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Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: wearfannypacks on August 11, 2012, 11:54:04 AM

Title: Mustachify my cat? Toilet training?
Post by: wearfannypacks on August 11, 2012, 11:54:04 AM
So anyone with input or experience on this? My cat Darwin is pretty awesome and good at adjusting to new situations.  We just spent 5 weeks with my in laws. He had no problems with exploring and using litter in a new house. And he made friends with their cat. (Survival of the Fittest I guess...couldn't help myself) Thinking this could be a fun financial/lifestyle experiment.

Current Costs
Litter $15 monthly, use the odor absorbing crystal kind
deodorizer $10 2-3 months
*over 10+ years expect to have him, saving may be significant

Pros
Toilet: Free, cost of water is negligible
Don't have to scoop or empty litter.

Currently I work from home most days so I feel like I have the time to devote to it. It feels very mustachian to me.

2 Logistical Concerns:
-We only have one toilet. Is there a convenient way for both humans and training kitty to use share a toilet?

-More than likely be moving in 10 months once DH finishes med school. Is this skill transferable? Or do you have to retrain the cat with another toilet?
Title: Re: Mustachify my cat? Toilet training?
Post by: Another Reader on August 11, 2012, 12:51:52 PM
I have one that will pee in a toilet.  Learned the skill before her arrival.  Over the years I have had others that would use the sinks, which is not a good thing.  I haven't found a cat that will poop in a toilet yet.

Switch to the Equine Fresh discussed in another thread and your costs will go way down.  The pine absorbs the urine, so as long as you are consistent with the scooping, odor should not be a problem.
Title: Re: Mustachify my cat? Toilet training?
Post by: arebelspy on August 11, 2012, 01:24:40 PM
I tried it with our two cats.  One took to it, the other didn't.  (The one that didn't is huge, and I dont think felt comfortable squatting up there.)

Ended up going back to litter with both.

May try again when we move to a place with more than one bathroom.
Title: Re: Mustachify my cat? Toilet training?
Post by: Perpetual_Student on August 11, 2012, 02:19:50 PM
I had one cat trained to a toilet and the skill transferred.  It was a pain during the training period because you had to move the trainer for every toilet use, but no prob otherwise.  Word to the wise: cats may not feel inclined to use the toilet if they have the trots or otherwise feel bad.  Your call.

My cat also used the tub for a while - she'd just pee right down the drain and we found hard little poos there.  We just moved poos to the toilet and a quick spritz and wipe later, all is good.  I hated litter so that worked for me.

Sadly, we have 3 cats now and all of them using 1 toilet is out of the question.  One cat is a moron and the other's territory does not extend to the bathroom.  For a very economical solution, I suggest buying a Breeze litterbox and using pine stall pellets in it.  But we had another thread in the share your badassery forum that you should check out.
Title: Re: Mustachify my cat? Toilet training?
Post by: wearfannypacks on August 11, 2012, 07:40:18 PM
Good to know the skill can transfer. Seems like success has lots of variables and can depend on the cat.  Interesting posters so far haven't had long-term success.

I'm toying with the idea of about getting the Citykitty http://www.citykitty.com/ Cheesy I know. But it seems like a convenient trainer and holder for litter.

I searched for the Equine Fresh thread. Pine pellets?! That's fantastic! I had no idea. That may be a simpler solution than toilet training. Still, I'm curious to hear about other successes/unsuccesses toilet training.
Title: Re: Mustachify my cat? Toilet training?
Post by: Bakari on August 11, 2012, 08:20:28 PM
I've never tried to toilet train Fushi, mostly because he usually goes outside if he can, so  haven't had the motivation.

However, one day it was storming outside really hard, and he decided entirely on his own to use the toilet so that he wouldn't have to go outside!!

He did it maybe 2-3 times over a couple days, until the rain stopped, and then he went back to using the great outdoors.
Unfortunately, he forgot about it, and the next time he was confined to indoors, he went back to the litter box.
Title: Re: Mustachify my cat? Toilet training?
Post by: Perpetual_Student on August 16, 2012, 02:33:24 PM
I used the CityKitty and the Litter Kwitter each to train my cats and while the LK was sturdier, the CityKitty had smaller steps and was more effective.  The LK has an optional kit with smaller steps I think, and it's reusable, unlike the CK.  That's important because it make take a few tries to get kitty on board, and you may need to go back and forth between steps.

Of everything, I think I liked the tub kitty thing best, but the pine bedding is a close second.  Toilet training was great when it worked, but the cat didn't like using it when her tummy was upset, so it meant cleaning messes sometimes.  It also wastes water and weirds your guests out.  But when it works it's great.
Title: Re: Mustachify my cat? Toilet training?
Post by: Masha on August 16, 2012, 03:24:53 PM
We trained both of our kitties starting from a just a few months old. They took to it right away....but when we made the transition to a larger opening, one kitty got skittish and wouldn't poop in the toilet anymore. I looked into the systems you can buy, and decided to make my own using a foil roasting pan. After a week or so, we cut a small hole that we gradually made larger over the course of several weeks. I think the pan cost about $3...

Now that I'm back from summer work, we're about to try starting over and going veeeeerry slowly, in hopes that both kitties will take to it this time.

We also only have one toilet, so I'm thinking of crafting some sort of insert that can simply be placed over the opening with the seat up...and hopefully make the process less of a pain for the people involved. I'll let you know if I find some handy solution.

Good luck! A the very least its a hoot to see while it lasts!