Cognitive dissonance is a psychological term, and it refers to a mental state where a person has inconsistent thoughts or beliefs. It’s something we’re all familiar with, and we probably see it fairly often. But sometimes, two things that appear to be wildly different are more alike than we think. For example, when you buy our dog training pad, you might think they’re exclusively intended for dogs. But what about cats?

We know, it sounds insane. First, cats are all about litter boxes. Second, isn’t it impossible to train a cat? When a cat becomes elderly, arthritis can make stepping into the litter box difficult. That means litter can be scattered all over the place, the floor and walls can potentially be sprayed, or the cat might opt to just use the floor out of convenience. While it’s true that cats definitely go their own way, it is possible to train them. Read on for a few tips for training your cat to use a puppy pad.

• First, clean out the litter box entirely, then place a clean puppy pad inside it.Make sure that the pad is either laid flat on the bottom or that the pad is large enough to drape over the sides of the box. Theoretically, the cat should use the pad simply out of habit.
• Another approach is, using a paper towel, place some of your cat’s stool on top of the puppy pad. Ideally, the cat will smell the stool at the pad and decide to use it. If you’re not comfortable with using stool, you can also put a handful of kitty litter on the center of the pad. As she uses the pad, gradually put less and less litter down until you phase its usage out completely.
• But what if your cat has decided to no longer use the litter box, and goes right in front of it? In that case, put the puppy pad at the location your cat uses. If your cat sprays on the wall in the same spot, some cat owners recommend taping the puppy pad to the wall.
• Once you’ve found a location for the pad, and your cat is using it consistently, you may discover that the cat is crumpling up the pad in an attempt to “bury” his waste. This can result in the cat spreading waste. You may want to put the pad on a floor, like tile, that’s easy to clean.
• Suppose you’re not crazy about just putting the pad right on the floor? One option is to place the pad on a cookie sheet. The sides are low enough that a kitten or elderly cat can step over them without any trouble. Plus, if the cat decides to crumple up the pad, the mess should be a little more contained.
• Another option is to cut the sides off of the litter box to make entering easy. If you or someone else is handy, you can also modify a plastic storage container and turn it into a litterbox. With a 30-gallon storage box, you can cut an entrance for your cat as low as needed, and the plastic container is a snap to clean. Just remember to put duct tape on the cut edges so that your cat isn’t injured.