Thinking Outside the Box

For those new on the scene, I’m around 27 days into the process of toilet training my cat. Progress for the last week or so has been slow, mainly because I didn’t quite think things through.

The game plan for the week was to raise the litter box higher and higher off the ground until it was lined up with the toilet seat. The only thing missing from the plan was the means to raise the box.

I looked around my flat for a last-minute solution and spied the cheap, Tupperware-meets-Wal-Mart-style dresser in my closet. Upside down, one drawer makes a perfectly sturdy 7-inch pedestal. I crossed my fingers.

Later the same day, a befuddled Gizmo walked out of the master bath. She hadn’t used the box, I checked. Five minutes later she walked back in; she circled the raised litter box a few times, but didn’t jump inside. Instead, she crouched behind it.

Oh no, oh no, oh no.

There in a flash, I swapped out the plastic drawer for a telephone book. Actually, one of CitiKitty’s major guidelines is to take things slowly, in baby steps. (This is also a good example of why you should be at home whenever you make any noticeable changes during the toilet-training process.) The drawer was too big a leap for her. The 2.5-inch-thick book was just right. She jumped into her litter box as good as Goldilocks.

Momentary relief gave way to disbelief. I stood there looking on, blinking dumbly, a bag of treats in my hand to reward/bribe her afterwards. Now it was my turn to be confused. Apparently, my cat likes to go standing up. I didn’t know. She actually stands on her back legs and rests her front paws on the side of the box for support, then goes.

How will that play out when it’s time for her to use the toilet? I don’t know. The CitiKitty Training Guide doesn’t have instructions for that particular scenario. Guess the only good news here is: I finally found a use for that dinosaur of a phone book.