Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
This is one phone call you do not want to receive shortly after leaving your cat at the vet for a teeth cleaning:
“…we haven’t started the procedure yet, but the vet would like to speak with you about Gizmo’s blood work.”
My heart falls to the floor. I remain on hold for what seems like forever. In actuality, it was more like a minute.
I dropped Gizmo off at the clinic for a lion cut and teeth cleaning at 7:30 this morning. To begin with, I’m always nervous about her going under anethesia. (So is she. She was shaking when I left her.) (more…)
Posted in toilet training | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
(PROZAC PET NATION)Back to the subject of the puddle in the bathtub. Better make that two puddles. As mentioned in a previous blog, there were extenuating circumstances surrounding the incident that led up to Gizmo mistaking the bathtub for a litter box—again.
First, let me back up a little. One of the major reasons why I started this blog is because the very idea a cat can be toilet trained is rather fascinating. But mainly it is because cats that aren’t litter-box perfect are too often abandoned to shelters. Indiscriminate elimination is one of the major reasons why they’re there, according the ASPCA. Of these, an estimated 71 percent are never re-homed. Instead, their fate is lethal injection according to a study 1997 study by National Counsel on Pet Population. I won’t go into the numbers; they’re way too depressing. (more…)
Posted in toilet training | No Comments »
Sunday, September 6th, 2009
That’s a wrap. Gizmo survived her first week of toilet training psychologically intact. Want the scoop?
As per the CitiKitty training guide, we’ve taken things slowly, moving the litter box closer and closer to the toilet in baby steps. It’s now at the halfway mark between the toilet, and its original spot.
Everything went smoothly—except for one little, yellow puddle pooling in the bottom of the bathtub. In her defense, there were some extenuating circumstances. (More on that next post.)
I did, however, gloss over one major detail—mostly for financial reasons. That is, swapping out her old litter for the new, flushable kind first. Cats can be finicky about just about everything. That trait doesn’t stop with kitty litter. A point emphasized by jazz giant Charles Mingus after he successfully trained cat Nightlife back in the day when flushable litter was called newspaper, and probably cost about a nickel. (more…)
Posted in toilet training | 1 Comment »
Friday, September 4th, 2009
Toilet training a cat certainly has benefits. For one, the environment. Stateside, more than two-million tons of kitty litter are piled onto landfills every year. That’s around 100,000 truckloads. {1}. It also makes economic sense. Litter ain’t cheap. And if you have a Persian cat, like I do—or any long haired cat for that matter—and use a specialty brand, cha-ching, it can really add up.
Precious Cat, which bills itself as to No. 1 long-haired cat litter, costs around $15 for an 8 lb.-plastic bottle which, surprisingly enough, doesn’t seem much larger than a gallon of milk, and can fill up my Gizmo’s litter box maybe 2.5 times. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-. (more…)
Posted in toilet training | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
Where is the question.
It takes a sense of humor to live with a cat that pees in the bathtub. I have an idea what to do about it, but if I tell anyone—especially a non-cat person—I get the look. You know, the one with the really forced smile, like I’m nuts and they’ve had too many Botox injections.
All I can say is this: if I’m crazy, I’m in good company. The Angry Man of Jazz—Charles Mingus—toilet trained his cat, Nightlife. Fortunately for (most) everyone I know, I’ll not bore them with all the messy details of the kitty-toilet-training kind. Hence, a blog is born. (more…)
Tags: toilet train cat
Posted in toilet training | No Comments »