# Can you really train a cat to use a toilet?



## BLEA22 (Apr 20, 2014)

I've seen those attachments for your toilet in so many pet stores. Does anyone have one? Has it worked for you?


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Apparently you can, I've seen many clips on You Tube 
Not sure why anyone would want to though, except entertainment value I guess.
I don't like the thought of sharing my loo with the boys!


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## Kcabrera3 (Jul 27, 2014)

I never wanted to toiler train my cat but Jackson Galaxy has a nice point about doing it. I like him, he is pretty sensible.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Thanks for the link Kc I agree JG makes some pretty sensible points. e.g. Why would one want to train their cat to use the toilet, anymore than one would train it to ride a bicycle? Both are unnatural and unnecessary behaviour for a cat, and pointless.

I have known a couple cats who have taught themselves but that's entirely different. There was no human intervention at all other than leaving the toilet lid open (which never happens in my house). The cats still had litter boxes as well, which they used.

Also, as JG says, using the litter box is part of how a cat scent marks their territory. Take that away from them, and flush their deposits away down the toilet and you risk them compensating by scent-marking with pee or poo around the house.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Possibly,but why would anyone want too  Bizarre if you ask me


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

buffie said:


> Possibly,but why would anyone want too  Bizarre if you ask me


Me too! 
I think OP also posted about those claw thingies (apologies if not same person) so perhaps she is into this sort of gimmicky stuff?


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

moggie14 said:


> Me too!
> I think OP also posted about those claw thingies (apologies if not same person) so perhaps she is into this sort of gimmicky stuff?


Hmmm what ever happened to letting cats be cats


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Perhaps I will consider training the boys to use the loo when someone can prove they are also trainable to clean it, flush it and put the lid down :lol:


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Litter Kwitter worked for my neighbour who has only one cat.


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## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

Had enough trouble training the stepsons to use the toilet properly wouldn't dream of r trying with the cats as although their aim would probably be better


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## Jansheff (Jan 31, 2011)

Crikey - there's already a long enough wait for the bathroom in this house without having three cats in the queue as well!


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

I trained 3 of mine years ago to use the Litter Kwitter, just for fun. They were super easy to train, and had no issues with it.

Not all cats take to it. I went back to trays when I had breeding cats, no sense in training them.


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## bordie (Jan 9, 2012)

yes.........................................


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## oggers86 (Nov 14, 2011)

I tried a couple of years ago and it was a nightmare. Litter everywhere, the ring was horrible to clean and lifting it off every time you need to use the toilet gets tedious. I thought about trying again once I had more than one toilet but I can't see the point. Scooping takes no time at all and is nowhere near as disgusting.


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## BLEA22 (Apr 20, 2014)

moggie14 said:


> Me too!
> I think OP also posted about those claw thingies (apologies if not same person) so perhaps she is into this sort of gimmicky stuff?


Well that's kind of insulting  I'd never toilet train my cats. They're perfectly fine using their litter boxes. I was only asking a question because I was genuinely interested if it actually worked for anyone. I won't bother next time 

Not that I have to explain myself, but the soft paws have worked great for my cats so far. It's stopped them destroying my expensive furniture. I even spoke to my vet about it and he was perfectly happy to apply them.


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

By asking the question I (wrongly) assumed you were considering it - silly me.
Although I don't think I was insulting - what else would you call a gadget that means cats can use a toilet and those weird soft paw things other than gimmicks?


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## ALR (Apr 16, 2014)

BLEA22 said:


> Not that I have to explain myself, but the soft paws have worked great for my cats so far. It's stopped them destroying my expensive furniture. I even spoke to my vet about it and he was perfectly happy to apply them.


I've wondered about the soft paws. I'm not considering on using it on Bubble but just wondered how does the cat sharpen it's nails. Can they climb trees with them or are they for indoor cats?

I caught Bubble sitting on the toilet seat once. He looked cute (as though he was going to use it) and I should've taken a picture :wink5:. But I leave the top down now because I'm worried he's going to fall in while we're not in!


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## BLEA22 (Apr 20, 2014)

moggie14 said:


> By asking the question I (wrongly) assumed you were considering it - silly me.
> Although I don't think I was insulting - what else would you call a gadget that means cats can use a toilet and those weird soft paw things other than gimmicks?


I don't know why you'd find them weird? They're made especially for cats and dogs and work wonderfully. Nothing weird about them


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## BLEA22 (Apr 20, 2014)

ALR said:


> I've wondered about the soft paws. I'm not considering on using it on Bubble but just wondered how does the cat sharpen it's nails. Can they climb trees with them or are they for indoor cats?
> 
> I caught Bubble sitting on the toilet seat once. He looked cute (as though he was going to use it) and I should've taken a picture :wink5:. But I leave the top down now because I'm worried he's going to fall in while we're not in!


Yes they can still do everything a normal cat does, just without causing damage.


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## Soozi (Jun 28, 2013)

ALR said:


> I've wondered about the soft paws. I'm not considering on using it on Bubble but just wondered how does the cat sharpen it's nails. Can they climb trees with them or are they for indoor cats?
> 
> I caught Bubble sitting on the toilet seat once. He looked cute (as though he was going to use it) and I should've taken a picture :wink5:. But I leave the top down now because I'm worried he's going to fall in while we're not in!


They are only for indoor cats ALR! there is quite a bit of controversy about them and a lot of owners say they find them all over the house! so they are possibly a waste of time! scratching posts and claws clipped regularly and you shouldn't have to adorn your cats paws with these things. Why have a cat in the first place if you want it to behave like a human! I'm glad to hear you are not considering using them on Bubble:smilewinkgrin:


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## ALR (Apr 16, 2014)

No no, I just saw it on Amazon while I was shopping for Bubble and wondered what on earth were they. They looked like manicured nails for cats and I was a bit confused. 

Bubble has a scratcher next to the sofa which he uses so no polished nails for him. If it works for Blea though then good. It doesn't sound like it causes any pain or damage to the cat.


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

BLEA22 said:


> I don't know why you'd find them weird? They're made especially for cats and dogs and work wonderfully. Nothing weird about them


OK I might be alone with my opinion they are weird, fair enough 
I clip my boys claws and they have scratch posts. The soft paws just sound really unnatural to me and, well.... just wrong :001_unsure:


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

BLEA22 said:


> Yes they can still do everything a normal cat does, just without causing damage.


I am sorry but I beg to differ with you there. The cats are no longer able to scent-mark their cat scratchers when they have stick-on covers on their claws.

Scent-marking is an important part of cat behaviour - at the Shelter we always provide several cat scratchers in every pen, so the cats can perform an essential part of their natural behaviour every day.

If you prevent your cat being able to scent mark with their claws, (using the proper cat scratcher posts, mats etc), then you may cause behavioural problems which could manifest themselves in house soiling, or even biting.

When a cat jumps they use their claws to grasp the surface and steady their balance when they land. Covering up the claws, even if just the front claws, takes away this vital mechanism from them. Even indoor cats have been known to slip and hurt themselves when jumping, and without useable claws there is even more risk.

Vets are not always trained in pet behaviourism, unless they have done some post-grad training. If you had taken advice from a qualified animal behaviourist it would be different.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

moggie14 said:


> OK I might be alone with my opinion they are weird, fair enough
> I clip my boys claws and they have scratch posts. The soft paws just sound really unnatural to me and, well.... just wrong :001_unsure:


Not alone at all,I cant understand why anyone would think its a good idea to stick plastic on a cats paws :crazy:


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## BLEA22 (Apr 20, 2014)

I suggest you do some research on soft paws. I've had no problems so far. My cats are happy. Before I bought them, their nails were trimmed regularly and it still didn't stop them scratching. They have tons of scratching material. I even went to the trouble of making my own scratching furniture for them. I can't believe the snide remarks I'm getting from some of you. Talk about judgmental  We all know what works best for our own cats, and this is what works best for mine. If they fall off in the next couple of weeks and aren't as good as I had hoped, then fine. At least I tried.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

BLEA22 said:


> I suggest you do some research on soft paws. I've had no problems so far. My cats are happy. Before I bought them, their nails were trimmed regularly and it still didn't stop them scratching. They have tons of scratching material. I even went to the trouble of making my own scratching furniture for them. I can't believe the snide remarks I'm getting from some of you. Talk about judgmental  We all know what works best for our own cats, and this is what works best for mine. If they fall off in the next couple of weeks and aren't as good as I had hoped, then fine. At least I tried.


My opinion on soft claws and other so called behaviour altering methods are that instead of addressing the unwanted behaviour all that happens is the animal cant carry it out and could cause distress to the animal doing far more damage than scratches on a sofa


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

BLEA22 said:


> I suggest you do some research on soft paws. I've had no problems so far. My cats are happy. Before I bought them, their nails were trimmed regularly and it still didn't stop them scratching. They have tons of scratching material. I even went to the trouble of making my own scratching furniture for them. I can't believe the snide remarks I'm getting from some of you. Talk about judgmental  We all know what works best for our own cats, and this is what works best for mine. If they fall off in the next couple of weeks and aren't as good as I had hoped, then fine. At least I tried.


I am annoyed by your comment that we are making "snide remarks" just because we don't meekly go along with your P.O.V. 

My reply to you was couched in neutral terms, explaining politely why I disagree with the use of Soft Paws/Soft Claws. Absolutely nothing snide about it!

You have the right to post comments as you wish in defence of your use of Soft Paws, but all members of this forum have the right to disagree with your views if they clash with their own values. There is nothing "judgmental" about that!

I have researched Soft Paws in the past, when there was previously a question on this forum some time ago. I found the manufacturer's blurb evasive on the issue of whether cats can still use their scratching posts properly. The fact is if their claws are covered they cannot keep them trim and healthy as they like to. Nor would they be able to scent-mark if their claws are covered, which is the other purpose of scratching.

Perhaps it is you who should have done more research first - about cat behaviour - before going ahead.


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## BLEA22 (Apr 20, 2014)

chillminx said:


> I am annoyed by your comment that we are making "snide remarks" just because we don't meekly go along with your P.O.V.
> 
> My reply to you was couched in neutral terms, explaining politely why I disagree with the use of Soft Paws/Soft Claws. Absolutely nothing snide about it!
> 
> ...


I have done my research _and_ tried to change their behaviour but right now I don't have the time to retrain 4 cats. They've done this since they were kittens and no matter what I've done, it hasn't stopped. We're all entitled to our opinion on the matter, but I'd prefer if people weren't trying to insinuate that I'm not looking after my cats wellbeing by using them. Let's leave it at that.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

By all means leave it at that 

However, just a word to the wise - it's better not to use words like "snide" and "insinuate" as they can have negative associations in discussions and can be inflammatory. 

I, and other members, remarked openly we do not regard using the Soft Paws claw covers as "best practice" in cat care. There was nothing insinuating or snide about the comments - just straightforwardly expressed, strongly held opinions.


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## BLEA22 (Apr 20, 2014)

chillminx said:


> By all means leave it at that
> 
> However, just a word to the wise - it's better not to use words like "snide" and "insinuate" as they can have negative associations in discussions and can be inflammatory.
> 
> I, and other members, remarked openly we do not regard using the Soft Paws claw covers as "best practice" in cat care. There was nothing insinuating or snide about the comments - just straightforwardly expressed, strongly held opinions.


I don't think it was your opinion that was rude (you're fully entitled to it, as am I), it was the discussion between you and other members about my choice and about the soft paws that offended me as I thought it was unnecessary. If you have a problem with my choice, that's fine, but don't talk amongst yourselves about me as if I can't read it. Whatever, no harm done. I'll leave now!


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

BLEA22 said:


> Ibut don't talk amongst yourselves about me as if I can't read it.


This is a discussion forum after all, nothing personal intended.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

BLEA22 said:


> > it was the discussion between you and other members about my choice and about the soft paws that offended me as I thought it was unnecessary. If you have a problem with my choice, that's fine, but don't talk amongst yourselves about me as if I can't read it.
> 
> 
> You surely cannot be serious! This is a forum, and the purpose of its existence is "discussion". That means discussion with each other, not just replies to the OP. You could have participated more than you did, at any point, no-one was excluding you.
> ...


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## lilythepink (Jul 24, 2013)

Multi cat household here and super fastidious oriental boy who uses a toilet, bidet....or if the lid is down on the toilet he will pee in the sink.

Never trained him, just kept finding yellow liquid when I wiped round the bathrooms and then managed to catch him doing it.

There is a litter tray in the bathroom which is changed twice a day and he will use it. I think what the problem is with litter is it gets between his toes and he hates it. I think he only ever pees in the toilet and sink and does use the litter tray aswell.


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## Landy12 (Dec 11, 2014)

I just stumbled across this thread! My experience is that they can be trained! All three of mine are litter kwitter trained. They trained easily and at different times and when we go away they always choose to use the toilet. They were looked after for the weekend by my mother in law who put down 3 litter trays as well as access to the loo as she was not convinced they would use her loo! All three used the toilet and not one litter tray was used in 4 days. I see no issue with toilet training a cat with regards to it being detrimental to their well being. If any of our cats had appeared stressed or not taken to it we would have stopped and used litter trays immediately. Our cats rule our home and have numerous cat trees, scratching posts and are played with every day using a range of toys. We live in a flat and I would say the fact they use the toilet is fantastic. No smell, no litter tracked everywhere, no expense. It's not for everyone and this is obviously just my opinion. But after all that waffle, the answer is simply yes, they can be trained!


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## Landy12 (Dec 11, 2014)

Maybe I should add that our cats might be a tad unusual..... They absolutely love car rides so come on shopping trips, they leap into the bath or shower with you and splash around like it's the best thing ever, they have learnt a number of tricks and 100 percent consider themselves to be human! So, of course, using a toilet was probably not odd for them.


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## Halo1 (May 22, 2014)

I've wondered about trying this as we get through quite a lot of litter with 4 cats. 
I expect it's dangerous for kittens as they can fall down the pot and not be able to get out?


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## Joolzypops (Mar 8, 2014)

Would just like to add my bit. If your cat is unwell then it's handy to see the size and frequency of their toilet habits. I bought a training kit but gave up swiftly and I'm glad I did. My cat has just been unwell and the litter box provided clues as to the severity of how ill she was.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

BLEA22 said:


> Yes they can still do everything a normal cat does, just without causing damage.


No, they cannot scratch, and they cannot stretch and exercise their backs and legs properly.



buffie said:


> Not alone at all,I cant understand why anyone would think its a good idea to stick plastic on a cats paws :crazy:


Soft Paws were invented as an alternative to declawing. Since you all lucky cats don't have declawing in the UK (and we are working hard to get rid of it in the USA) you wouldn't know about soft paws.

Certainly it is better than decalwing, but, in my opinion it is not a long term alternative. People should be training cats where to scratch.

The nail has to be trimmed then the nail cap is glued on. The claw continues to grow and eventually the caps fall off (or the cat chews them off) Supposedly they last about 4-6 weeks, but that is in some fantasy land. The reality is they last about a week, if that. I tried them once, not to protect my furniture but to protect my elderly cat when I first adopted an unsocialized rescue. I was worried the new kitty would hurt my fragile oldie.

She was berserk in those days about having her paws touched I had to have her anesthetized at the vet to trim the claws and put the caps on. The vet suggested declawing, and I never went back to her. ( I can hardly wait until it's illegal here. I want to have a party in her lobby. She makes the bulk of her living off of chopping off cats' toes) The caps lasted about 4 days. LOL!

Anyway, with a lot of patience and love, my unsocialized girl has learned to accept nail trims at home. (took about 3 years) She has never scratched my furniture, none of my cats ever have done. They have adequate scratching furniture of their own, and they use them.



Joolzypops said:


> Would just like to add my bit. If your cat is unwell then it's handy to see the size and frequency of their toilet habits. I bought a training kit but gave up swiftly and I'm glad I did. My cat has just been unwell and the litter box provided clues as to the severity of how ill she was.


I agree with you completely. I think toilet training cats is an awful idea for so many reason. In the case of the person above, and a friend of mine, if the cats choose to use the toilet on their own, well, that's one thing, it was the cat's idea. That would never happen here because I keep the lid down and the litter boxes aren't in the bathroom anyway.

Even so a litter box should always be available. My friend discovered a draw back when her cat had a prolonged stay at the vet and the cat wouldn't use the litter box. Not to mention he had many urinary tract problems.

I prefer to see what's coming out, just the same as I pay attention to what goes in. I know which cat has done what in the litter box, and it is important, _I_ think, to know.


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## Joolzypops (Mar 8, 2014)

I hope you get that party too Lorilu! Xx


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## Steverags (Jul 19, 2010)

Someone who has bought 2 kittens from us has trained them you use the loo, the tricky part was training them to flush afterwards


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## Little Zooey (Feb 4, 2014)

I will only comment to say we have used the soft claws for our Purdy after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. She had surgery, but the big danger was her scratching and an infection getting through to her brain, with a large area of skull having been removed. Trimming wasn't sufficient as there was still enough to cause damage.

From memory we used them for several months and they never caused a problem. She was obviously an indoor cat during that time. They mostly stayed put and were easy to replace at home. Purdy was quite a character and I don't recall that they ever affected her behaviour.

I also suggested them in here for the kitten scratching himself half to death. Purrito had to wear a buster collar for a long time - I don't know if the soft claws may have been useful in his situation.

I would certainly recommend them to anyone finding themselves with similar problems


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