How easy is it to train a cat?

Especially an older cat will be looking for something like a litter pan.
I think it will get the picture fast given the opportunity.

Good for you getting a rescue cat ! God bless the both of you. May you have many happy years together!

We trained our rescue cat to use the litter box in less than a day. We got her home, put her in it a bunch of times, and never looked back. She has never gone anywhere else since.

I’ve never taken in a cat that didn’t know what the litter box was for from the first day. Even outdoor feral cats prefer to go in a sandbox or litter box if one is available to them.

@all; Her specific question is whether you can train a cat to use a litter box on a table rather than on the ground.

Sorry, I can’t answer that. When my cat arrived, he caught on in one glance, but the box was on the floor.

I have a friend who put her box on a small stool, about 8” off the ground while she (friend and not cat) was recovering from knee surgery. The cat was fine but the leaping distance was not great.

Call the shelter and ask them this specific question. Perhaps they could train the cat to your specific needs before he came to you.

This is a very good question. If only everyone read the details.

In your case, I think it would be easy to train as cats prefer litter boxes, an older cat may have issues with arthritis and not like jumping up and down. It may need a box or stool to use as a step, or it may need a ramp. You may need to put up a privacy screen, some cats don’t like to go with an audience.

There are also self cleaning litter boxes available that can be plumbed into either the toilet or a utility sink that will eliminate you having to do the cleaning.

As long as you show the cat where it is, several times in the first few days, a litter box on a table shouldn’t be a problem. If I were you, though, I’d build (or have built for me) a table that has a fairly deep tray top (like a ledge around the table) in order to keep the litter box on it. You’ll want something with a lot of weight at the bottom, too. Otherwise, the litter box or the entire table will be too easy for the cat to knock over.

Cats are very clean creatures, and don’t like to make a mess as dogs tend to. I’ve owned 9 cats in the past, and the longest it took was 2 weeks. Some only took 2 to 3 days. Good luck and hope it doesn’t get too troublesome <3

@gailcalled I’m a he, not a she, but other than that, you’re exactly right. The issue is whether I can train a cat to use the litterbox on the table not on the ground.

@WestRiverrat makes a good point, too. The cat may need some kind of step(s) to get up and down easily.

@Bent:

@WestRiverrat has a very good idea. My sister and brother-in-law are clucking over their dear and ancient dog during what will probably be her last month of life. She has such bad arthritis that they built a very shallow inclined ramp from the front door to the lawn for her to use.

My sister (who has arthritic knees) also uses it. It might be worth trying for a cat.

A young cat can leap tall buildings with a single bound, but they do, alas, eventually age.

Another good question for the shelter people. They might be willing to rig something up there and see which cat likes it. Then they can move it… lock, stock and ramp…to your house.

How much mobility do you have? The use of your upper body and full range of motion of your arms and hands. A neighbor to call in case of a cat emergency? Rare but it does happen and when you least expect it.

@gailcalled ooh asking the shelter people is a great idea. I have an appointment to see them on Saturday, and then they will want to check over where I live before allowing me to adopt, but asking them to try out the idea on their cats first is a really good one.

if they think they can work something out (and any good shelter worth its salt will move the earth to give an animal a good home) also try to get a sweetie who will let you trim his/her nails without turning into the wild animal it used to be.

I have to haul my cat to the Humane Society monthly to have his nails cut; to pay me back, he gets carsick every single trip; on our arrival home, I need to clean him, his carrier and the towel in it.

@Bent Yes, @gailcalled is correct. If you let the shelter know, they may either direct you to a compliant cat, or have a foster family train a cat to do this for you.

Cats are (for the most part) strongly motivated to use a litter box. They also like high places. While I’ve never had an elevated litter box, I suspect you’ll have no problems.

Another possibility for you might be a self-cleaning litter box. If the soiled litter is pre-bagged for you, you might be able to use a gripper to remove the bag.

My friendly neighborhood cat lady has the CatGenie

It costs more up front, but it paid for itself in less than a year with the savings on cat litter.

I would station the litter box on the floor next to where it will later be on the table. After your new kitty has used the litter box once, have it elevated to it’s permanent home. Don’t clean out his first ‘deposit’ until he’s made a second. He should get it after that. Clumping litter makes cleaning the box easy because you don’t change the litter, you just add more as needed.

I’m sure the cat would adjust quickly.
I just adopted a 5 year old cat in Dec. and he learned to use the box in 3 different places in less that 2 weeks. First in the bathroom where he was confined the first week at night. Then, I moved it onto the landing in my garage where the cat door is accesses through the kitchen/garage door.

A few days later I moved both his box and my other cats box that was in a different spot in the garage to yet another spot. No issues whatsoever.
It’s a permanent arrangement now, no move moving. haha

@Hain_roo thankyou! That is an excellent idea. Brilliant!

I have heard, although not sure I believe it, that some cats can be trained to use a human toilet. I wouldn’t’ count on that, however.

I love this question.

@gailcalled I’ve seen that on youtube. It looks freaky. I wonder if they can be trained to flush too?

You’re welcome, he’ll remember where he went last and when he gets there he’ll smell just where to go :)

The Cat Genie thing that @WestRiverrat linked to is genius. That could really work for you. Heck, I want one now!

I have had several cats in several apartments, and have never known the placement of the litterbox to cause the cat any confusion or distress. As others have said, they figure it out pretty quick – and they really prefer not to go anywhere but a sandbox, so that’s a powerful motivator.

I would think that the cat will use the litter box wherever it is located particularly if you show it where it is. People even train cats to use the toilet with specialty trays that fit into the space so why not a table?

Assuming that the cat even jumps (most do, but not all), they tend to figure out where the pan is pretty quickly. Every cat we’ve had was already box-trained and managed to find it within a couple of hours of rehoming.