Cats are naturally clean and do not need special toilet training.
They should have either a special, secluded litter box as a toilet area or frequent access to the out-of-doors.
A cat will bury its urine and feces and clean itself afterward; so it makes an ideal apartment pet.
If your cat is constantly indoors, you can keep the litter box odor-free and sanitary by locating it in an out-of-the-way place and cleaning it frequently.
Remove the feces with a coarse strainer or spoon and flush them down the toilet.
Replace the entire litter weekly or as needed.
Fresh litter can be made up of shredded newspapers or, better yet, one of the dust-free clay-particle products sold commercially.
Avoid those products that are dusty, as they may cause respiratory problems.
When a cat that has been fastidious about its toilet habits suddenly forgets its training, this may be due to organic disease involving the urinary or digestive tract (diarrhea).
However, a cat will sometimes develop a neurosis or anxiety state that causes it to fail to bury its stool, to spray urine on the rugs and furniture, or to overeat and become obese.
The cat's personality may change, too.
These problems may be caused by the addition of a new cat to the neighborhood or to the household or even a new baby in the family.
Your pet then feels displaced in the pecking order of its society.
Loss of a favorite plaything, a new sleeping box or food dish, or special changes in daily routine may also cause the neurosis.
Try to pinpoint the exact time the behavioral change started and determine what factors might have caused it.
Then attempt to correct these factors or compensate for them.
Sometimes the remedy is obvious, and sometimes it is impossible.
Your veterinarian may also able to assist you in understanding cat psychology; but in any case, have your pet examined to eliminate organic disease as a possible cause.