For cat-owners, or if you wish u had a cat, would you consider de-clawing and / or toilet-training your cats?

Question

Would you consider to de-claw your pet cat (is it painful for them?) or just provide them with a scratching post?

Would you consider toilet training them (to eliminate the stress of cleaning the litterbox)?

And what is the most effective way to toilet train them? (please provide step by step instructions).

Thanks! =)

Answer 1

Hi! I personally wouldn't de-claw my cats just because if they ever got into a cat fight they wouldn't be able to defend for themselves, but I would get them a scratching post! They love them. For toilet training your cat I will give you some steps! Ready? First start by training yourself ...
The very most important thing to remember is: Lid Up, Seat Down. Post a note on the back of the door or the lid of the toilet if you think you (or your housemates or guests) might forget. (Nowadays, if I have a guest who leaves the lid down, Misha will usually come and ask me to fix it, but you can't expect every cat to go to this much trouble. Besides, he's been using the toilet for more than six years now; when the whole idea was new to him he'd just as soon pee in the bathtub instead.) And if you are accustomed to closing the bathroom door when it's empty, you'll have to break that habit too.

Begin by moving the cat's current litter box from wherever it is to one side of the toilet. Make sure he knows where it is and uses it. Rest. Next put something — a stack of newspapers, a phone book, a cardboard box — under the litter box to raise it, say, about an inch. (Magazines are too slick; you don't want the litter box sliding around and making Felix feel insecure. Tape the litter box down if you need to.) Rest. Get another box or phone book and raise it a little higher. Rest. Continue this process until the bottom of the litter box is level with the top of the toilet seat. (For Misha I raised it about two inches per day.)

At the beginning of this process, your cat could just step into the box; later he began jumping up into it, until at some point he probably started jumping up onto the toilet seat first and stepping into the box from there. You've been diligently keeping the lid up and the seat down, of course, so by now your cat is thoroughly familiar with tromping around on the open toilet.

Lift the seat on your toilet and measure the inside diameter of the top of the bowl at its widest point. Venture forth and buy a metal mixing bowl of that diameter. Do not (I discovered this the hard way) substitute a plastic bowl. A plastic bowl will not support the cat's weight and will bend, dropping into the toilet bowl and spilling litter everywhere, not to mention startling hell out of the cat.

Now you move the litter box over so that it's sitting directly over the toilet seat. (If your cat has shown reluctance over previous changes, you might want to split this into two stages, moving it halfway onto the seat and then fully over.) Take away the stack of phone books or whatever. Rest.

Here's the cool part. Take away the litter box entirely. (Ta da!) Nestle the metal mixing bowl inside the toilet bowl and lower the seat. Fill the bowl with about two inches of litter (all of this is much easier if you have the tiny granules of litter that can be scooped out and flushed).

Naturally, any humans using the toilet at this point will want to remove the metal bowl prior to their own use and replace it afterward. The next week or two the whole process is likely to be something of an annoyance; if you begin to think it's not worth it, just remember that you will never have to clean a litter box again.


Misha's first attempt without the box. He scored two out of a possible four.Watch your cat using the bathroom in the metal bowl. Count the number of feet he gets up on the toilet seat (as opposed to down in the bowl of litter). The higher the number, the luckier you are and the easier your job is going to be ...

...because next you have to teach him proper squatting posture. Catch him beginning to use the toilet as much of the time as possible and show him where his feet are supposed to go. Just lift them right out of the bowl and place them on the seat (front legs in the middle, hind legs on the outside). If he starts out with three or, heaven forbid, all four feet in the bowl, just get the front two feet out first. Praise him all over the place every time he completes the activity in this position.

(Misha is very doglike in that he craves approval and praise. If your cat is indifferent to this sort of thing, you can also reward him with small food treats and wean him from them later when the toilet behavior has 'set.' Just keep the treats as small and infrequent as possible — half a Pounce or similar treat per occasion should be plenty.)

When he is regularly using the toilet with his front feet out (and some cats naturally start from this position), begin lifting a hind foot out and placing it on the seat outside the front paws. Felix will probably find this awkward at first and try to replace the foot in the litter. Be persistent. Move that foot four times in a row if you have to, until it stays there. Praise and/or treat.


Misha demonstrates proper squatting posture. Note the look of firm concentration.Repeat with the other hind foot, until your cat learns to balance in that squat. (There will actually be two different squats, a low one for urine elimination and a high one for bowel movements.) Once he's getting all four feet regularly on the seat, it's all downhill from here.

Which is fortunate, because the last bit is also the most unpleasant. I suggest that you postpone this stage until you have at least a weekend, and preferably several days, when you (or another responsible party) will be at home most of the time. I skipped through this part in about two days; I only hope that your cat allows you to move along that fast.

Begin reducing the litter in the bowl. Go as fast as he'll feel comfortable with, because as the litter decreases, the odor increases. You'll want to be home at this point so that you can praise him and dump out the contents of the bowl immediately after he's finished, to minimize both the smell and the possibility that your cat, in a confused attempt to minimize the smell on his own, tries to cover it up with litter that no longer exists and ends up tracking unpleasantness into the rest of the house.

By the time you're down to a token teaspoonful of litter in the bottom of the bowl, your next-door neighbors will probably be aware of the precise instant your cat has used the toilet. This is as bad as it gets. The next time you rinse out the metal bowl, put a little bit of water in the bottom. Increase the water level each time, just as you decreased the litter level. Remember — if at any point Felix looks nervous enough about the change to give the whole thing up and take his business to the corner behind the door, back up a step or two and try the thing again more slowly.

Once the water in the mixing bowl is a couple of inches deep and your cat is comfortable with the whole thing, you get to perform the last bit of magic. Take the mixing bowl away, leaving the bare toilet. (Lid Up, Seat Down.)

Voila! Your cat is now toilet-trained. ( Good luck and I am so sorry about how long it is! The person who typed it talked a lot*)

Answer 2

Declawing your cat is a painful surgery. Look at your index finger; when a cat is declawed, it is the same as amputating the tip of your finger at the first joint. It has to be done properly too, because if the surgeon doesn't get the whole nail bed, it can grow back deformed. Your cat will need to be on fairly strong opioid drugs (morphine-like) as well as an anti-inflammatory and antibiotics. At my vet clinic, we keep the cats in hospital for 3 days to monitor the pain medication and keep the cat more confined. Some people have reported that their cats seem painful when they jump off of things after being declawed. Also, it's an expensive surgery. Scratching posts are more humane and offer the cat opportunities to behave like a normal cat. Different cats may like different textures too, so it is helpful to get a post that has carpet, cardboard and wood on it, or buy smaller ones that are all different to see what your cat prefers. Giving treats when the cat uses it, and marking it with catnip also help teach a cat to use a scratching post.

I think toilet training is a great idea, as long as you don't mind seeing cat poop in your bowl! I have no idea how to do it though, so good luck!

Answer 3

My cat is de-clawed, it's the only way to go with a completely indoor cat. Front claws only. You can do the back claws, but I've personaly never had a problem with his back claws. He has a scratching post, and he uses it with his clawless paws. He also does it to my couch chair and everything else he's near. So unless you have a hundred scratching post in your house they will eventually get your couch. As for toilet training some cats get it some don't. I've thought about it. I've heard of putting the litterbox on the toilet and letting them get use to that. Then putting a smaller one in the toilet letting them get use to that. They taking that away and they might use the toilet without it. It would be more practical if you had more than one bathroom for that. There are also special seats you can get for them. There are a lot of site out there with a lot of ideas. It's hard to break there habit of wanting to cover it up though, I believe those cat seat are suppose to take that into account though. The seat is suppose to feel like sand or something. Oh well hopefully that was moderatly helpful.

Answer 4

Dude, declawing a cat is very cruel. It will not be able to climb anything - imagine your fingers being cut off and you'll get the idea. It's an absolute no-no!

Toilet training is really easy, I've trained many over the years. Cats make this easy as they are quite particular when it comes to going to the loo. What you'll find is that your cat, once let outside will automatically go to some dirt without prompting to relieve itself. This is preferable to the litter tray for a cat. If you do not have a cat flap you need to let your cat out regularly so it can relieve itself and once the cat understands this routine you can remove the litter tray completely, you will have no need for it and your cat will no longer be interested in it anyway.

Answer 5

I don't believe that anyone should ever declaw a cat, even if it is an inside cat. It is very cruel, and many vets won't even perform the procedure anymore. The shelter where I adopted my cats required me to sign an agreement saying that I wouldn't have them declawed before they would allow me to adopt them. Most animal lovers agree that this is just not a good option. You could try softpaws (plastic covers for their claws). I've never used them, but a friend of mine says they are very effective. Put double-sided tape on areas where the cat scratches that you don't want him to. Cats don't like the feel of it, so they stop scratching there. Buy a scratching post or pad, and every time you catch them scratching somewhere else, take them to the post.

As for the toilet training, my cats aren't allowed in the bathroom because they tear holes in my shower curtain and i'm tired of replacing it, so that's not an option for me. But if you think it would work for your cat, i think it's a great idea. Cats love cleanliness, they would love not having a messy litterbox to deal with as much as you would.

Answer 6

ONLY DECLAW YOUR CAT IF IT WILL NEVER BE ALLOWED OUTSIDE. Claws are your cats only defense. Declawed cats can not climb trees or defend themselves if approached by danger, as in another animals confrontation or a mean human.
Please consider carefully. I have owned many cats. I have never declawed mine. That was my preference. Get your cat something he likes to claw and let him have his way with it. I have never tried this but I read that you can take cat litter and put it in a container that is conformed to your toilet to potty train your cat. From expierience, some cats will not go without a litter box. It may or may not work for your cat. I had a cat and went on a trip about 900 miles. Every rest stop, I got my cat out of the car to do his buisness. He would not do his business. Nor would he eat. I was on the road for about 17 hours. I became concerned about my cat. As soon as I arrived at my destination. I purchased some litter and a box. My cat could not wait till I filled his litter box. While I was filling the box he jumped in and peed for about 30 minutes. I felt so bad. I had no Idea what my poor cat went through. Some cats will only do their business where they want to and no where else. Hope this helps you..GOOD LUCK

Answer 7

I would never ever declaw my cat. It is incredibly painful (they cut the toes off at the knuckle) and it decreases muscle density and in the long term ruin their balance. Also it means that they cannot defend themselves if they get outside.
There are many alternatives, including keeping the claws trimmed, soft paws gel caps and training your cat to use a scratching post

To toilet train a cat, place the litter box on top of the toilet seat. Leave it there for a couple months (just move it tp use the toilet yourself and then put it back). After awhile just dissapear the litter box and the cat will use the toilet

Answer 8

I don't know that much about toilet training cats. But declawing a cat is like removing the first joint of your finger. So imagine how much that would hurt. Especially if it were all your fingers. Being a Veterinary technician I know how painful it is for the cat. My cats are trained with a scratching post. And I clip their claws while they are sleeping.

Answer 9

I'm a wierd person, so don't think I'm just pretending. But if I could have a cat, but I cant because achoo im allergic, i would have a happy healthy cat. He would have his claws and a scratch post and any of my wonderful old junk to sharpen them on.
I would arm myself with some febreeze and elbow length heavy duty rubber gloves, a cat box shovel and a clothespin for the dastardly dirty deed of cleaning the littler box. I would consider it a given if I had a cat. If I wanted to toilet train him, I'd hire somebody who knows how because i don't.
My cat would be very happy because I would love him when he wanted and give him his space when he wanted. He would bask in the sunshine of my window and live in glorious uninterrupted bliss. He would have milk while I have tea. And his name would be Grendel.

Answer 10

I've read some of the other answers and most of them said NO DECLAWING and go ahead with potty training.
OK, I don't like declawing just as the next person. I worked at a vet office and witnessed a declaw and it made me feel so bad. My one cat was declawed when I got him. Then I rescued a female 3 week old kitten. (I had to stimulate her to go potty) but I knew I didn't want to declaw her. I tried EVERYTHING to keep her from scratching up our stuff. I trimmed her nails every week, had a scratching post and she still went after my leather furniture. It was so bad that it was either declaw her or get rid of her. So I decided to declaw her. I had her declawed with a laser. She was just there the day and she was walking and jumping (eventhough she wasn't supposed to) as soon as she got home. Her feet never bothered her. So eventhough declawing is hard to swallow, there are different methods that make it easier on them. My final statement: Try to not have your cat declawed, if you must, go with the laser.

I don't know anything about potty training your cat. But best of luck to you on that! I think you have some pretty good information already posted!

Answer 11

I would never declaw a cat. It's painful for them (like having your fingertips removed) and it also affects them psychologically. Declawed cats tend to bite a lot. Also, if they happen to get out of the house they will have no defense and cannot climb a tree...you'd be sentencing them to death.

If you are worried about your furniture, get them scratching posts (at least 2 of them). You can use safety pins and attach balloons to the areas the cat tends to scratch at...they are afraid of balloons and won't go near them.

You can also use a spray bottle with water and spray the cat when it scratches at your furniture as well.

As far as toilet training...I've never done that. I've always done litter pans and they do fine with them. Again, you need like two in different places, cats are funny like that.