CitiKitty has been around since the early 2000s, which makes it one of the oldest cat toilet training kits you can still buy today. That kind of track record gets attention, especially from cat owners who want a method with years of real homes behind it, not just a trend. Urban pet parents in small apartments, families juggling kids and a litter box, and trainers who get asked about this stuff daily all want the same three things: what's in the box, whether it actually works, and if something better has come along since it launched.
Those are fair questions for a product with this much history. A kit built two decades ago was designed around the bathrooms, cats, and habits of that era, and toilet training methods have changed since then. The fairest way to judge CitiKitty now is against clear criteria: how the seat and tray system holds up through each training stage, how many cats actually finish the process, and what it costs compared to kits built more recently.
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Why Cat Toilet Training Kits Exist
Ring-based kits like CitiKitty work on one idea: shrink the litter-filled ring inside the toilet seat over several weeks until your cat is balancing on the bare bowl rim. Each stage moves the ring up and in, forcing the cat to adjust its stance and get used to the sound and feel of a toilet instead of a box. The goal is a cat that uses the household toilet with no litter at all, start to finish.
This appeals to eco-conscious owners who want to stop buying bags of litter and sending used clumps to the landfill, a concern covered in more detail in used kitty litter is bad for the planet. Urban pet parents in small apartments like it too, since it frees up floor space that a litter box would otherwise take up.
Seat-based systems take a different approach, keeping a stable platform in place while swapping trays as training advances. The table below lays out the basic differences.
| Feature | Ring-based kit | Seat-based kit |
|---|---|---|
| Core mechanism | Shrinking plastic ring | Removable training trays |
| Seat stability during training | Ring can shift on the bowl | Seat clips onto the toilet rim |
| Litter used | Standard clumping litter | Flushable litter in tray |
| End stage | Cat balances on bare bowl | Cat uses seat opening |
Seeing a ring kit in action helps explain why some cats struggle with the balance stage.
Vets and behaviorists weighing in on these methods often point to the same tradeoff discussed in reusable cat system vs disposable kit: a system built around a removable seat tends to hold its shape better over repeated use than a ring sitting loose on the bowl.
What Comes in the CitiKitty Kit
The box holds a flexible plastic training seat, a starter bag of flushable litter, and a training guide packaged with an instructional DVD. The seat is the whole system here. There's no separate tray that locks into place, just a ring sitting inside the seat opening.
Training works by trimming or removing sections of that ring over six to eight weeks, pushing the cat to stand closer to the bare bowl rim at each stage. The seat itself rests loosely on top of the toilet bowl rather than clipping into the hinge bolts, so it can shift when a cat jumps on or off mid-session.
What's actually in the box:
- One flexible plastic training seat
- Starter bag of flushable litter
- Printed training guide
- Instructional DVD
A short demo video shows the ring removal stages in order, which helps if you're trying to picture how the weeks actually line up.
Where CitiKitty Falls Short
The lower entry price is the real draw. CitiKitty costs less upfront than most training kits, the ring concept is easy to explain to anyone who has never trained a cat before, and it's stocked at most big pet retailers without special ordering.
The trouble starts once training is underway. The same flexible plastic that keeps the price down also means the seat wobbles the moment a cat puts weight on the rim, and wobble is the single most repeated complaint in owner reviews, according to a review roundup of CitiKitty alternatives.
- Flexible plastic wobbles once a cat stands on the rim
- Seat can slip fully into the bowl mid-session
- Material wears out faster than rigid seat designs
- No step stool version for kittens or small cats
Veterinarians fielding wobble complaints often see owners stall out at the balance stage simply because the seat won't hold still long enough for the cat to trust it.
CitiKitty Versus The Cat Throne System
CitiKitty uses one flexible ring for the entire process, while the Cat Throne System uses a rigid molded seat with a patented tray that clips directly into the seat ears. That clip-in design is built to stay put through active training instead of sliding when a cat shifts its stance.
Price sits at $117 for the full Cat Throne System, which includes the seat and solid training tray in one kit. The Humane Cat Throne Bundle adds an Elegant Cat Step Stool for $124 total, something CitiKitty never offered at any price point.
- Material: flexible ring versus rigid molded seat
- Tray: none versus patented clip-in tray
- Price: lower entry cost versus $117 full system
- Step stool: not available versus included in the bundle option
For kittens or short-legged breeds, that stool option matters more than it sounds, since a cat that can't comfortably reach the bowl rim won't finish any ring-based or seat-based program.
Who Should Actually Buy CitiKitty
CitiKitty fits owners testing the whole toilet-training idea on a tight budget with one calm, lightweight cat and nothing else going on in the bathroom. A single adult cat under roughly 10 pounds puts less stress on the flexible ring, so the wobble issue shows up less in that narrow case.
It gets riskier fast outside that setup. Larger cats, multi-cat households sharing one toilet, and families with young kids who need a setup that won't slide mid-use are exactly where the flexible material causes the most frustration.
- One adult cat, no kittens or seniors in the household
- Lightweight breed under about 10 pounds
- No kids who might bump the seat while it's in use
- Comfortable repeating a multi-week process without a rigid backup plan
Owners who stall out on wobble during the balance stage tend to upgrade to a rigid system once they've already lost weeks to a ring that won't hold still.
How to Judge Any Training Kit on Its Own Merits
Whatever kit you're weighing, start with the tray and seat, not the brand name. A seat that clips into the toilet's hinge bolts stays put better than one resting loose on the bowl, and a tray with thick walls holds its shape through weeks of daily use instead of flexing under a cat's weight.
Cat size and age change what "finished training" even looks like. A twelve-week-old kitten or a senior cat with stiff joints may need a step stool to reach the bowl rim comfortably, while a lean adult cat might skip that step entirely.
Sticker price only tells part of the story. A cheaper seat that needs replacing mid-training, or a litter that costs more per bag over eight weeks, can end up pricier than a system priced higher upfront, a point worth weighing against are cat potty training systems a smart investment for pet owners. Flushable litter options like the one on the tuft paw litter page factor into that same per-stage math.
| Factor | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Seat attachment | Clips onto hinge bolts or rests loose | Loose seats shift when a cat jumps on or off |
| Cat size and age | Weight, leg length, joint stiffness | Determines if a step stool is needed |
| Cost structure | Price per training stage, not just kit price | Replacement trays or litter add up over weeks |
Deciding Which Kit Fits Your Bathroom Before You Buy
Make this call before the first training session, not after a few weeks of a seat sliding under your cat. Weigh your cat's size, whether kids or other pets share the bathroom, and how much patience you have for resetting a wobbly seat mid-stage. A calm, lightweight adult cat in a one-cat household can handle a looser setup fine. Multi-cat homes, kittens, seniors, or anyone with young kids bumping into the bathroom routine should lean toward a rigid, clip-in tray system from the start, such as the Cat Throne. Picking the sturdier option up front costs less than restarting training after a seat fails halfway through.
CitiKitty Questions Cat Owners Still Have
Does CitiKitty work on elongated versus round toilet seats?
CitiKitty makes versions sized for both elongated and round bowls, so shape itself isn't the blocker. The bigger issue is that the seat rests loosely on the bowl rim rather than locking into the hinge bolts, so fit varies more by how snug your specific toilet model is than by shape alone. Measure your bowl before ordering either style.
Can I switch from CitiKitty to a different kit mid-training without starting over?
Yes, but your cat will likely need a few days to adjust to a new seat's feel and height before training resumes at the same stage. Cats key in on the physical setup, not just the behavior, so swapping from a flexible ring to a rigid clip-in tray like the one in the Cat Throne System often means a short reset, not a full return to week one.
Will the CitiKitty ring material degrade or crack with regular flushing and cleaning?
Flexible plastic rings do wear with repeated cleaning and the flexing that happens every time a cat steps on them, and owners report softening or cracking well before training finishes. This is separate from the wobble problem, since it's about the material breaking down over weeks of use rather than just shifting under weight. A rigid molded seat holds its shape longer under the same daily handling.
Is CitiKitty safe to use if I have young kids who also use the bathroom?
CitiKitty itself isn't unsafe, but a loose-fitting seat that shifts when bumped is a real concern in a bathroom kids also use throughout the day. A seat that clips onto the bowl rim instead of resting on top stays more stable if a child sits down without checking the setup first, which matters in any household balancing kids and a cat mid-training.