The Distinguished Gato
CLIENT: My Cat
MY ROLE: UX Researcher & Designer
TOOLS: Marker, Cardboard, Tape, Kitty Litter, City Kitty, Kitty's Loo
People say cats are easy.. But is cleaning (and smelling) a litter box really all that easy?
When a feral friend walked into my life, I was determined to find a solution. The Distinguished Gato explores the my cat's user journey from the litter box to the household toilet.
PROPOSED SOLUTION:
The Kitty Litter Complex
Cats can make great companions. However, owning a cat often equates to dealing with a litter box.
The litter box can bring issues:
Exploring Litter Box Alternatives
For those who have the patience and perseverance, there are cat toilet trainer systems one may use to encourage cats to skip the litter box and go straight to the human toilet.
In order to successfully accomplish this task, I needed to test several different cat toilets to see which one could do the trick and support my cat's journey from a litter box to an actual human toilet bowl.
How Cat Toilets are Designed:
Cat toilets first act as a new location for your cats litter. You remove the regular litter box and place kitty litter inside the holder on top of the toilet bowl. As your cat gets used to using the litter box in this new location, you start to open a hole within the device that holds the litter. Over time, you make hole larger and larger with litter placed around the opening. The hope is that you will be able to gradually increase the size of the hole to the same size as the toilet bowl thereby eliminating the need for the litter box!
Comparing the cat toilets on the market
I researched the options that were available in the market and unfortunately found disadvantages with all of them. Below are the limitations I found with each design:
One Size Fits All
The small hole makes it very easy for cats to get used to. However, the difference in size between the small hole and the toilet bowl size is so drastic that cats will not make the transition.
This cat toilet is designed to be used at all times and ideal for those who have a spare bathroom to be designated the cat bathroom.
I was unwilling to give up an entire toilet to my cat. I needed something we could share!
My Rating
Gradual Cut Outs
This option allows cats to graduate to bigger holes gradually until the hole is eventually the size of the toilet bowl.
The downside is that you need to cut each ring out from the inside after it has been used. It can take several weeks, and in my case a few months, to get your cat completely trained to use the toilet. With this option, you need to punch out the latest ring with your hands after it has been urinated and defecated on by your cat. This option was too gross for me!
Another downside was that after punching out a ring, there was no going back! You could not go back to a smaller ring if need be
My Rating
Pre-Sized Plastic Rings
This option provides 3 different sized plastic covers to fit inside on top of your toilet bowl. As your cat graduates to the bigger holes, you replace the plastic, cleanable rings.
The downside to this option is that each ring varies greatly in size. It is difficult for a cat to feel comfortable going from one size to the next. For my cat these next steps were just to drastic a change so modifications needed to be made.
My Rating
The Prototyping Begins
I took the positive aspects from each of the kitty toilets listed above to create my own version to help train my cat.
Hole Size
A major issue I found in the current cat toilets was that the hole sizes from one step to the next were too drastic for my cat to get used to. If the adjustment in size was too great, my cat refused to use the toilet all together.
Customizable
By creating this makeshift version of the kitty toilet, I was able to tape various size holes for my cat to get used to.
If I accidentally made the next size too large, I could easily adjust it and make a smaller hole.
The Final Product
Throughout the entire process I continuously adjusted the sizing of the holes.
At the very beginning of the process, it was necessary to place a bowl within the regular toilet that had no hole. As the cat got used to his new "litter box" location, a small hole was made into the kitty toilet.
As time progressed, the size of the hole grew until the kitty toilet was no longer needed.
Success!
Through the modification of the kitty toilet trainers on the market, my cat was successfully trained to use the human toilet.
Cleaner alternative - no kitty litter getting tossed around
Money saver - no longer have to spend money on kitty litter
Mobile - cats can use a standard toilet anywhere
No more yucky smell - I always thought cats stunk! I found out it was actually the nasty, used kitty liter!
Much easier maintenance - Simply flush and go!
You will be the envy of all your friends
Retrospective
MOST CHALLENGING:
There are kitty toilets out on the marketplace to train cats to use the regular bathroom; however, most only have about a 60% success rate. That means that almost half the people that give toilet training a try give up and revert back to the nasty kitty litter.
This was not an option for me. I was determined to find a solution to help save time and money (and my nostrils) in the long run. Tons of patience is needed on both the end of the trainer and from your pet. Imagine if your toilet bowl was constantly evolving!
It took some trial and error with the toilets mentioned above. Luckily, I was able to find a way to make this work and dismiss the use of a litter box forever!
NEXT STEPS:
I will continue to work on prototypes until one is created that allows a more gradual transition for hole sizes - without the tape and cardboard!! I am confident that I will develop a more practical alternative to what is currently out there that is able to emphasize sanitary kitty toilet option.