posted May 08, 2005 05:05 PM         

New Litter-KwitterTM
Teach Your Cat to Use the Toilet!

You love your cat. You hate his litter tray. If only you could have one without the other.

With the new Litter-KwitterTM Cat Toilet-Training System you can train your cat to use a normal toilet just like you. No more mess, no more germs, no more hassle.

The inspiration for the idea came from the Robert DeNiro comedy ‘Meet the Fockers’ featuring a toilet-trained cat, Mr Jinks.

Litter-KwitterTM inventor Jo Lapidge explains, “It was such a funny scene. But then I thought what a great idea! What if I really could train my cat? How would I do it?”

Jo decided to create a device to make it easy for anyone to train their own Mr Jinks – and the result is the Litter-KwitterTM Cat Toilet-Training System. “The system takes a three stage approach to make it easy for cats of any age – and their owners - to make the transition from litter tray to toilet” she explains.

Developed with assistance from some of Australia’s leading Vets & Cat Specialists the Litter-KwitterTM Cat Toilet-Training System leads your cat through a simple behaviour modification using three colour-coded training discs.

The red, amber & green discs slot into a seat-like device that sits securely on the floor like a normal litter tray, then up onto the porcelain rim of the toilet. The Litter-KwitterTM system gradually teaches your cat to seek out the bathroom, hop onto the toilet and position himself over the hole to go just like everyone else.

“The core idea is to introduce an increasing hole with reducing amounts of litter to wean your cat off the litter habit & improve his balancing skills” Jo explains. “The discs allow your cat to progress at his own pace to build his confidence and ability”.

Although it sounds comical, the idea of a toilet-trained cat has a more serious side. We Australians love cats – one-in-four of us share our lives with Felix and we spent $1.5 billion last year keeping 2½ million of them happy, comfortable & well-fed1.

The RSPCA tells us to raise indoor-cats2 and around half of us spend $250 on litter every year doing just that. The other half has cats that get into all sorts of trouble – they attack the wildlife, they dig up the neighbour’s garden, they settle midnight disputes noisily, and they wander off to become strays. They’d be so much happier indoors but most people say they let them out “to do their business”.

The problem is that an indoor-cat needs an indoor toilet. The cat goes in the litter tray & buries its waste in the litter – just like in the garden. But when the cat does this in the tray it gets the waste on its paws then treads it around the house.

The litter tray is smelly & carries germ dangers for the family, especially children & pregnant women3. And we all know that Fluffy sometimes likes to go on the rug too. All-in-all it’s one big germ, environmental & hygiene hassle you could do without.

Two of Australia’s leading experts on cat health, Dr Randolph Baral and Dr Melissa Catt of the Paddington Cat Hospital* in Sydney, agree:

“Training your cat to use the toilet means less mess, less time spent cleaning up and is more hygienic for the owners than manually removing solid waste from the litter” they said recently.

References:

1. BISShrapnel (2003) "Contribution of the Pet Care Industry to the Australian Economy".

2. RSPCA Policy & Position Guidelines. Section A – Companion Animals section 3.2 “Control of Cats” 2005

3. Toxoplasmosis – Institute of Clinical Pathology & Medical Research. Westmead Hospital Sydney.

For more information, photos & product details contact Jo Lapidge on:
Email: Litter Kwitter info@litterkwitter.com.au

Stand Innovation Pty Ltd
49 Earl St
Beacon Hill
NSW 2100
Phone/fax: (+61 2) 9453 2216

*Contact Details for Paddington Cat Hospital:
Randolph Baral BVSc MACVSc, Melissa Catt BVSc
Paddington Cat Hospital
183 Glenmore Rd
Paddington NSW 2021 Australia
(+61 2) 9380 6111