Day 29

After regressing to the sitz bath I decided to go slower and used a water pipe to make a bowl with a small hole, that, nonetheless, would not let all the litter out.

Here are the photos of the contraption.

However, I decided to go all the way back to the cake tin – just for one day. If they (and I mean Ziggy…) went back to using the dinner room as litter box, I would use the bowl with the water pipe.

I was so happy to see they adapted – with lots of attention seeking meows – to the tin. But there was a secret to this: I covered two thirds of the hole in the tin with a piece of card from a milk carton and tape. Today I cut a little bit and in two days I will have removed it.

Today Ziggy made a big mess and pooped a little outside of the toilet cover – but that is probably because I am using too much litter. Just removed some.

Day 26

After more than a week of partying for Carnaval, my birthday, someone else’s birthday and Chinese New Year, with four days at my mother house by the sea (where the cats have access to the garden), we are trying to go back on track.
I had to change back to the sitz bath because Ziggy was doing it on the floor (however, Mimi never strayed...). The hole in the cake tin was a source of much mystification, so we are back to Step 1.
Ziggy calls constantly before doing his «solids». I do not understand if it is because he needs my encouragement of just because he does not want to miss out on the treats I give him if I see him doing his business.
Not sure if I will go back to the tin with the hole or if I should change the method…

Day 22

The training is not going very well... since we came back from Peniche Ziggy does the #2s in the dinning room by the carpet. Maybe I will have to go back to phase 1...
In Peniche I found some of my mothers old tins to bake cakes and I designed two contraptions for phase 2 and 3 using cardboard. I was so happy - and so is Mimi - but the male cat is delaying us...

Day 19

On Day 16 I got a new bowl - orange - made a hole with hot iron the size of a fresh cheese container. You can use anything as long as it is durable or you have plenty of it and can substitute the dirty or broken ones. 

Meanwhile I came to spend some days in my mothers place in Peniche, witch semed good since here they can have their own dedicated toilet. The orange bowl with the bigger hole was met without problems by Mimi. But on the first night Ziggy went to the floor of the bathroom and the next night to the room next to the toilet...
So, I went back to the yellow bowl with the paper roll. But I do not see much enthusism: since here they roam freely outside they have probably been using the neighbours garden (since I do not see any evidence on mine).

Day 16

Last night Mimi went to the bowl with the hole without much trouble. I believe that if it was only her, we would be much more advanced… However, Ziggy made a big fuss. He made me get out of bed before light out three times. In the end I decided to stick an empty toilet roll in the hole. This morning there was a solid reward in the bowl (oh, my god, I begin to sound like a new mother talking about her baby’s smelly poo).

At lunch time, the toilet paper tube was hit right in the eye by Mimi… so I had to change it. I discovered the plastic bowl had a crack but decided to enlarge the hole, non the less. In the process the crack broke and I ended up with what is in the picture. I also made some small holes because some people wrote me about success experiments with colanders.

In fact, I put the colander while burning and puncturing the yellow bowl and Ziggy used it . The only problem is that more than half the saw dust litter went down the drain. Probably with flushable silica it would work.

A friend that inherited my beloved Peste Negra - Black Plague - (when I went to live abroad in a non pet friendly place) toilet trained him with a colander. She took a section of the bottom each time. She used rodents litter, that is organic and flushable.

For now I am sticking to the yellow bowl but I may have to buy a new one in case this one opens more cracks…

 

Day 15

Last evening I enlarged the hole. This morning Mimi complained a lot but ended up using the bowl. Ziggy went to the dinning room floor... I will stick to this method for some more days, but I am tempted to use the bowl with litter/cardboard with a hole way (check the DIY Systems page).
We went to the vet for vacination and nail trimming. No problem with Ziggy but there were three persons around Mimi to manage a manicure. She really likes her nails...
Just noticed the radio anthena was chewed off. Payback for a stressfull morning.

Day 14

On Day 10 I found a new bowl in the Chinese shop (1 euro) that fits the toilet perfectly and is easy to puncture. Made five small holes on it and received no complaints from Mimi and Ziggy.

They spent the week-end with my boy friend without problems. He slightly enlarged the centre hole by Sunday.

On Day 13 I made a bigger hole. Much meowing from Ziggy during the day but he ended up using the contraption during the night.

Checking the hole in the plastic.

Day 9

Total boycote to the microwave lid! This morning I found two droppings – one in the toilet and one in the dinning room. Yesterday, after carving the first hole in the cover in the afternoon (which was met with no problem – Mimi peed on it) I decided to be bold and make a second one. On top, I discarded the semi-used litter and put new one. The cats did not use the toilet until I went to bed, even after eating a sumptuous dinner. So, this morning, since I wasn’t going to be in the house until the evening, I went back to the sitz bath.

VIDEO: trouble with the microwave lid

Day 8

Today I changed the toilet seat – from the sitz bath to my old microwave cover with a small hole. Ziggy tried it immediately, which was a good sign. I went looking for a bowl that fit the toilet the size of the yellow one I used in the beginning but with an easier to cut plastic. Didn’t find one. So I am trying the microwave cover. The sitz bath is made of too hard a plastic.

Ziggy had two accidents in the first phase but now he is a dead shot.  Mimi never had problems. I have been giving them treats (more to Ziggy, the problematic learner) with the clicker. The finality: teach them later how to flush.

Today begins week 2 of the toilet seat training and things are looking good.

Day 6

Changed the yellow basin for a white sitz bath that fits all toilets. The cats are doing fine.

Looking for information on how flushable is the organic litter (do not want clogged pipes). Better not abuse your chances, but has in this case it is just a small amount, for a couple of weeks, I may be lucky. Found wood pellets for stoves in the supermarket – 5 euros a 15 kg bag. If I was sticking with litter, Iwould probably give it a try. Or chicken feed… it seems it’s also cheap.

Day 5

In the early morning there was poop in the toilet seat – an accident caused by Ziggy, probably. He is nervous about the new arrangement and, as I went back to bed, he lay ON me instead of by my side, as usual. Mimi has no worries.

Day 4

Since the non-flushable litter is going everywhere, including inside the toilet, I began changing, gradually, to the flushable one  - one small scoop each time, mixed with the old one, every time I add litter.

Day 3

The cats did not go to the litter for one day. Ziggy scratched the rugs and meowed. Mimi jumped on the bed when I woke up and did the burying faeces movement on me. Finally Ziggy, after much complain, went to the flushable litter.

 

 In the afternoon I decided to experiment and put the bowl in the toilet with the usual litter, the bentonite clumping one. Mimi went immediately! Later that evening Ziggy followed.

Day 2

Changed the litter to flushable one (Cat’s Best biodegradable).

Day 1

Moved the covered litter box with the clumping kind (Technical Pet) next to the toilet.

The Project

I have decided to teach my one a half year old cats to use the human toilet. I got tired of carrying heavy litter, stepping on small stones all over the house, and changing litter boxes. As all the commercial systems were expensive and seemed to have flaws I decided to go the Do It Yourself way. So here are my experiments in teaching Ziggy Stardust and Flash Mimi to use the toilet, plus all the knowledge I could gather on the subject.