Cats are very lovable creatures. They are tame, cuddly, and are indeed beautiful. Most cat owners want them to be indoors, to keep them safe and clean always. However, keeping cats indoors poses the problem of dealing with their wastes. Thus, it is necessary to toilet train the cat.
Toilet Training Essentials
1. Cats should be trained early on. It should start when the kitten is around 8 weeks old.
2. Before starting with the toilet training, make sure that the cat already responds to its name. This will be very helpful in responding to the behavior of the cat.
3. Cats generally are not difficult to toilet train. For one, they have the instinct already to bury their wastes. Thus, all that is needed is to provide a litter tray.
This can be bought in pet shops. A litter tray usually is made of plastic or enamel. The container should be filled with soil, sand, sawdust, or commercial cat litters.
4. Generally, a kitten that is raised together with a mother that uses the litter tray will learn to use the tray itself eventually.
5. For kittens or cats that still have to be trained, it is best to acquaint them with the litter tray. The cat should be placed inside the tray after being fed, after play, or when it wakes up.
6. Make sure that the litter tray is placed in a quiet and secluded place. Cats would not like to be seen when they use the litter tray.
7. When the cat uses the litter tray, make sure that you praise it for good behavior.
The best way to praise the cat is to pet it or pat it on its head. Food rewards are also good tools to praise the cat.
8. However, a cat or kitten being trained that failed to make use of the litter tray should be reprimanded. The cat must be corrected immediately. A loud and sharp “no” or squirting the cat with water are the usual ways to reprimand the cat. Never use physical punishment. It is not a good practice. It also affects the relationship of the cat to the owners.
The cat has to be constantly praised or reprimanded for its toilet behavior until it finally learns to go to the litter tray by itself.
Owning a toilet-trained cat can be very rewarding. Attention and consistent effort will be greatly needed in the toilet training stage. Just be patient always.