GoGoKitty’s Cat Secrets

Today’s domesticated cat has become the companion animal of choice for huge number of people around the world. In the United States alone, over 30 million domestic cats now outnumber the dog population by many millions, with the gap increasing every day. Why has the household feline gained in popularity? What is it about this puzzling animal that so many of us find appearling?

The answer to this certainly has to be the inscrutable personality of the cat. Extremely intelligent, it possess a rare amalgamation of characteristics not found in other houshold pets. Captivating and quiet, self-sufficent amd poised, athletic and fastidious, the domestic cat is seldom needy. It loves company but is also content to pass the time alone for hours at a stretch, making it the perfect pet for single people especially, let alone a family.

This independent trait, a result of felines in nature living a largely solitary life, gives the domestic feline a slightly cavalier attitude for life; for them, the sun does not rise and fall around people, although they will take us when they can get us, thank you very much.

The capability with which cats survive, with or without the help of humans may just be one of the main reasons why we like them so much. Emotionally needy pets (or people) tend to grate on the nerves after a time; cats are charming narcissists. This, combined with their beauty, grace, dignity, and ease of care, make them always desirable.

We also like cats for their ability to say, ” we are your roommate, not your servant,” and for their ability to recognize the value in taking a nap. And who can fail to appreciate the cat’s clean, fastidious nature and built-in toilet training? Try getting a Schnauzer puppy to use a litter box!

Cats enjoy all the attention we humans lavish upon them, though they will, given the chance, deny it. They are content to remain with us because we love them and carr for them, but if we disappeared from the planet tomorrow, it#s more than likely that the cat would mourn somewaht, meow some, and then continue with the business of finding a furry little meal - all the while laughing at the millions of rudderless, brokenhearted pooches aimlessly wandering about, trying to gigure out what to do next.

If my life experience is anything to go by, closer ties have been developed with a cat when an owner enables the cat to decide for itself when and where it wants affection from its owner. As my grandmother used to say: “You’ll never own a cat but one may choose to live with you”.

Just about anybody who owned an indoor cat knows what a pain it is, to take care of a cat litterbox and sanitize it frequently. And so many owners of indoor cats do know what an even greater chore it is when the cat doesn’t take the litter box! For sure there are those among us always dreaming of more important things and do not wish to improve litter box cleaning. For these kitty owners, there is good news now. Indeed, believe it or not, kitties can be trained, to use a real toilet. When you do the toilet training with your cat, you will teach it to move from using a litter box to using a toilet. If this sounds too good to be true, temper your imagination a little bit with the realization that you may still have to flush the toilet for your cat.

1. Moving Your Cat’s Litter Box

Just in case that your cat’s litter box is not already in the bathroom, you have to place it there. The box should be near the toilet on the ground for some days. After severals days you should raise the litter box up some inches using something very stable to sit under it. In case you have no furniture fitting this description, you could use books if they are stacked in a balanced pattern. The goal is, to reach the point where the edge of the cat box and the toilet bowl are on the same level. Only then you want to install a sturdy aluminum pan over the toilet bowl in a way that will support your cat without wobbling as you begin the toilet training with your cat. Reduce the amount of cat litter now to less than an inch across the bottom of the pan.

2. Getting your Cat Accustomed to the new Toilet

After you have taken away the litter box and have the kitty using only the pan, you are ready to begin the last part of toilet training of your cat. You should begin the training by making some holes in the bottom of one side of the pan. Of course, you will need to cut back on the cat litter so it doesn’t go down the toilet. And, you should think on using flushable cat litter at this time. The holes are supposed to force the kitty to put its front paws on the toilet seat when it needs to potty. When your kitty has been doing this for some days, you can put holes on the other side of the pan so that the cat will be standing completely on the toilet seat. The critical step of the toilet training is that you have to remove the pan after your cat has been doing this successfully for a while. If you have been successful with the cat toilet training, your cat will from now on take the bathroom toilet!

A Final Word on Toilet Training your Cat

These two steps may last as long as two to three months with a stubborn, senior cat. So be patient with your canine. Always remember a wet environment isn’t something felines are naturally comfortable around. Don’t stop if your cat does not want to use the toilet a couple of times in a row. You should keep your pan in case your feline friend is resistant or is momentarily not in the mood using the toilet. You can simply put the pan back again on the toilet seat and the cat can re-learn to take the toilet again quite fast. The advantages of toilet training your cat are many.