# My cat is using the toilet! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 30, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805 "2010-12-30T06:38:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Faelyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c77e96/32.png) [@Faelyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faelyn)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/1 "2010-12-30T06:38:20Z")
A few days ago my boyfriend and I were sitting in the living room and heard running water coming from the bathroom, thinking we had left something on we both go to investigate, only to be greeted from our [cat](http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n283/home_gurly25_2006/iuguig.jpg), [Otto](http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n283/home_gurly25_2006/3.jpg), as he’s walking out of the bathroom. Throw in a couple of confused looks between us, and my boyfriend notices that there’s bubbles in the toilet and that it smells like cat urine in the bathroom! Holy moly! Our cat just used the [toilet](http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n283/home_gurly25_2006/otoo.jpg)!! We thought that maybe it was a one time thing, but nooooooooooo! It’s an ongoing thing for him! The only weird thing about it, apart from the entire thing, is that he only urinates in the toilet, nothing solid. For that he goes to his litter box. Weird huh? Anyone else ever encountered this?? ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/2 "2010-12-30T06:53:27Z")
Otto is clearly a genius. Unfortunately, he’s also willing himself to grow thumbs, and he just may manage it. Start locking your bedroom doors. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/3 "2010-12-30T07:35:53Z")
Are you sure that Otto’s peeing was the sound of the running water? Maybe he was washing his paws. And why the heck doesn’t he [shut the door](http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n283/home_gurly25_2006/otoo.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![kjbrasda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/74df32/32.png) [@kjbrasda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kjbrasda)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/4 "2010-12-30T08:08:25Z")
[Cats can and have been taught to use the toilet.](http://www.karawynn.net/mishacat/toilet.html) That’s really awesome if he taught himself! As for the solids, he might not like the plop and splashback on the toilet, if he’s tried it. I do find my cats prefer to use seperate boxes for urinating and defecating. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/5 "2010-12-30T08:11:59Z")
Obviously a genius cat. He realizes he can’t flush, and knows the rule “if it’s yellow let it mellow, it it’s brown send it down”. Cats can be trained to use the toilet, but it takes work and usually easier for kittens to be trained. ---
**Author:** ![mikews99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@mikews99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikews99)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/6 "2010-12-30T09:13:40Z")
One of my cats occasionally uses the bathtub to pee. She actually squats and targets the drain so nothing hits the porcelain. The only way I find this out (if I don’t catch her in the act) is when I take a shower and the delightful scent of cat urine wafts up. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/7 "2010-12-30T09:52:46Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > He realizes he can’t flush [Sez who?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49jKeGyUCJE) ---
**Author:** ![Faelyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c77e96/32.png) [@Faelyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faelyn)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/8 "2010-12-30T22:22:01Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > [Sez who?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49jKeGyUCJE) Ha! That’s great!! Any tips on how I could teach him to do that?? That would be so amazing if we could completely eliminate the box! Also, do I need to worry about any passing of super bad germs or diseases from this? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/9 "2010-12-30T22:25:06Z")
Is he a rescued cat? It’s entirely possible his former owner trained him to use the toilet. I wonder what would happen if you removed the litter box and he didn’t have it to defecate in? (Note: that’s a very dicey experiment, given how bitchy cats can be when their litterboxes are fiddled with!) ETA: And no, there are no disease worries from this. There may be cat prints on your toilet seat, but a box of baby wipes kept nearby make quick cleaner uppers. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/10 "2010-12-30T23:40:22Z")
This is about the coolest thing I’ve read all day. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/11 "2010-12-30T23:45:29Z")
I’ve always thought that it’s quite possibly the greatest thing that man has ever done, teaching the cat to use the toilet. I mean, really, even putting rocket ships into space doesn’t equal that. I want to teach my cats how to use the toilet some day. ---
**Author:** ![Faelyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c77e96/32.png) [@Faelyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faelyn)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/12 "2010-12-31T02:29:11Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Is he a rescued cat? It’s entirely possible his former owner trained him to use the toilet. I wonder what would happen if you removed the litter box and he didn’t have it to defecate in? (Note: that’s a very dicey experiment, given how bitchy cats can be when their litterboxes are fiddled with!) > > ETA: And no, there are no disease worries from this. There may be cat prints on your toilet seat, but a box of baby wipes kept nearby make quick cleaner uppers. We got him from a woman who’d had him since he was a few days old, she estimated him to be about 3 months old when we picked him up. That was about two months ago. I’m not sure if she taught him to do it, she never mentioned it. I think I’ll try what was previously linked to do away with the litterbox, I’m a little scared to just take it away completely! ---
**Author:** ![corvidae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@corvidae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corvidae)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/13 "2010-12-31T16:13:37Z")
I had a cat that used to pee in the toilet, too! We have no idea where he picked it up - I mean, he was bright, but this was pretty freaky. We used to catch him at it late at night. The other cat we had gave it a shot (I guess she caught him at it, too), but she never got the hang of it. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/14 "2010-12-31T16:28:30Z")
Does he leave the lid up? ---
**Author:** ![cantara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@cantara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cantara)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-is-using-the-toilet/565805/15 "2010-12-31T17:22:42Z")
My brother had taught his cats to use the toilet. It took a while, but they got the hang of it. They were amazed one night when they heard a cat using the toilet, and then flush! It seems that they still like to ‘bury’ their business and they ended up scratching on the handle. Maybe put a textured surface on the top of the handle and introduce the cat to the feeling of it. I don’t have any suggestions for the lid…