Instructions to Potty Train a Cat

Training Kittens

• Kittens who are born from litter trained mothers usually have few problems learning to use their litter boxes because their mothers teach them proper elimination behaviors. It's a cat's natural instinct to dig in soft materials and bury their waste, so litter boxes are often their preferred choice without any coaxing.

  During the initial training stages, use a shallow, uncovered litter box. The ASPCA recommends using unscented, clumping clay litter except for cats less than 8 weeks old. These cats should not be given clumping litter.

  Place the litter box in a semi-private location and clean it once or twice per day to establish that it's a clean, nice place to use the bathroom. If you don't regularly clean the kitten's litter box, it may learn from a young age that it doesn't like it.

  The ASPCA recommends watching your kitten a treat or reward when you see it use the cat box. This helps reinforce correct behavior.

Retraining Older Cats

• Sometimes your cat and its litter box are best friends, then for seemingly no reason, your cat looses interest. According to the ASPCA, this could be a medical issue rather than an attitude issue. Common causes for inappropriate bathroom behavior include bladder and urinary infections or urinary and fecal incontinence. It could be that your cat just can't hold it, and that's a medical issue that needs to be treated by a veterinarian.

  If no medical issue is present, it's time to evaluate your own behavior rather than the cat's. Do you clean out the litter box daily or do you let it go for a few days before changing it? Cats won't use a dirty litter box. Even if you cat has never had a problem with a dirty litter box before, it may get fed up and move on to your nice clean carpet.

  If you do keep you cat's litter box clean, check to make sure its in a location that you cat can reach easily and that offers some level of privacy. It may also be that your cat doesn't like your choice of kitty litter. According to the ASPCA, most cats respond well to unscented clay litter that clumps after use.

  If your cat still isn't responding to its litter box, you may have to try what the ASPCA refers to as litter box boot camp. This technique involves using a large dog crate or small room, like a bathroom to force your cat to use the litter box. Because your cat will not sleep or eat near the place it eliminates waste, your cat will have no choice but to use the litter box. Once your cat has demonstrated a willingness to use the litter box, gradually introduce it to larger areas of the house.

  If you are unable to retrain an adult cat to use the litter box and you have exhausted all options, the ASPCA recommends trying to let your cat outside. Some cats prefer to use the bathroom outdoors and will go outside for short amounts of time, but return to the home to eat or sleep.

Toilet Training

• It's possible to teach a cat to use the toilet instead of a litter box. You must first establish a strong litter box routine, as you will rely on the litter box concept for toilet training. When your cat is ready, first move its litter box into the bathroom you'd like it to use. Give your cat a few days to a week to adjust to using this room for elimination. Over the course of the next few days, gradually raise the litter box until it's the height of the toilet.

  Next, secure a foil pan or cat toilet training kit on the toilet seat so your cat can associate this with its new bathroom location. Poke a hole in the pan or tray so urine can drain out, then add a small amount of flushable litter. Gradually make the hole bigger and add less litter until your cat learns to balance on the toilet seat alone.
  Remove the pan or tray and your cat should be trained to eliminate directly into the toilet water. If your cat has accidents, go back a step and slow down your process. Be sure to keep the toilet lid open and the toilet accessible to your cat at all times.