Question:
I have two cats who are about 1-1/2 years old -- the mostly Siamese is male, and the plain white is female.
For the past several months, I have been trying to toilet train them, using the kit that comes with a persuasive DVD showing that the system is successful. The female gets the picture and happily hops up on the toilet (with the first insert installed) to do her business. I cannot move her on to the next step, however, because the male refuses to do so, even though he jumps up on a closed toilet seat and can climb six-foot fences.
Even though I relented and put down his old litter box with a scant layer of litter, he took to using the bathroom floor. I cleaned up the messes immediately and tried to keep the floor free from his scents. But the other night, he urinated on my bed, while I was asleep! Then the next night, he snuck in and did the same thing.
Can you provide some advice on how to solve this twofold problem? I hope it will not be to forgo the toilet training, which I am eager to accomplish and which the female is cooperating with.
A.B.S., Washington, DC May 30, 2011
Answer:
While most cats are highly intelligent and amenable to training, I would not endorse teaching them to jump up onto the toilet seat, even if purportedly modified for the feline evacuation.
Cats need to dig before they evacuate and then cover with suitable litter material. This natural process and sequence involves being on the ground rather than having to jump up and balance on a toilet seat.
The physical and psychological stress on your male cat could well have led to his house soiling and marking your bed. It could also have brought on an attack of cystitis -- a common reaction to stress in cats. So I advise a veterinary checkup and a return to the more natural litter-box cat toilet.
Subscribe