Question
My 8 years old boy loves cats, but I work a full time job and of course my son would be at school at the same time that I work.
I would like to get a cat, but am concerned about how to litter train it if I'm not with it all day. Is it something easy? How long does it take to get it trained?
Answer
To directly answer your question, litterbox training a cat that doesn't already naturally take to a litterbox is not easy, and the process can take weeks.
However, cats are not like dogs. Many cats do not need to be so formally trained to use the litterbox. Litterboxes are designed to appeal to cats' natural instincts, and so many cats are "trained" early on by the proper encouragement, and instinct fills in the blanks. But this is certainly not true of all cats. Those cats that need more formalized training in order to figure out how to use one can definitely be difficult. If you are worried about it, make sure to adopt from someone that is aware of their animals' toilet habits and only get one that is known to be trained already. Since cats are generally easy to "train," a great many available animals will already know to use the litterbox.
Be aware when you bring a new cat home, it will be very stressful for the animal, and there may be accidents or territorial marking. It is recommended in order to try to prevent this as much as possible to keep your cat confined to one room at first. The cat can then explore its one room, and that one room will become its safe zone. Since it is only one room, the cat will definitely become aware of the location of the litterbox also. You may even try placing the cat in the litterbox a little while after a meal to try to encourage it to use it. Then, once the cat is settled, you can allow the cat into a little bit larger area more and more until it has explored the entire house.
Answered By - Kai