One of the bigger considerations when deciding to adopt a pet is taking care of their toileting needs. Dogs will have to be trained and then taken outside often if they are going to live with you, and you must be willing to accommodate them. Cats are bit easier, because they naturally use a litter box, but you still have to clean it. Some folks get around this by training their cat to use a human toilet, especially since the renowned jazz bassist Charles Mingus published his guide for toilet-training your cat in 1972. It takes time and patience, and he ends the instructions with "good luck."
But is it a good idea? Maybe for you, since this eliminates the need to clean a litter box, but what does the cat get out of it? There are several reasons that training your cat to do something that is counter-instinctual and against their nature might not be good for your cat's overall quality of life. Dr. Ian Malcolm said it in Jurassic Park: "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." Read what training your cat to use a toilet means for the cat at Inverse.
(Image credit: Reward)
