Face it: Your cat is the ruler of your house. She knows it, and so do you. So why shouldn’t she sit on the throne? So, it is time to learn to toilet train your cat!

What You’ll Need

Absorbent cat waste material. Clumpable kitty litter will ruin your plumbing, so try an organic or natural kind, or shredded newspaper.

Cardboard box

Cat litter

Plastic to place underneath the cardboard

Scissors

Do It Yourself!

Replace your cat’s regular litter box with the cardboard box, fill it with its familiar litter, and leave it in the cat’s usual spot. Once she is acclimated to these changes—which will take a few days—gradually move the box toward the bathroom, relocating it by just a few feet each day.

Once the box is in the bathroom, the pace slows down. Move the box to the foot of the latrine, and then up under its seat, where it should stay for at least a week or two. This is where most training regimes go awry. The inconvenience of moving the pan every time you need to use the bathroom—to say nothing of the gross-out factor—leads many would-be trainers to give up. Patience and persistence are vital.

After the first few days, cut a hole in the bottom of the box, gradually enlarging it as time goes on.

When the hole is the same size as the area inside a toilet seat, suspend the cat’s litter pan under the seat, but over the bowl.

The cat must come to feel comfortable on the seat, and only practice will help her achieve the proper balance. Once she gets the idea, though, your cat is likely to take to it thoroughly.

Next Step?

Teach your cat how to flush. Duh!

This article was first published in Uncle John’s How to Toilet Train Your Cat: And 61 Other Ill-Conceived Projects.