You will need: Water More cardboard and tape (enough to make 2-3 more platforms) [optional] In Phase I, we got the cat accustomed to going in the toilet. Then, in Phase II, we got the cat to accept that it does not have to stand in litter to go, and that it can drop its waste into a hole. Now, for the third step, probably the most critical and difficult - replacing the litter with water. The cat is denied two pleasures that it recently had, the pleasure of digging a hole and the pleasure of burying its waste. To execute, it is simple - just replace the litter with water (in the same salad bowl which still has the same cardboard platform with a hole in it). A picture of this is shown to the left, although you'll just have to trust that the salad bowl is full of water instead of litter since the picture does not make it visible. You might also choose to make a new platform depending on how beat-up and/or dirty the current one is. No matter how thouroughly and seamlessly I wrapped the cardboard platforms with tape, the cat always managed to find one small spot that was vulnerable to soak up moisture, so I ended up replacing mine several times for this reason. I can almost guarantee that you will have to revert back to strategies at the end of Phase I to get the cat to accept going in water. This may be a simple step, but it certainly isn't easy! Your most important goal is to make sure you know when your cat needs to go. When your cat needs to go, you'll be right there to put the cat on the toilet over and over again until the cat finally gets the hint. Read more about this in my own personal story of toilet training my cat (the last section of this tutorial). I do not recommend trying to "fade" from litter to water by decreasing litter to nothing and then gradually filling up with water - I tried that, and it was just one more thing my cat had to get used to--the complete lack of litter--before having to get used to water anyway. It just prolonged and complicated the process. Another option can be seen in the picture to the right (taken by Nita from Seal Beach, Ca, a person who trained her cat using my method). Nita glued sandpaper to the toilet seat so that her cat Penny would have more confidence in standing on the seat without slipping. This might be a wise thing for everyone to do. During the training, my cat suddenly stopped wanting to poop in the toilet, suggesting that he may have had a bad experience one time squatting (perhaps due to water splashing up, or perhaps due to slipping and getting his paw wet). Having a non-slippery surface for him to stand on may have prevented this training ordeal (see "My Story" for more details). When the cat goes in the water on its own for 1-2 days successfully (and remember that I still consider it "successful" even if the cat misses the hole), go on to Phase 4.

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