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As any cat owner will know cleaning out the litter box is not a pleasant task but it’s something that all cat owners need to do. Unless of course, you have a self-cleaning litter box which is a great invention and does save you a lot of time and effort.
Even with an automatic litter box you still need to buy cat litter and you still need to empty the litter box at some point and not to mention the smell. I personally have a automatic self-cleaning litter box and it works really well but I’ve often wondered what it would be like if your cat could use your toilet.
Can Cats Be Toilet Trained?
It may sound like something out a movie training your cat to use the toilet but you’ll be surprised to know that you can actually train your cat to use your toilet. It will take time, effort and patience but once you train your cat to use your toilet then you can say goodbye to litter trays and the awful smell that accompanies them.
There are quite a few factors to consider before you go out there and purchase a cat toilet training kit. Cat toilet training isn’t perfect for every cat, you need to consider if toilet training your cat is the best option. if your cat is elderly or has problems with their joints then jumping up and down on a toilet seat might not be the best idea.
If you have a cat that is very nervous or anxious or just doesn’t like change then training your cat to use the toilet is going to be a much more difficult process than a cat that responds well to change. Only you know your cat and its personality and this is usually a good indicator of whether or not your cat will be toilet trainable or not.
Cat Toilet Training Kit Reviews
If you’re looking to purchase a cat training kit then it is important to find the best cat toilet training kit out there. I’ve been researching quite a few of the best cat toilet training kits that are currently on the market and I have to say some of them are just poor quality.
In this post, I’m going to review the only three cat toilet training kits that in my opinion are worth purchasing. All of the others are unproven and don’t seem to offer much in terms of reviews so it would be hard to recommend products that aren’t tried and tested.
#1 Litter Kwitter Toilet Training System
The Litter Kwitter Toilet Training System is, in my opinion, one of the best cat toilet training systems on the market. There are a few reasons for this, firstly you get a DVD with full instructions on how the system works in the following languages English, French and Russian with subtitles in Chinese, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Thai.
I like the actual toilet training system, most of these systems work in a similar way but the Litter Kwitter Toilet Training System is more refined and as a result, it generally has a good success rate.
How Does The Litter Kwitter Toilet Training System Work?
There are 3 stages to this system:
Stage 1.) Is the “red stage” and the toilet ring and red disc are placed on the floor in your toilet and your cat will use this as they would a regular litter box. Once your cat has used this several times you’re then ready to place the white toilet ring and the red training disc on your toilet to start the “real” training process.
Stage 2.) This stage is the “amber stage” at this stage you will change the training disc to the orange coloured disc which has a hole in the middle as well as litter around the edges. At this stage, your cat will learn to balance and also using the toilet with waste going into the toilet.
Stage 3.) As you’ve probably guessed this is the “green stage” yes it does work on the traffic light sequence! This is the final stage where you change to the green disc which has a big hole in the middle and your cat will now, in theory, balance with all four paws on the toilet seat and their rear will now be over the hole in the toilet.
Does The Litter Kwitter Toilet Training System Work?
Overall the reviews are quite mixed, some people say this works really well and is a great product and some people went as far to say the product was useless (which I think is a bit harsh). I would say with any cat training product you need to manage your expectations because the success will ultimately depend on your cat and their personality.
The product can only assist your cat so far but then it’s up to your cat to learn this new process. They say that you can train your cat within 8 weeks but I would expect some cats to take longer than this.
This system will fit most toilet types and is ideal for cats of all sizes.The build quality seems to be fairly good as you would expect from a quality product.
In terms of a cat training system, this is one of the best as mentioned but it isn’t a “perfect” solution and I don’t believe there is a system out there that is.
If this system works and your cat uses your toilet then you will potentially save hundreds if not thousands on cat litter and also the hassle of cleaning a litter box which is certainly something that’s worth trying this out for alone.
#2 CitiKitty Cat Toilet Training Kit
The CitiKitty Cat Toilet Training Kit is another solid option for training your cat to use your toilet. It’s a best seller on many websites and this generally says a lot about a product. The system works slightly differently from the Litter Kwitter Toilet Training System.
How Does The CitiKitty Cat Toilet Training Kit Work?
This toilet training kit works by putting a ring on the toilet that your cat will use with litter to start. Then as your cat progresses through the system you basically punch out the inner ring which makes a hole for the waste to go into the toilet. According to CitiKitty, you need to change the ring each week but some people did note that this was a little too fast and some cats may need to progress at a slower speed.
As with any cat toilet training system, the success will be varied some cats just won’t take to using a toilet as it is just ingrained in them to use a little box. Especially if your cat is elderly and has any issues with their joints or any other medical issues then, in my opinion, this cat toilet training kit wouldn’t be ideal.
Does The CitiKitty Cat Toilet Training Kit Actually Work?
Most of the cat toilet training kit reviews online are quite mixed and to be honest you’ve got to expect them to be. This toilet training kit narrowly missed out on first place because there’s not a lot between both of these products they both do a similar job but the Litter Kwitter Toilet Training System has the edge in terms of both quality and effectiveness.
More people complained in the reviews about the build quality of this product and some people did stay that it was a little bit flimsy. I’m not too sure whether the design of this system is to be flimsy and as a result your cat then stands with all four paws on the toilet seat which in essence is training your cat to use the toilet properly.
#3 Kitty’s Loo Cat Toilet Training Kit
The Kitty’s Loo cat toilet training kit is a newer addition to the marketplace and works in a slightly different way to the above toilet training systems. This system basically has what looks like a sieve in the middle that you fill up with litter and then put the system on the toilet seat. Your cat then uses the training seat for a number of weeks before you then remove the sieve part and they start to use the toilet with the waste going in the actual toilet. Sounds good in theory doesn’t it?
Doe’s The Kitty’s Loo Cat Toilet Training Kit Work?
Boasting eco-friendly and veterinarian approved credentials it certainly grabs attention, however with this being a recently released product there aren’t too many reviews online. However, from the few reviews, I could find most people said it was a decent product that worked well and there was the odd negative review thrown in. The reason this takes third place is due to the fact it’s the least proven of the three options, it may well turn out to be as good if not better than the others but only time will tell. For this reason, I can’t rate it any higher than third place.
Is Training Your Cat To Use The Toilet Worth The Hassle?
This is a question that you have to ask yourself before buying one of these products, if you have a cat that’s older then it might not be the best idea to start toilet training especially if your cat is very senior (15 years+). If your cat has problems jumping or has any kind of joint or muscle problems then again this wouldn’t be ideal for them in my opinion. There’s no doubt about it you’re going to have to be very patient with this whole process and there may be some accidents along the way.
Some of these products state that you can train your cat to use the toilet in as little as 8 weeks but I think 12-16 weeks would be more realistic for most cats. I suppose the ideal age to start would be with a kitten that isn’t litter trained, you could then train them to use the toilet. How natural is it for a cat using a toilet? When cats are in the wild and when they have litter boxes they like to bury their feces, obviously they wouldn’t be able to do this if they’re using your toilet.
Conclusion
Finding the best cat toilet training kits online isn’t an easy task so I hope this post has answered your question and helped you gather more information on the whole process. The cost savings on litter alone is one reason to consider training your cat to use the toilet. Over the lifetime of your cat, this could be a hefty amount, to say the least.
Something that isn’t talked about a lot is how these toilet training kits will work with multiple cats in your household. I suppose this would depend on how many toilets you have and how many cats. I could see this working for two cats potentially but what if both cats need to use the toilet and you only have one toilet? I’m sure cats won’t patiently wait as us humans would!You probably have a 50% chance of training your cat to use the toilet I would say but one thing I can guarantee is your cat won’t be able to flush the toilet afterwards! Again this isn’t something that’s mentioned in the marketing material when they’re promoting this “hands-off” solution. Of course, flushing the toilet is easier than cleaning out a litter box. I’m not sure if the smell will be cured though if the toilet isn’t flushed soon after.
You could certainly try a toilet training kit out and if it doesn’t work then at least you’ve tried, my only concern would be if this would affect your cat’s toilet behaviour. After all, cats are creatures of habit and the last thing you want is having to retrain your cat to use the litter box.Let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below