CitiKitty Cat Toilet Training Kit (One Pack)

Here is a detailed review of the process so far. I will edit it again when the conversion process is done.Here's a little background info. Nyan was 16 weeks when we started this. He was using a traditional litter box with no issue. He is at home alone all day and has full run of the house. Whenever we make a change we close off access to all rooms except the common areas to that there is less chance of him making a mistake in one of those rooms.About the product: On first inspection...the plastic tray seemed cheap and I thought my cat would freak out because it was a bit wobbly. But it did it's job no problem. Besides, it is just going to get cut up, washed and recycled, so it didn't need to be super heavy duty plastic. The wobbliness really does help the cat get used to balancing on the edge.Week 1 - Sunday, Litter box in the same room with the City Kitty tray in place...with litter. About Day three (Tuesday) I placed him on top of the toilet in the tray and guided his paw through the litter, so he knew it was there. On Thursday morning, I removed the litter box altogether. Goodbye you stinky, gross thing. Kitty was doing his business in the tray. He got into a routine. I'd come to check the tray for waste, he'd hop up there do his thing when he was done. I'd clean it up and I'd give him a treat. Thursday evening, I removed the smallest insert. The cat didn't even notice. We stayed like that for 2 more days.Week 2 - Sunday, I removed the second insert. No big deal. Kitty used it just like a regular litter box. He was a little unhappy with the small amount of litter, but by Monday evening he didn't care. At this point he only does his business when I'm downstairs, cause he knows he's going to get a treat. :)Week 3 - Removing the third insert Sunday evening. We stayed at this phase for 2 weeks. Kitty was very interested in what was in the hole and put his paw down in the water a few times. No mistakes. The hole was big enough to put the clumps and poo down so I made sure to let him see me do that and then flushed the toilet. Mind you he's just in the room when I do this. Not on the toilet. However, he started hopping up there and watching.Week 5 - Removing the 4th insert, caused a bit of confusion. The hole was big enough for him to put his head down in there. Which he did. He also got his tail wet a few times. During the 6th week, we went away for a 5 days and my roommate was in charge of flushing and filling the litter tray. Kitty decided he would rebel and poo'd in the trash can and once on the floor. Mind you. This was only poo. He has been peeing directly in the toilet successfully with no issue since the first day we removed the 3rd insert and the whole time we were gone. When we came home. I went and checked the toilet to see if I needed to fill litter or flush. I put some litter in and he hoped up on the toilet an started doing his business in the toilet. So I think the mistakes were caused by the change in our routine. So, I'd advise users to only start the process if you're able to keep a good routine. Note, he was not punished when he made a mistake. The roommate just made sure that kitty saw him pick up the poo, stick it in the toilet and flush. Flushing has become a really exciting time for kitty. he loves to watch the water and stuff go down. We stayed on this stage for another week for a total of 3 to make sure he was okay with it. I think letting them see the poo and clumps go down in the hole and hearing the small splash helps them understand that it is "normal" and good when this happens.Week 8 - 5th insert out. We now have only about an inch round ring of litter left. Kitty cried and scratched at the small amount of litter in the tray and he held his waste in for longer than usual. However, I put him up there and guided his paw in the small ring of litter, like I did in the beginning and he finally went directly in the toilet. Of course he comes over begging for a treat right after. I'm going to leave it on this stage for about 4 weeks. I think this is the hardest step for him, but he's getting there.Also, I moved more quickly through the first couple of stages because Nyan really didn't seem phased. When we got to the last three inserts, I've given him more time to adjust, because I started to notice he was a little more hesitant. Don't rush your cat. Follow the directions included if you think your cat is not adjusting as well. This process requires patience. Which I had to learn during this time.Word to the hyper clean people. Like me :). This is a messy process. Litter will get everywhere. I kept a small dustpan and broom nearby to sweep up the mess. If there is litter on the floor the kitty may get confused and think he is supposed to go where the litter is. So...clean it up daily...at least.That being said. It's so worth it. I'm a cat person but I cannot stand that "cat-in-the-house" smell. I've hosted two small get togethers since I started this process, people can't believe I have a cat. Unless he's gone to the toilet while they were there, they don't smell any "cat smell".Note: You will smell the poo right after the kitty goes, because the small amount of litter doesn't really provide the cat with the ability to cover it up well. So before the cat starts going in the hole...you will smell poo until you scoop the poo off the tray into the hole. My cat is on a high protein diet and Phew! It stinks during the phases where he's not going directly into the water, but as soon as it's flushed the smell is gone.Okay that's the update for now. Like I said, I'll update in about 4 weeks. I can't believe I wrote so much about something related to cat poo, but I can't say enough good things about this product.EDIT: It's been longer than 4 weeks. My cat seems stuck at this spot, if I take out the last ring he seems to have an issue with standing on the edge of the seat. Despite standing on it with no problem when the ring is there. I'll try again in a month or so. That being said. I still stand by this product. I still have no litter box. Just one toilet that is a little less convenient to use.EDIT: 3/22/2013 Kitty is using just the toilet now. It took a bunch of patience, but it's been so worth it.He will indiscriminately use any toilet for peeing, but he only poos in the toilet we trained him on.

The product is fine, but the issue falls with the punching out of the rings. The instructions state to punch each out as your cat seems ready to move on to the next level, BUT if you went too fast and need to go back to the previous level, naturally you cannot replace the punchout! Also the package insert advises you may want to punch out a half-ring if your cat is slower to catch on. There are no perforations to do a half-ring. Anyway, since cats cannot talk, if you misjudge their rate of progress and punch out the plastic ring, you cannot go back. This product can serve as a cheaper alternative to the more expensive kitty toilet training rings of various sizes. Obviously with those, you are paying for more sturdiness and the ability to back up to the previous size/level ring if needed.So, how did my cat do? She is age 9, and was only partially successful. It may work best with a kitten. My cat would urinate on CitiKitty fine, but would not defecate. She held it in all week and finally went just outside the bathroom door on the carpet. I cleaned and wanted to start again, but by day 3 I knew she would just go on the carpet again. :-( I have done a lot of internet research, and this is a common problem. (The competing product even has a forum with a post dedicated solely to this problem.) I am single and at work all day, so couldn't monitor her toilet trips like I read that other pet owners have. Nor did I feel comfortable locking her in the bathroom as some did. Plus I felt so awful knowing she must be so uncomfortable not wanting to use CitiKitty enough to hold it in all week!Bottom line, it's not just the product. It's your cat, and your dedication. This is an inexpensive alternative product if you want to try it out!

I'm sad to say this product doesn't do all it promises. I would have given more stars but I feel it's misleading to advertise cats can do this in two weeks or less. Um, no. I'd like to see actual stats on success rates. Sort of like how weight watchers has to say "these results aren't typical" when they brag on someone who lost a lot of weight (I do love WW by the way, losing weight is hard and it does help!). And toilet training a cat is hard and clearly for some can work too. I just think there should have been more support and feedback specific to your cat. Yes, I did the forum and it was a whole bunch of people saying "this isn't working" and very little suggestions that helped. I mean, a few things were there, but it's clearly not monitored by someone who can properly coach you on what to do. So after NINE MONTHS we finally gave up. Yes, that's right, for NINE MONTHS we gave up a toilet and tried to make this work. (you could share the toilet but it's a pain). We did everything to make it positive. At first our cat took to it, no issues. We problem solved his worry about the ring holes getting bigger. The design and concept are definitely cool that way. But we should have seen the signs that it was stressing him out, as I think it likely does to many cats. He had blood in his stool. He cried a lot and ran around trying to find a place to poop. He never got the hang of balancing on the toilet seat and kept trying to stand on the inner citikitty ring which is meant to be a little flimsy so you can cut it back. We did put the extra insert in the bowl for stages and that helped. Sometimes he pooped in the toilet, and he did always pee there (minus one accident when he peed ont he dog bed downstairs?). He did poop in the bathtub at times so we filled it with a low bit of water so he stopped doing that, until we'd forget to make sure there was water in it. And then on that very last ring he started pooping in the sink! And we never could get him to stop with any consistency despite so many efforts. We even made tin foil bowls and filled them with water to put in the sink. He'd just push them aside and poop under them. I even got a toddler seat and thought well, this is better than a cat box, we could do this indefinitely. Thought it might help give him more to balance on. But he wouldn't take to it. I finally called it when the day before company came (that's the bathroom they'd use and would have navigate around the citikitty seat), I smelled the poop and couldn't find it, wasn't in the toilet.... then I stepped on the edge of the bathmat and it was oddly soft. Yep, he'd lifted the bathmat, pooped on the floor, and then covered the poop with the mat! Ugh!!! So I decided I'd had it, done all we could. I got out the cat box and the first thing he did was jump in and pee. Poor guy. I think it was causing more stress than I wanted to admit. I can only imagine this can cause health issues for a cat, either right away or down the road, if there's stress or delay in urinating/pooping. It's kind telling this is an "as seen on shark tank" but not endorsed by any vets. I wish I had better things to say, it's a great idea, but just not for everyone the way it's marketed. If the company was more honest and supportive around the product then I'd have given more stars. Maybe ask your vet for their thoughts and suggestions before taking this on.