Thread: litter kwitter

Hi there,
I've only just joined the forum & would love to give you some serious advice about toilet training your MC baby. Make sure their pads are fur free - let me explain...
I have a little Burmese girl - Lithium who has been toilet trained for 5.5 years - she was a bloomin nightmare, peeing on the bed etc - she reaaalllly didn't want to use the LK, once she realised that the litter tray was gone, 6 weeks was all it took. My Maine coon boy was a completely different kettle of fish. Took to the tray really well, fine hopping up on the loo. Moved along through both orange rings with no trouble at all, then we struck a problem. He was happy to pee on the kwitter, but started pooing on the floor. I just didn't understand, until I watched him. I used to give him treats and make him walk around the bowl for them & he kept slipping. I just didn't understand why he could pee, but, not poo. It makes perfect sense really. The shape made when peeing, is like a triangle. The weight on the butt keeps their feet still. When pooing, they make a letter n & stand on tip toes. With such furry feet, they have no traction & the pads do not touch the seat, this makes them slip & therefore lose confidence in the whole shebang.
Once all the fur was clipped off, he sailed through with no problems at all. I am now third in the toilet queue first thing in the morning. No matter how bright your cat is, don't try rushing your baby. You have 20 years of litter free house, a couple of months is no great shakes in the grand scheme.
Good luck & I really hope this helps you
Fran, Lithium & Argentium

Originally Posted by Lithiumsmummy

Hi there,
I've only just joined the forum & would love to give you some serious advice about toilet training your MC baby. Make sure their pads are fur free - let me explain...
I have a little Burmese girl - Lithium who has been toilet trained for 5.5 years - she was a bloomin nightmare, peeing on the bed etc - she reaaalllly didn't want to use the LK, once she realised that the litter tray was gone, 6 weeks was all it took. My Maine coon boy was a completely different kettle of fish. Took to the tray really well, fine hopping up on the loo. Moved along through both orange rings with no trouble at all, then we struck a problem. He was happy to pee on the kwitter, but started pooing on the floor. I just didn't understand, until I watched him. I used to give him treats and make him walk around the bowl for them & he kept slipping. I just didn't understand why he could pee, but, not poo. It makes perfect sense really. The shape made when peeing, is like a triangle. The weight on the butt keeps their feet still. When pooing, they make a letter n & stand on tip toes. With such furry feet, they have no traction & the pads do not touch the seat, this makes them slip & therefore lose confidence in the whole shebang.
Once all the fur was clipped off, he sailed through with no problems at all. I am now third in the toilet queue first thing in the morning. No matter how bright your cat is, don't try rushing your baby. You have 20 years of litter free house, a couple of months is no great shakes in the grand scheme.
Good luck & I really hope this helps you
Fran, Lithium & Argentium

Thank you for your input! We are in this to win this! Are you suggesting I cut the fur off of Ginger's back feet? She has huge furry paws, and she already stands with her feet on the side of the litter box to poo, kind of just squats to pee. I have started lifting the lk off the floor to make the transition to the toilet easier for her.

I wouldn't touch Ginger's snowshoes unless the problem presents itself & it would appear to make life easier for her, I am sure that I haven't read of any others on here who have used the litter kwitter having to do this,have you looked up that thread to see if there are any other helpful hints....? x

Best of luck to you! This is the first I've heard of the product...must try it out!

Originally Posted by inexcelsis

Best of luck to you! This is the first I've heard of the product...must try it out!

inexcelsis, I will keep her progress, posted! My hubby says if I can pull this off he will announce to the world what an amazing wife he has hahaha thanks for the luck!

Well the litter kwitter is on the loo now, she is very good at pooing but she pees near the edge and we had a "miss" last night. Oh heck that is to be expected, cleaned up the spill and move on. It is a messy process but not too bad yet, fingers are crossed. I am going to stay with this stage a couple of weeks before moving to the orange ring! Fingers crossed!

Hi there,
I meant the fur on the underside of his feet between the toes that cover the pads. The pads are where cats sweat from - why they usually pong therefore they are usually slightly damp and the leather is consequently ever so slightly stickier - like damp leather gloves. It could just be that he was a little clumsier than my Burmese who is less than half his size & much daintier. Argentium does have huge feet that he still regularly falls over.
Lithium being so small could wee in the 2nd green ring - forgot to ask, do you have the extender rings ? there are an extra orange & an extra green which make the steps more gradual. Argentium is so long, he usually made it through the hole, just because that was where he was naturally positioned. They still occassionally give themselves almost whiplash when they hear the noise
Good luck & remember a cat will only try to help you so far, then you're on your own
Fran x

Cant give you any advice cos I am an expectant mum, but I never knew you could train them to go to the loo. I am reading this thread with great interest, but mostly I am wishing you good luck and look forward to hear how you get on x

Originally Posted by jckkerrison

I wouldn't touch Ginger's snowshoes unless the problem presents itself & it would appear to make life easier for her, I am sure that I haven't read of any others on here who have used the litter kwitter having to do this,have you looked up that thread to see if there are any other helpful hints....? x

jckkerrison, Yes I have and I have watched youtube videos! I am currently a full time cat mum, so I have lots of time on my hands! I think the way she stands with her front feet on the edge of her box she should be fine. Ginger has her checkup from her spaying today, wow that was a fast two weeks and she is back to her little "MONSTER" self. I think she just started jumping on the top of our kitchen trash can, so she should be able to navigate the "loo" easily enough.
This is where we are at now...she loves to kick that litter around! But in her defense, it takes lot of litter to cover that scent, phew!
This is the next step, perhaps next week?