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68–71 Weeks: What to Expect From Your Kitten

How to Teach Your Cat to Use the Toilet :: How to Retrain a Fabric-Eating Cat :: How to Build a Good Relationship between Cats and Kids :: What to Do If Your Cat Gets Lost

How to Teach Your Cat to Use the Toilet

Toilet training a cat is a step-by-step process consisting of making small changes to the location of the litter box and only continuing to the next step when your cat is totally comfortable with its current situation.

  1. The most important thing while toilet training your cat is to always remember to keep the toilet lid up and the seat down. Put a note by the toilet if you think you or your guests will forget.

  2. Start by gradually moving your cat's litter box nearer to the toilet until finally it's next to the toilet. Be sure your cat knows where the litter box is and is comfortable with its location.

  3. Elevate the cat's litter box. Use non-slippery materials to increase the height of the litter box about 2 inches a day until it's level with the toilet seat.


  5. Buy a metal bowl or tray that will fit snugly inside the toilet bowl. Fill the bowl with cat litter and remove your cat's litter box entirely.

  6. While your cat is using the metal bowl inside the toilet, be attentive to where his paws are. Teach him to squat with all four paws on the toilet seat rim. You can move the cat's paws while he's using the toilet and praise him (or reward him) when he's in the correct position.

  7. Use less and less cat litter. This can get smelly, so be sure to clean the bowl every time your cat uses it.

  8. Once there's very little or no cat litter in the bowl, start gradually filling it with water. When the water level in the bowl has reached about 3 inches and your cat has no problem using it, remove the bowl entirely.

For more detailed instructions on feline toilet training, read how writer Karawynn Long toilet trained her cat, Misha, here.

Advice from Other Cat Owners 

Basic Litterbox Training for Kittens

Some 3-3 1/2 week-old cats already use a box. Do not use scoopable litter as they will probably eat it and it will get all stuck to their fur. Put them in the box and scratch their paws in it. Some get it right away and some don't. If they have any poo accidents outside the box, just pick it up with a tissue and put it in the box so they can smell it.

An old baking pan is a good litter box, and they also sell "half" boxes almost everywhere. Another good box is for ferrets as one side is much lower than the others.

~DONNA K., owner of Domestic Shorthair

How to Stop Your Kitten from Biting and Scratching

First of all, take note that your baby is being a baby! He is teething, and will go right on teething until he is about 6 months. Discourage your kitten by walking away or gently picking him up and placing him on the floor. NEVER chastise. Your baby is just like a human baby. They need to be shown the right thing to do, not the wrong side of your hand!

The same goes for scratching and climbing. Gently pick him up and place him by his scratching post - do not shout as he will take this behavior as a good way to get your attention. When he scratches his post on his own, then reward him with lots of "Good Boy!"s.

Treat climbing the same. Place him at the bottom of his activity center if he starts on the curtains!

~North-West S., owner of Siamese

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