How it works etc

Q - What is the Litter Kwitter®?
A - It is an award-winning training system designed to teach cats to use a human toilet & thereby rid the house of an unhygienic litter tray.

Q - How long does it take to train a cat to use the toilet?
A - This will depend on a number of factors like your cat’s age, temperament, sense of adventure and intelligence. We have known cats to take as little as two weeks. A rule-of-thumb is eight weeks from start to finish. It’s a small investment for years of a litter-free home.

Q - How does the Litter Kwitter® work?
A - The Litter Kwitter™ uses the cat’s existing ability to use a litter tray & modifies it in small behavioural steps until it happily uses the toilet. Cats have a need to hide the smell of their waste which is why they try to bury it in litter or elsewhere. The underlying principle of the Litter Kwitter™ training is to gradually expose the cat to the toilet & allow it to experience the toilet’s ability to take away the smell of its waste.

Q - Is the training easy to do? Can anyone do it?
A - The training is organised into 3 colour-coded stages to make it simple for the cat owner to follow. The product is supplied with written instructions as well as a 30 minute DVD to actually show cat owners what to do, how to do it & what to expect at each stage.

Q – Will the Litter Kwitter® arrive with instructions?
A – The Litter Kwitter™ ships with full printed instructions plus a DVD to lead you through each stage of the training system. The DVD will play on a PC, MAC or DVD player (VHS on request from the company website).

Q - Can any cat learn to use the toilet?
A - Any cat that can use a litter tray should be able to learn to use the toilet.

Q - Can you train kittens to use the toilet?
A – Yes. In fact kittens are probably the easiest to train. However, we don’t recommend training kittens below the age of 3 months or particularly small kittens as they may not be strong or coordinated enough to balance well on the toilet rim.

Q – Do I need any tools to fit the Litter Kwitter™ onto my toilet?
A – No. The Litter Kwitter® is not a permanent fixture on your toilet and requires no tools to fit. You just raise the existing seat & fit the Litter Kwitter® onto the porcelain rim of the toilet bowl where it fits snugly.

Q – Will the Litter Kwitter® fit any size toilet bowl?
A – The Litter Kwitter® has been designed to fit on 90% of the standard oval toilet bowls in Australasia, UK, USA, Europe and Asia. It has special clips to ensure a snug fit. It is not suitable for squat toilets. If you have an unusual shaped toilet (eg round or square rather than oval) then please check the dimensions to see if it matches the specification in the diagram:

Q – Will I have to leave the Litter Kwitter® on the toilet permanently?
A – No. The last step in the Litter Kwitter® training is to lower the toilet seat on top of the Litter Kwitter™ to get the cat used to the feel of your regular toilet seat. Once he’s happy with that simply remove the device from the rim.

Q – I only have one toilet in the house. How can I train the cat to use the toilet if I need to use it too?
A – The Litter Kwitter® has been designed to be easily removed & replaced on the toilet rim. Simply lift the device from the rim & put the seat down to use the toilet yourself. Afterwards, raise the seat again & replace the Litter Kwitter® on the porcelain rim. It’s as easy as that, no tools required. You don’t need to remove the litter & the whole process takes 5 seconds.
 
Q - Do cats have to be litter trained to use the Litter Kwitter®?
A – Ideally, yes. The Litter Kwitter™ uses the cat’s existing litter tray behaviour & modifies it to use the toilet. Most kittens sold by breeders are already litter trained when you buy them. However, if yours isn’t this needn’t stop you. It is relatively easy to litter train a cat.

Q - Can older cats learn to use the toilet?
A - The simple answer is yes, but as with any training the younger the cat the easier it will be. Young cats have the least to unlearn whereas older cats have more entrenched habits. However, each cat is different & if you have an older cat you will know its personality well. If it’s generally bright, easy-going and receptive to change then there should be no problem. As a rule of thumb we’d say that up to the age of five or six there should be no problem. For older cats just be prepared to be a little more patient & make changes more slowly.

Q - My cat is very big. Can the Litter Kwitter® hold its weight?
A - Most cats fall within the weight range of 2 - 5 kilos (5 – 20lbs). The Litter Kwitter™ has been designed to cope with cats of any size or weight. The Litter Kwitter® has been designed to suit cats of any size. If the cat’s size is OK for the toilet then it’s OK for the Litter Kwitter. The Litter Kwitter® could comfortably support the weight of a 30kg (70lb) cat, if there were such a creature.

Q - Will my cat fall into the toilet?
A – Cats are nimble creatures & navigating the toilet should be easy for them. Also, cats don’t like water so they’ll try their best to avoid falling in.

Q - Will litter fall into the toilet?
A – The Litter Kwitter® Training Discs have ridges – or returns - to prevent litter from falling in to the toilet pan. When using litter be sure to only fill just below the height of the ridges on the discs. It is possible small amounts of litter may still fall into the toilet pan if your cat scratches around vigorously. We recommend using either recycled paper litter or crystals which should not cause any problems in the small amounts likely to be involved.

Q - Can a de-clawed cat use the Litter Kwitter®?
A – We see no reason why a de-clawed cat should not be able to use a toilet like any other cat. If you find your cat has trouble gripping onto the toilet seat you could use the anti-slip tape used in baths and showers to prevent slipping. This is available in all good hardware stores.

Q - Can more than one cat be trained at a time?
A – Yes. First ensure they all use the same litter tray rather than having their own trays. Then simply start the training from there. The only problem might be if one cat moves at a slower pace than the others – or one has a little accident & misses the hole. In these cases you will have to be more vigilant and move at the slowest’s pace. But if you have more than one cat you’ll be used to this!

Q - My cat has a mobility issue (arthritis, less than 4 legs etc). Can it be trained to use the toilet?
A - The Litter Kwitter® has successfully been used to train 3-legged cats although naturally more care needs to be taken to ensure the cat is stable on the toilet. We don’t recommend training cats with mobility issues but ultimately cat owners know their cats & can make judgements about their ability to adapt.



Health, hygiene & environmental questions

Q - Is it hygienic to share a toilet with a cat?
A - The toilet is specially designed to deal with bodily waste in the most hygienic way possible – by immersing it in water to reduce odours & then flushing it away to be treated in water treatment plants or septic tanks.
When cats use the toilet it is usually only their paws that come into contact with the toilet seat – the same paws that already walk on bench tops, pillows & laps.
When cats try to bury their waste in the litter tray they get waste on their paws & then tread it around the house – on the same food preparation areas, bedding and carpets as before. Which do you think sounds more hygienic?

Q - What about toxoplasmosis?
A - Toxoplasmosis is a rare but serious disease that can be carried by infected cats and can affect pregnant women & other vulnerable people. We don’t recommend commencing the Litter Kwitter™ training if you are pregnant or nursing an infant for this reason. But please be aware that you risk exposure if you have an infected cat that is using a litter tray in your home also. If you are in a vulnerable group please consult your GP for advice on cat ownership & dealing with their waste.

Q - Do all cats carry the toxoplasmosis bug?
A - No, they don’t. In fact the disease is quite rare. There are some misconceptions here. The disease does not start in cats: cats can become infected only if they come into contact with the disease - by eating infected meat from wildlife for example. It is relatively difficult to become infected. However, if you have any concerns please check with your vet and your doctor before beginning the training.



Miscellaneous questions

Q – How well researched is the Litter Kwitter™?
A - The Litter Kwitter® is a unique Australian design that uses an understanding of cat psychology to train them to use the toilet. The training & product design has been developed & tested with input from cat owners, vets and animal behaviourists – in particular Dr Joanne Righetti. Dr Righetti is one of Australia’s leading animal behaviourists and a regular commentator on cat behaviour for ABC Radio, national magazines & other media. Her recent book ‘Cat Toileting Problems Solved’ is devoted to issues surrounding cats’ toileting behaviour & features a section on the Litter Kwitter®.

The product itself is unique in allowing the sharing of a toilet, enabling training steps to be revisited, in supporting the weight of all sizes of cats, in requiring no modifications to the toilet and in understanding that cat owners as well as cats need guidance too (via the step-by-step DVD that is supplied with each product).

Q – What awards has the Litter Kwitter® won?
A - The Litter Kwitter™ won the PIAA (industry association) New Product of the Year award in 2005, was an episode winner on the ABC’s New Inventors TV program and was a finalist in the Fresh Innovators 2005 national competition.