On Labor Day weekend, 2007, I brought home two cute 3-month old female Devon Rex kittens. Tanya (TAN-ya) and Chanel. This was my first time living with cats, so I prepared with books for dummies and how-to manuals. During my readings, I came across books and websites about toilet training. Yes, you teach your cat to use the toilet! I was intrigued and read multiple strategies to train my kitties to poop in the commode. The process can take anywhere from 4 weeks to a year!! It was still early, and all sources advised to wait until 6 months of age.
So I waited. In the mean time, I learned how annoying litter can be. I got the automatic LitterMaid Elite Mega Advanced Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Box which scoops the poop every time the kitties go. I got it lightly used from a craigslist.org posting. It was worth the money and I didn't become too much of a slave to the litter box. Even though I didn't have the burden of all day scooping, I started noticing that litter traveled. I saw little litter granules beyond the laundry room (original location of the litter box). I 'd see it track out from the laundry room door and occasionally see a granule or two on the kitchen floor or on the couch. I know cats are clean animals, but litter granules on the couch can't be very sanitary.
So, as they started pushing their 6th month of life (Tanya was 6 months, Chanel was 5 1/2 months), I decided to start their training to use the toilet. I love my kitties, but I hate the litter. They are super smart, so I think they will pick it up quickly.
I'm writing this blog on Tanya, Chanel, and the Toilet so you can keep up with their (and my) daily progress (or lack thereof). I am by no means an expert. But you can see pictures and watch the brief videos that chronicle their status and the methods I've used.
You can start from Day 1 by scrolling to the bottom of the page.
________________________________________________________________________________
It's been 1 week and the toilet training is actually going very well.
I'm using the Amber disk, so the hole is big enough for just about everything to go through and into the toilet. Both Tanya and Chanel aim into the toilet for #1, which is great. Tanya also aims into the toilet for #2--also great! I am positioning Chanel for #2 every time. I've found that it's much easier to encourage the correct position with the Amber disk than with the Green. She is responding much better. I'm going to continue doing this with the Amber disk for a while, until Chanel is positioning herself.
Looking back, I realized that she never positioned herself correctly on the Amber disk before. I sort of pushed her along to the Green disk hoping that she would work herself out. I think sometimes that will work, but it didn't for us.
It's been 1 week and the toilet training is actually going very well.
1 comment:
hey!
nice job! I am about to give up with the Fig, he peed in the tub yesterday again :-P that's only the second time in a month though so I dunno. also, both of them refuse to go if there is ANY mess already in the toilet, so that makes it difficult. so far I am STILL on a quarter-sized hole (I just went up in size this weekend, Fig was at the mini mini hole before that and didn't have accidents for 2 weeks straight). i hope he will get better! your kitties look sooo cute out on their walk!
-A
Post a Comment