Sept 20, 2006
As a professional cat trainer for the past 10 years, I have a special empathy for cats. Over the years I have learned to understand their emotions, and appreciate their unique personalities. At the same time, I strongly support cat owners who want to get rid of litter boxes and provide a cleaner, healthier environment for their pets and family.

So far, I’ve had 100 percent success in teaching cats to use the toilet. Sure, part of it is sheer luck, but part has to do with the methods and strategies I’ve developed over the years. These are detailed in my new book, "Potty Talk by Toast" which will be out soon. The cover of the book shows a seven-month old kitten, Kit Casanova, using the CatSeat placed on a toilet. The CatSeat is a big innovation because it removes much of the stress cats often develop in the potty training process.

Cats are very emotional creatures, and they respond similarly to humans when they are stressed or unhappy. They become confused, and when this happens, they may not behave in a predictable way. It is not unusual at all for a cat to urinate on your bed or a personal item of clothing when he or she is upset. Your job is to keep things as calm and peaceful as possible at least while the potty training is taking place.

In feline potty training, there are several behavioral motivators that play an important role in building a sequence of habits that lead to regular use of the toilet. The first is instinct which tells kitty he has to go and leads him to find an appropriate place. The second motivator is comfort or discomfort. The third behavioral motivator is habit or learned response.

In feline potty training, all of the above play an important role in building a sequence of habits that lead to regular use of the toilet. Assuming he is comfortable using the facility you have provided, he will continue to follow your lead, forming good habits. The key is to plan your strategy carefully, get back on track when he has accidents, and allow enough time in each phase of the training to instill the habit as a primary motivator.

In subsequent issues of this column, I will suggest ways for cat owners to bond more closely with their kitties, and to understand how they think, learn, and behave. I will also answer questions you may have, and offer general tips on making cat training as pleasant, fun, and effective as possible for both "trainers" and "trainees" which by the way we have yet to define!