SirenSongWoman
Cathlete
I am so glad people here are discussing cat litter and cat pee issues because now I can ask for opinions on something I've been thinking about a lot: A cat toilet. I'm not talking about those expensive self-cleaning litter boxes. I mean an actual toilet that flushes (which would mean running a second sewage line), lies low to the ground, is made of porcelain with a "seat" you can lift to clean it, and which you can train cats and maybe even small dogs to use. Most of my co-workers are doubtful but most don't own multiple cats. Some points I argue whenever this discussion comes up at work:
1) A flushing toilet immediately gets rid of the root cause of odor. No odor, no behavioral issues associated with cats smelling each others marks and remarking territory. Would a real toilet completely end spraying and marking? It might. I'd be willing to give it a try.
2) There would be no kitty litter granules scratching up your hardwood floors and driving you up the wall. I sweep up kitty litter from the bathrooms twice daily and I know I'd LOVE to never have to do that ever again. That stuff gets EVERYWHERE!!!
3) You wouldn't spend time worrying about possible health issues associated with your cats ingesting the granules they dig out of their paws.
4) Your back wouldn't be destroyed from lugging those heavy boxes and bags of kitty litter.
5) I recently read that USED kitty litter takes up massive amounts of landfill space. If everyone had cat toilets all that space would be freed up.
6) Imagine never having to change-out another litter pan. Doesn't the thought make you absolutely giddy???
There are kits for toilet training cats to use our existing toilets but there are drawbacks. Most people don't want to use the same toilet as their cat(s) and there are definite weight limitations. I have one cat who's HUGE and could never balance on a toilet seat. If I were to get my other four cats toilet trained but not her, it would just create confusion for them. A low-to-the-ground toilet with a wide flat seat featuring a center 4-5" round hole in the middle would work for any cat and probably most small dogs. Imagine. No lugging heavy bags of fresh litter or carting away the nasty used stuff (which I have to drag down a long back lawn to the alley). No more chronic sweeping of floors. No more running around with a roll of paper towels and a spray bottle of enzymatic cleaner... of having to drop everything to clean up another accident... If you have cats and hate litter boxes just imagine how great it would be get your cats trained and then never have to do anything more than use a toilet brush and The Works once a week. Ahhhh. Obviously, it's not a product that would catch on right away and, perhaps it would be best to experiment with the device in Europe, first - where second sewage lines often already exist (for bidets) in many bathrooms.
I would be very interested in comments from cat owners, pro or con, on this topic. I'm at a point where I'd love to design one and have it installed in my home anyway, even if it never goes mainstream just because I'm so tired of cleaning up stains and granules. Thoughts and debate are appreciated.
1) A flushing toilet immediately gets rid of the root cause of odor. No odor, no behavioral issues associated with cats smelling each others marks and remarking territory. Would a real toilet completely end spraying and marking? It might. I'd be willing to give it a try.
2) There would be no kitty litter granules scratching up your hardwood floors and driving you up the wall. I sweep up kitty litter from the bathrooms twice daily and I know I'd LOVE to never have to do that ever again. That stuff gets EVERYWHERE!!!
3) You wouldn't spend time worrying about possible health issues associated with your cats ingesting the granules they dig out of their paws.
4) Your back wouldn't be destroyed from lugging those heavy boxes and bags of kitty litter.
5) I recently read that USED kitty litter takes up massive amounts of landfill space. If everyone had cat toilets all that space would be freed up.
6) Imagine never having to change-out another litter pan. Doesn't the thought make you absolutely giddy???
There are kits for toilet training cats to use our existing toilets but there are drawbacks. Most people don't want to use the same toilet as their cat(s) and there are definite weight limitations. I have one cat who's HUGE and could never balance on a toilet seat. If I were to get my other four cats toilet trained but not her, it would just create confusion for them. A low-to-the-ground toilet with a wide flat seat featuring a center 4-5" round hole in the middle would work for any cat and probably most small dogs. Imagine. No lugging heavy bags of fresh litter or carting away the nasty used stuff (which I have to drag down a long back lawn to the alley). No more chronic sweeping of floors. No more running around with a roll of paper towels and a spray bottle of enzymatic cleaner... of having to drop everything to clean up another accident... If you have cats and hate litter boxes just imagine how great it would be get your cats trained and then never have to do anything more than use a toilet brush and The Works once a week. Ahhhh. Obviously, it's not a product that would catch on right away and, perhaps it would be best to experiment with the device in Europe, first - where second sewage lines often already exist (for bidets) in many bathrooms.
I would be very interested in comments from cat owners, pro or con, on this topic. I'm at a point where I'd love to design one and have it installed in my home anyway, even if it never goes mainstream just because I'm so tired of cleaning up stains and granules. Thoughts and debate are appreciated.
