Litter box issues are among the most common reasons cats are abandoned at shelters or forced to live outside. No one likes to smell cat urine, especially when it is found outside the litter box. Kitty litter is a mess, being tracked through the house and sticking to cat feet and fur. Let's face it - no one really enjoys cleaning the litter box. Is there a better solution?
Some folks advocate training cats to use the human toilet for eliminations. While my cats seem to enjoy jumping up on the toilet, watching the water swirl on flushing, I'm not sure that equates to a desire to actually use the toilet for its intended purpose. Believe it or not, there are systems you can purchase to toilet train your kitties. I would definitely want to designate a specific toilet for kitty use, as adding and removing the seat "insert" for the cat training seems like it would be pretty annoying each time I wanted to use the facilities.
By eliminating the litter box, it will be much more difficult to monitor urine output for your cat, although it might make it easier to detect blood in a urine sample without it mixing with litter. Unless I can teach my cats to flush after going, I'm pretty sure the odor is going to permeate the bathroom and surrounding areas, so that's a consideration as well.
The toilet seat lid needs to remain open for the cat to use the toilet. If there are dogs in the home that might like to drink from the toilet, this brings in another new set of issues.
Some cats don't like to share their potty. Do I have to designate multiple toilets for cat use?
Kitties like to dig, cover, and bury when they eliminate. How does the cat deal with this on the toilet?
Old cats with arthritis may have trouble jumping up onto the toilet seat, which can be a slippery surface. How often will I have to rescue the cat from the toilet bowl? Am I going to have to bathe my cat every time she falls into the dirty toilet bowl? I can't even imagine the smelly, wet cat running through my house, leaving a trail...
I think I'll stick with the traditional litter box system. I think it's easier, at least for now...
