Could be the problem.
I'm not sure that providing another toilet would work though. I really think your girl might want to poo somewhere more stable as she gets bigger.