A Reddit user has shocked internet users after revealing what she found her cat doing in the toilet, even though nobody had ever trained him for it.
In a post shared on Monday by u/No-Opportunity8225, the owner explains that the cat’s litter robot was experiencing a malfunction, and it wasn’t ready for a few hours, so he found a quick solution.
Without anyone noticing, the cat went into the family bathroom, sat on the toilet seat, and peed in it like a human, despite the fact that nobody had ever shown him how to use a toilet before.
“I didn’t notice until my husband told me ‘Winston is peeing on the toilet!’ This baby seriously went pee and squatted on the toilet like a human. He’s never been trained to do this, he just loves being in the bathroom with us when we are going,” she said in the post. “I think we have a genius cat…”
She also reassured users that the litter robot was fixed immediately after they saw this, and he immediately returned to using it.
u/No-Opportunity8225
“We were shocked as we’ve never trained him to do this. Overall, he’s a super smart cat, and has never had an accident in the 5 years we’ve had him,” the Redditor, Grace Kokoris, told Newsweek.
“He was adopted from a shelter and has a lot of health issues from FIV, to asthma to arthritis, but despite all that he is incredibly intelligent.”
Dr. Matthew McCarthy, founder of Juniper Valley Animal Hospital, told Newsweek that, as a veterinarian, he has seen this happen more than once.
“In fact, one of our own cats, Marble, trained herself to use the toilet,” McCarthy said. “No prompting, no fancy kit; she just decided that our first-floor bathroom was the place to go. We discovered it when we were sitting in the dining room and heard what sounded like someone using the toilet despite all humans being accounted for.
“A minute later, Marble walked out. Since then, we’ve watched her do it more than once. She uses the toilet for urination only—not for defecation—but the point is, no one taught her. (Side note: she never flushes. But to be fair, neither do some of the humans in the house).”
If your cat doesn’t have this innate skill, you can easily teach it with positive reinforcement. However, experts question whether it is actually worth it and warn of the risks this exposes you as their owner.
Dr. Liza Cahn, Veterinarian at Embrace Pet Insurance, told Newsweek that there are several reasons why training your cat to use the toilet is not the best idea.
“Not only does it prevent them from scratching, digging, and burying waste (a natural instinct), but it also makes it difficult for pet owners to notice changes in urination and defecation, which are often early indicators of disease,” she said.
“[Moreover], zoonotic conditions, such as toxoplasmosis, can be spread in cat feces, so sharing a toilet with your cat is not recommended from a health and sanitation perspective.”
The Reddit post quickly went viral online and has received over 79,000 upvotes and 1,500 comments on the platform.
One user, Metanipotent, commented: “Don’t be surprised when he starts talking.”
Brilliant-Network-28 said: “Force him to pay rent and taxes.”
DabK3r commented: “My boy has done that on occasion as well. Monkey see, monkey do I guess.”
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