Training Your Cat to Use a Litter Tray

By Liz Canham

Do you dread trying to get your cat to use a litter tray? Don't despair - it's really quite simple to train a cat.

Any cat owner will tell you, cats are wonderful pets to have around. They are tame, cuddly and are indeed beautiful. Most cat owners want them to be indoors, to keep them safe and clean always. However, that same owner can also tell you that one of the downsides is needing to deal with their pet's waste.

But that should not be a drawn out problem if you take the time and proper care in training your cat to use the litter tray.

Cats should be trained early on, starting when a kitten is around 8 weeks old. Generally, a kitten that is raised together with a mother that uses the litter tray will learn to use the tray itself.

Cats generally are not difficult to toilet train. For one, they have the instinct already to bury their wastes. Thus all that is needed is to provide a litter tray.

Before any training commences, make sure you have the right litter box. Choose one that is made of durable plastic for easy washing. It should also be deep enough to contain just a little less than 2 inches of soil, sand, sawdust or commercial cat litter.

Do not think that by putting more litter in the box will mean fewer times you would have to change it. Your cat will very likely refuse a soiled box even if there's a lot of litter in it.

Cat litter comes in different varieties of grades and scents. However, the benefits of scented litter only affects the pet owners. In fact, cats dislike scented litter because it seems unnatural to them. They will very likely reject eliminating in the box and go somewhere else.

The kind of litter grade your pet will prefer varies with each one, but it is observed that cats are particularly fond of smaller grades. Perhaps this is because smaller grains make the litter softer.

Make sure that the litter tray is placed in a quiet and secluded place as cats do not like to be watched when they do their toilet.

Now that you have a good litter tray set up, it's time to teach your pet to use it.

For kittens or cats that still have to be trained, it is best to acquaint them with the litter tray. The cat should be introduced to the tray after being fed, after play or when it wakes up.

Lead your cat to the box. Move the litter around with your hand to intrigue the cat with the texture of the litter, inviting it to step into it.

Encourage your pet once it steps inside, speaking to it in gentle tones. Make the cat feel that the box is a nice and comfortable place. Whether your cat soils in the box or not, be consistent with that tone. Eventually, your pet will like the litter box and do its business there.

When the cat uses the litter tray, make sure that you praise it for its good behavior. If it soils elsewhere, just pick it up straight away and put it in the litter tray. Under no circumstances should you punish the cat for not using the litter tray.

Finally, be consistent and patient. Results may not come right away, but the training will pay off in time.

Owning a litter tray trained cat can be very rewarding. Attention and consistent effort will be greatly needed at the training stage.

Liz Canham is the proud owner (or maybe servant) of three cats and is webmistress of The Cat Lover