Has anyone ever tried those toilet training programs for their cat?

[pink-o]

I was watching HGTV last night and they showed a woman who invented a new and improved way to get your cat to use the loo. Personally, I can just see the look my kitty would give me if I set that up for her--as well as the concern that flushing cat waste might spread toxoplasmosis to sea birds and marine mammals (the filtering isn't that good!) But I'm wondering if it's like Soft Paws: sounds good on paper but completely impractical to put into practice with arbitrary animals like felines! Anyone ever try it? How was the success rate?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

1. For some reason, I think Bettyellen did it.

However, I could just be hallucinating reading that somewhere.

[Haole Girl]

2. No. My cat has trained me to turn on the faucet for him though. n/t

[mockmonkey]

3. Yeah, like

I'm not able to use the bathroom because the damn cats are in there...then what? I have to use their litter pan? They run my life as it is....Feed us or we'll trip you...get up (it's 5 A.M.) because our food isn't fresh enough. I'm going to jump onto your shoulders and use you for furniture. And my favorite..I want to be pet, then I'm going to bite you for no reason.

I have issues. Four cats inside, three feral cats outside, one of which looks oddly like a opossum.

[nuxvomica]

4. I think you've summed up the whole dynamic pretty well

:rofl:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. So you're waiting to use the bathroom and there's a cat in there.

And you wait and wait... and eventually he strolls out, carrying a magazine in his teeth. And he didn't even bother to flush.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

6. It could be worse than oppossum cat.

I once rented an apartment in someone's house and they had an outdoor cat with a giant open festering tumor on it's head. It had some Japanese name, but I called it tumor cat and it would respond to that. I used to let it inside, but then one day if flaked off some tumor on my kitchen floor. After that, he only got to chill on my deck.

He also fell off the roof once, due to my cat. Somehow tumor cat was fine from the fall. I guess if you have a giant gaping oozing tumor, falling off a roof is nothing.

[Dangerously Amused]

7. If it is a tray you set on top of the toilet bowl with litter in it

...and a gradually widening hole in the center...


Then yes, I've tried it. And yes, it did work.

One issue was always leaving the seat up until you want to use it. Also I would also suggest not doing it in whichever toilet guests are likely to use. Don't want them encountering a surprise and thinking it's yours!