ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WTSP) - There are all sorts of things you can learn on the internet, from formatting a hard drive to treating a bee sting.
Apparently, now you can add one more thing to the list.
Potty-training a cat.
For Derrick Kearney of St. Petersburg, it started with an idea.
"We were looking at ways to decrease the amount of litter he'd kick around," recalled Derrick Kearney of St. Petersburg.
So Kearney sat down at the computer and typed "potty train your cat" into Google. The rest is history.
Derrick contacted 10 Connects Reporter Janie Porter after seeing her story about one-day potty-training for children. Send Janie your story ideas through her Facebook page.
Along with blogs and even YouTube videos, Kearney found a ten-step process for potty-training cats. Over the course of a few months, he instituted the program. Now, Derrick's cat, Hogan, does his business on a baby seat on top of the toilet.
How to Potty-Train your Cat
First, move the litter box. Experts suggest moving your cat's litter box from its current location to one side of the toilet. Ideally, this is done in a bathroom that will not be frequented by guests.
Alert your cat. Instead of letting your cat discover on their own that their litter box has been absconded, show your cat the new location of their litter box. That way, the next time they use the restroom, they won't panic and leave evidence on your carpet.
Raise the litter box. Start by using books or shoe boxes to raise the litter box one to two inches.
Keep it slow and steady. Elevate the litter box by about an inch a day, or elevate it by a few inches every two to three days. If your cat is easily adaptable, you will likely be able to raise the height of the litter box a little each day. If your cat is resistant to change, respect that and take a slower approach to raising their litter box.
Watch them jump. As you continue to elevate your cat's litter box off the ground, you will notice that they will have to jump a little higher with incremental change.
Get a move on. When your cat's litter box is the same height as the top of the toilet seat and your cat has been using the litter box that way for a few days without any signs of fear of nervousness, move the litter box on top of the toilet seat. This means that your cat's litter box is sitting directly on top of the closed toilet seat.
Open up. When your cat has been using their litter box on top of the toilet seat for a few days, it's time to open the lid of the toilet.
Get a litter pan. It should be a metal pan, since most plastic ones will not support the weight of an adult cat. Place the pan under the toilet cover and in the toilet bowl. Then put the toilet cover back so it is holding the metal bowl in place. Put a few inches of cat litter into the metal bowl so that your cat understands they are supposed to use the restroom inside the metal pan.
Teach the feet. The most important thing that needs to happen before you can remove that metal bowl from the toilet has to do with the position of your cat's feet. Gradually teach your cat that they need to put their feet on the toilet seat, not inside the metal pan and on the litter. Using small treats or toys as incentives, gradually wean your cat from having their feet inside the metal pan.
Get rid of the litter and add water to the pan. Gradually reduce the amount of litter in the pan. Continue to reduce the amount a little each day until there is barely any litter left. When there is no more litter, begin to fill the pan with water. Add water gradually, day-by-day, so that the cat becomes comfortable with it. When your cat is comfortably using the pan when it's about halfway full of water, you can take the pan away and your cat should be comfortable with using the toilet sans litter!
4 months ago
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