To train my cat to use the human toilet?

[lurkinglittleladybug]

Love having a cat, not so much the litter box.

Came across these kitty potty training kits on amazon… I’m tempted to buy it, but not sure if it’s actually going to work or just be a waste of money…

Anyone successfully potty trained their cat? If so how long did it take?

www.amazon.co.uk/Litter-Kwitter-Toilet-Training-System/dp/B0014N70QO/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2D9BJQJX99GWT&keywords=cat+toilet+training+kit&qid=1671329129&sprefix=cat+toi%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-3

OMG are there really people who flush cat poo down the toilet and into our drinking water system??? That's really not ok and as PP have said our sewerage system is not set up to remove Toxoplasmosis infection.

Toxoplasma gondii infects almost every single animal on the planet, including humans.
It can only reproduce in cats.

Therefore the parasite will already be in the sewage system, regardless of whether people flush their cat poo or not.

I don’t think you should flush cat poo, regardless of the whether you worm your cat as the litter can cause a blockage over time which is going to cost you a fortune to sort.

My grandads cat did this naturally and it was funny and much more hygienic than a litter tray (which can spread parasites too) but it was quite unnerving walking in on the cat in the toilet or queuing up to use the bathroom.

It also reminds me of ‘meet the parents’ 😂

Is there anything on the above link to Southern Water that mentions animal poo? I ask because I am interested, not because I want to cause an argument, I may have missed it.

It seems to be about wipes and fat and odd things like false teeth which aren't really that odd given that people vomit into toilets.

here uk advice.

Saying just because other crap goes in the sewage system just isn't a good enough excuse.

I had considered this when I was thinking of getting a cat... mainly because I don't have room for a litter box and didn't want my flat smelling of cat shit! It seems it is very possible to train them (and also to flush if you have an automatic thingy that works by motion senser) but I didn't know about the ecological/sewage problems.
Good thing I didn't get a cat!

Surely the manufacture, distribution and disposal of all those little single use bags into council landfill is far more environmentally disruptive than flushing cat poo into the loo.

Like I said no one has yet been able to provide any link between human transmission of toxoplasmosis and UK tap water. Nothing. Toxoplasmosis is also transmitted through raw meat, farm animal waste etc. Hence why pregnant women should avoid petting farms etc.

Sheep and cattle waste is routinely flushed into rivers and streams. As is run off from farms, meat processing plants, abattoirs . The sewers are home to millions of rats whose pee goes straight into the water system.

Here’s an interesting article written by a vet about why it is not a good idea to toilet train your cat to use the toilet.

Interestingly, one of the reasons is the risk of spreading that disease called toxoplasmosis to other animals through the sewage system. Which has been pointed out by pp.

Other points were that it goes against the cat’s natural instincts to bury their poo.

What happens when the cat can’t wait but someone else is using the toilet?

www.preventivevet.com/cats/7-reasons-not-to-toilet-train-your-cat

Actually, I have just found a list of sites on Google that say not to flush cat poo. Problem with Google is that one person posts something and then lots of others pick up on it and post it too so it turns in to a long list of people saying the same thing. Our water system isn't great anyway, antiquated pipes, frequent bursts in the same place, weird stuff coming out of taps...

”we can’t use wipes”

even if your home plumbing was designed by NASA you shouldn’t be using and flushing wipes because for most of the UK our sewage system is Victorian, beautifully built, amazing brickwork etc etc but dealing with much more sewage, both human waste and grey water, than it was ever designed for and wipes are one of the major causes, along with fat, of blockages and other issues.

The only things going into the sewage system via a toilet should be poo, pee paper and puke. No wet wipes, dry wipes, nappies, sanitary items, no cotton buds, no make up remover pads , just normal human waste and toilet paper.

@Octo5 I used to work in a vets and I was led to believe that cats were the only animals that shed Toxoplasmosis in their faeces. Other animals carry it but you can only contract it by eating their raw flesh. This is why flushing cat faeces is the most likely way for Toxoplasmosis to enter the water system.

I’ve only heard of cats shedding the Toxoplasma gondii parasites in their faeces. I’m not sure if other animals host the parasites in their gut and then consequently poo it out.

Otherwise why wouldn’t pregnant women be warned that they could be infected with toxoplasmosis by a list of animals faeces. As it is pregnant women are only warned about cat poo.

I’ve read that the parasites travel to a rat or mouse’s brain and permanently alters their brain so that they no longer fear cats.

I’ve also read that humans can become infected from contact with cat faeces or from eating undercooked infected meat.

I had a cat that used to take a wee in the bathroom sink. Just a wee, never a poop.

Mine likes to drink from the toilet

We had 3 indoor cats, that's a lot of pee and poop and smell, even if you are at home all day and can clean the tray up as you (they!) go. Trained them to use the downstairs loo using the Litter Kwitter the OP mentions, took about 2 months in total for all 3, and it worked very well. No mess, no smell. Reading this thread, I don't know I'd do it now, but they took to it just fine. So much so that when they were allowed out in the garden, they would come back indoors to use the loo rather than have an al fresco pee or poo.

I think you were very lucky that your cats accepted it. It goes against all their natural instincts and many cats find the idea incredibly stressful - and understandably so. Cats are supposed to dig and bury their poo - it's what they've evolved to do over thousands of years.

Personally, I don't understand why you would get a pet if you don't want to deal with the negatives as well as the positives. Nobody loves cleaning litter trays or picking up poo, but it's part of being a responsible pet owner. If you really can't handle it, don't get a pet.

There are flushable litter products this is what I used to do when I had 2 indooor cats

About 10-15 years ago it was a Japanese craze to teach your cat to use human toilet and some cats even flushed chain too. I have cats that are happy using a litter tray or going outside and burying it in corner of garden we mix sand with earth and once a month DH dogs it over.

No. Even when something is marked as ‘flushable’ it still shouldn’t be flushed.

I did it for years. If things arent meant to be flushed they shouldnt be advised as flushable.

But there’s also basic common sense.

I would say it’s common sense to assume that poop can be flushed in the toilet 🤣

I had no idea before starting this thread that cat poo was bad for sewage… It’s been very educational for me lol

Gross.

I really don’t think it’s common sense to think that animal waste can be put in public sewage systems.

Do you know not to flush tampons and so on?

I would have to disagree, lol.

Tampons arent animal waste (humans are animals), I wouldnt see any difference between animal waste to human waste.

Tampons/wipes and pads are plasticky and laminated so thats obvious it doesnt go down the toilet, its not comparable.

Yes I would never flush plastic… But I always thought poo was poo regardless of whether it came from an animal or a human 🤷🏼‍♀️