i bet if you made it so that your cats couldn’t get to their normal litter box for over 24 hours, they’d have peed and pooped all over the place, right?  yeah. that’s why mine are better.

so, things haven’t changed too much.  we took a big step backwards and went back to using regular litter in both the litter kwitter and in the litter box.  tut was good about peeing in the litter kwitter, but he would poop in the litter box, and uppy would only use the box.  i’ve been conditioning them by giving them treats (small spoonful of tuna) just for getting up on the litter kwitter and by giving tut tuna whenever he uses it.  they’re definitely both comfortable up there now.  i think the issue at this point is that they just can’t cover their business as well as they can in the actual box.  that should be less of an issue once we move to the next steps (and the business goes into the toilet).

the litter kwitter hasn’t been that big of a deal for me other than the occasional forgetting to put it back on after i do my business and the massive amounts of litter all over my bathroom.  well, apparently, i forgot to put it back on yesterday before i left home.  when i take it off, i just set it on top of the other litter box.  that means that if i forget to put it back, they can’t get to the litter box.  so i get home from school today and realize that i must have forgotten yesterday, so they went all that time with only being able to access the litter kwitter.  normally, this would mean that they would have peed/pooped elsewhere, but in their every increasing awesomeness, they only peed on one thing (a shirt that was on the floor), and they pooped (and i assume tut peed) in the litter kwitter!  given how unstable it was (resting on the other litter box and not secured on the toilet seat), i’m really impressed with them.

I’m going to D.C. this weekend for the March to Keep Fear Alive, so I wanted to wait until after that to do much of anything else so that i don’t have to ask a friend to come over and clean up while i’m gone.  Once I get back, though, I’ll start getting them using primarily the litter kwitter, then i’ll transition to the flushable stuff so that we can start the next step!

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opinion so far on the litter kwitter system: pretty awesome.  really sturdy so not even uppy is nervous about getting up there. only qualm is that the shape isn’t really accommodating of a normal litter scooper.  you kinda have to fanagel it, and you often end up breaking up the clumped litter in the process, so you leave more of the dirty litter in there than you typically would.  i think it’d be better if it came with its own special scooper that fit the grooves.

Much has happened since last post (sorry, school > blog), most notably my AWESOME (TOTALLY FREE) LITTER KWITTER!  I emailed the people at Litter Kwitter when i was first planning on doing this to introduce them to a super-awesome, totally free form of publicity for them (this blog), but I never heard back from them.  After I had procrastinated on coughing up the money to buy one myself for the third time, I get a text from my old officemate telling me that I got some random package from Litter Kwitter delivered to my old office.  Apparently, they had gotten the address from my email signature and sent it to me.  They even sent me the multi-cat kit!  The website does a much better job of explaining than I could (and it has videos of cats peeing in toilets).  http://www.litterkwitter.com/en/index.php

So, after that arrived, it was time to step it up.  I set up the litter kwitter in the toilet but kept the litter box with litter next to it.  That went on for a few weeks, mostly successful.  A couple external peeings, but not too bad.  Tut really picked up on it, peeing primarily in the litter kwitter.  Uppy was more resistant, I assume because of his weight and him being unsure of its stability.  The first time I got him to use it, he pooped on the edge so that I had to clean it up (I love my cat. I love my cat…) They both would use the litter kwitter if I encouraged them to, though (with treats afterward, of course).  Presumably, they poop in the litter box because there’s more litter in there to cover it.

Last week, I removed the litter box completely.  I kept the carrier there as a step for them, but after the litter box was gone, it was all downhill.  I’m not sure if it’s because there’s another cat that has adopted me (that is male, presumably fixed, and stays outside) or what, but even after I put the litter kwitter insert into the litter box and surrounded it with more litter (essentially hiding the insert altogether), there wasn’t a day this week that I didn’t come home to something new being peed on.  And not having a washer and dryer, that means a lot of hand-washing in the bathtub for me.

Last night was pretty much the last straw when I threw away my bathmat after finding Tut post-pee scratching at it.  I decided that I was done with it and that my cats would be as boring as all other litter-using kitties for the rest of their lives.  I planned on buying more non-flushable litter and returning to the old way of life.

That is, until just a few minutes ago.  So, Uppy drinks out of the bathtub, right?  Well, a few weeks ago, I had put a plastic plate in there to catch the water in hopes that Tut would also use it.  I had removed the plate yesterday when washing clothes (again) and put it in the sink.  I went to put it back in the tub and realized that it was wet, so I sniffed it to make sure there wasn’t soap on it (I once got sick from drinking soap-water as a kid. Long story.), and I got hit in the face with the smell of kitty pee. 

Someone had peed in the sink!  :D

Okay, so I know that’s totally gross for those of you who don’t own cats and probably for those of you who do own cats but never had a job where you had to work with urine daily (I did pediatric drug research), but it means that they’re not just being spiteful like a previous cat I had!  At least one of them just doesn’t like using the litter box with the insert in it, so there’s hope!  Starting when I get back from class tomorrow, it’s going to be hard-core conditioning time.  Starting with fresh litter and a couple of cans of tuna, I’m going to teach these kitties that peeing in the toilet can be rewarding!  It will happen!

Plan: I’m going to go back to the non-flushable litter for a little while just because I think a lot of the problem is that the flushable stuff just doesn’t cover the smell enough.  Once it gets to be time to move to the next stage (removing the center so that it’s just a ring of litter), I’ll mix the two and gradually get rid of the non-flushable stuff.  In theory, they’ll be peeing in the toilet shortly after that, so smell won’t be as much of an issue for them (or me).

I believe in you, kitties!

so, we had our first major steps back wednesday night and earlier today.  i switched the kitties over to flushable litter (still located on the carrier) so that they would get used to that.  also, they kept jumping straight from the litter box into the tub, and i figured “not flushable” also meant “not go-down-the-bathtub-drain-able” and they were getting a lot of litter in the tub.  i’m using a litter called Swheat Scoop that’s made from ground up wheat.  (note: either fresh step or tidy cat makes this new “green” kitty litter, but it’s not flushable. i almost made that mistake.)

it’s much better than i expected in terms of clumping ability, but it’s not nearly as good as the non-flushable kinds when it comes to smell.  i’m really looking forward to not having my bathroom/bedroom smell like the cats just peed/pooed in it.  i also switched locations of the litter box to make it easier for the humans to navigate.

things were going well (other than the smell) for a few days.  mommy was in town earlier this week, and when i came home thursday after she had left, i found the old litter box upside-down in the tub.  i later found out that this was because tut had decided that he liked the old box better even though it had no litter, so he peed in it.  mommy was nice and rinsed it out for me and left it in the tub.  i was hoping this was just a one-time thing, but apparently not.  i walked into the bedroom a few minutes ago to find him sniffing a pair of jeans that had been on the floor.  now, i’ve had a vindictive-peeing cat before (he now lives with a family that gives him much more attention, so he doesn’t pee everywhere anymore), so i’m super paranoid anytime kitties start sniffing things like that.  so, i pick up the jeans and am immediately overwhelmed by the lovely scent of kitty pee.  if you don’t know what kitty pee smells like, it smells like durian, which is banned in some countries due to smell alone.  the only thing i know of that’s worse is hot kitty pee*.  so i proceed to wash said jeans in the bathtub (i have no washer/dryer in my 1-bedroom apartment), and reintroduce tut to the litter box before putting him outside to think about what he did/make me not paranoid about where he might be peeing (he actually really enjoys being outside, so this isn’t much of a punishment).

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in an effort to move things along (and be stink-free as soon as possible), i’ve moved the litter box onto the toilet.  this is where having only one bathroom in the apartment makes things difficult.  how do i attach the litter box to the toilet securely enough so that the cats aren’t afraid to use it but so that i can easily get it off when i need to go?  enter toilet lid cover!

i went and bought a cheap $2 toilet seat cover from Big Lots and duct taped the litter box to it.  this makes it so that it’s secure enough so that the litter box won’t slide around much but so that i can remove it without having to re-duct tape every time.  i also don’t get tape residue all over my toilet seat.  i know, i know.  i’m pretty much a genius.  i get that all the time.  :)  i left the carrier there so that they can jump onto it to get to the litter box so that there’s a little less stress on the tape/cover.

i’m going to purchase one of the actual things they sell to potty train your kitties pretty soon.  i’ve heard of using aluminum pans (which is what my old roomie did with her kitten), but uppy’s kinda chunky, and i don’t want him falling in.  i’ve also heard of using metal mixing bowls and gradually decreasing the litter then replacing it with water, but i don’t like the idea of my kitties pooping/peeing in a bowl that i then have to clean.  plus, i don’t know how well that would work with two cats.  i’m most likely going to go with the Litter Kwitter system just because it’s cheaper, and i’m a poor grad student.  i figure i’ll start that in a couple of days, provided that things go smoothly until then.

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*there’s a story behind that involving a kitty that didn’t like being in the car, a trip to the vet, an attempt to dry my pants at school using an iron, me going all day at school in hot-kitty-pee pants, and lots of psychotherapy.

so i’m awoken this morning at around 6am by uppy, who is biting my head, presumably after head-butting* me didn’t work.  now, for many of you cat owners, being woken up at 6am is nothing new, or if it is, it’s only because they usually wake you up at 5.  but my cats are awesome.  tut never wakes me up (besides the very rare running-across-the-bed-while-playing incident), and uppy usually only does it after my alarm has gone off once or twice (in a “mom! you’re gonna miss class!” way).  the only other time he ever wakes me up is if i’ve been a bad owner.  so i get up, begrudgingly, remembering that i forgot to buy cat food yesterday, open up two cans of tuna, and give them to the poor, starving kitties.  before going back to bed (i have the sleep pattern of an undergrad, so 6am is nowhere near time to get up), i go into the bathroom. 

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and find this:

so maybe that’s why uppy decided to wake me.  i’ll never truly know which it was (because they were out of food, too), but either way, i was not terribly excited.  i assume uppy (because he’s the chunky one) hit the edge while getting out of the litter box, and the added height made it just top-heavy enough for it all to come down. so i clean it up and remove the box lid that i had put underneath, then go back to bed.

i went to the store this evening and got a shallow litter box (and cat food). they did really well with step 1 (besides our little totally-my-fault blunder), and i want to move things along, so i went ahead and raised the new litter box up to toilet-seat height so that they’re used to jumping either on the tub or the toilet to get to it.  i’m pretty sure they were doing that already, but this is what i’m “supposed” to do.

i attached the new box to their carrier with duct tape. LOTS of duct tape.  i also put a bunch of text books into the carrier itself so that there’s no risk of it tipping over.  i set each of them in it just to show them that it’s stable since it is pretty high up, and they seem to be okay with it.  we’ll see how this goes.  this orientation is actually slightly easier to navigate for me, which is nice as i must admit that i was a little worried i might impale myself on my toothbrush or something if i went to pee in the middle of the night.

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and just because it’s too adorable, here’s tut in a bag.  he really likes being in bags.

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*yes, uppy headbutts.  not like your normal “i love you” headbutt-type kitty nuzzles.  i’m talking finding nemo style, making noise, slightly painful headbutts. it’s pretty much adorable. unless he has been drinking out of the bathtub. because then the water drips on his head. and you get a face full of wet headbutts.  i refer to this as “bathtub cat”

okay, so everything i’ve read says that the first step is getting the cats used to going into the bathroom and then jumping up onto the toilet seat.

obviously, my cats have no problem with this.  i will actually have to train myself to put the lid down so they get used to the toilet not being for water.  luckily, i will have this really annoying litter box right next to the toilet to remind me.

as you can see, my bathroom isn’t very big.  most sites said to put the litter box next to the toilet, and only one said to put it in front (most likely because putting it in front makes it especially obnoxious).  my apologies to anyone who will have to use the bathroom in my 1/1 apartment between now and the end of this process.

i know i’m supposed to move it into the bathroom and then slowly raise it up so that they’re not too freaked out too much at any given time, but they’ve done well with litter box relocation in the past, so i combined the first couple of steps. also,  the bathroom is attached to the bedroom which = kitty litter in the bed (voice of experience), so i’m trying to move a little more quickly than you might want to.

note: this litter box is really deep, so i’m probably going to invest in a more shallow one (probably one of the disposable aluminum ones) pretty soon so that the transition onto the toilet seat (i’m really sorry, anyone who visits me) isn’t so tricky.

after talking to my old roomie and hearing her success in potty training her new kitten, i decided that it’s time to leave behind the ancient ways of scooping kitty litter and introduce my kitties to the porcelain throne. this blog will serve to chronicle our adventure.

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teh kittehs:

Up  aka Uppy (formerly UpUp of UpUp and Away)

4ish years old

B.F.A. Dance, Oglethorpe University; official cat of Pretty Bandages Fite Club

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Tut  aka TutTut, Looks like Rain  aka Tootsie Cat

1ish year old

Attended the School of Hard Knocks, majoring in Fetch; captain of the Co-ed Feline Fetch Team (2009-2010 National Champions)