Day 3C (or 57)

I just found the same kit I bought – Servicat – on OLX… for half the price!!! It serves me well for not searching the information properly.

On top, the same problems persist with the kit: both cats use it for peeing, Mimi does something else but Ziggy does not. He went to the carpet yesterday and this morning.

The contraption is too shallow, does not have enough litter for his taste. I tried to compensate with a new toilet seat (the old one was already ruined) that is larger so he has more access to the litter and less chances of missing it and pooping in the seat and the floor.  I know the seat is weird (a woman with a tong sticking out) but it is made of excellent material and I bought it for 12 Euros in a local shop nearby. I do not have time to go to the big malls just for a toilet seat. It was either that or a childish black one with two fluffy dogs. I may just put some stickers on the cover...

The kit goes on the yellow bowl when the human inhabitants need to use the toilet.

After almost two months of this experiment my conclusions are: if you have a cat like Mimi go forward, you will have success after one to two months. If you a have a digger like Ziggy you have to consider whether you want to put a lot of effort into it. Prepare yourself to pick up crap from the carpets. In this case, the commercial kits, like Servicat and Litter Kwitter, are not a good option because they do not hold much litter. You should consider going back to the litter box…

Ziggy using the toilet contraption to pee. Never to poop....

As I am as stubborn as my cat Ziggy I will go on with this experiment for a while more. I will be away for four days, but a friend is staying over, so he will have the burden of convincing the cats to use the toilet.

Yesterday I upgraded them to stage two – the smaller hole. If this evening Ziggy does not use it to poop, I will leave the experiment at stage one. Again…

Today I am also spraying cat nip on the seat and litter.

I only go on with the experiment because the cats do not show signs of stress. If their normal behaviour changes I will stop.

Day 1C (or 55 altogether...)

So, the Chinese Soup bowl was a problem for Ziggy and three days ago I decided to change method again. I went back to the plain bowl or sitz bath, so they (Ziggy, mostly) would not loose the habit of going to the toilet until my new purchase – a commercial kit – arrived. They behaved well, always went to the bowl, no carpet pooping. However, while Mimi does it in the centre of the bowl and covers it carefully. Ziggy makes a big mess and poops half in half out. I do not know what happened: in the beginning he was doing it in the centre… Maybe he is just too big (6.5 kilos and very long) for this soft toilet seat. I will buy a new toilet seat soon.

The Chinese bowl was no problem for Mimi but it made the carpet suffer with Ziggy's poo....

On Friday I ordered one of the commercial kits (that you can find here on this blog) but it only came today, Tuesday.

It looks like it shows on the picture here: it is quite shallow and after one of the cats used it to pee (I do not know which one) there was litter all over the toilet floor. I do not want to put too much litter on the contraption, but not doing it can be discouraging for the cats. We will see.

The fact it is shallow may be a advantage in relation to the bowl – the cats have the paws higher, almost at the height of the seat cover, and may begin to use mostly this one to balance themselves.

This commercial kit – Servicat, made in Spain – has five stages and the first hole is really narrow, so I hope I do not have problems until then. They advise a week for each stage, but since my cats are already used to the toilet, I may not waste too much time on phase one. It all depends on Ziggy, of course.

This kit seems better than the Litter Kwitter (which can also be purched online, here in Portugal, for more or less the same price) because it has more stages and the first and second holes (the most difficult ones to overcome) are narrower. If they are too threatening, the solution is to cover part of the hole with cardboard, as I did with the tins in phase A of this experiment.

The plastic this kit is made of is very thin. I was expecting something sturdier; I hope it can cope with Ziggy's claws, weight and temper. 

 

Mimi, welcoming the commercial kit.

This is my last attempt at toilet training the cats, or I should say, Ziggy, since Mimi was managed every phase of any process.

In a month we will see if we are successful or back to scooping and sweeping litter all over the floor of the apartment…

Day 6B

Changing the litter from the biodegradable saw dust like thing to the silica was a bad idea. Cats do not like sudden change, I should know that by now…

 

Ziggy, protesting against the changing of the type of litter.

The cats peed on the silica. However, when the time came to do a #2, Ziggy went around the house meowing and running like mad. I went after him avoiding a disaster in the carpets. Finally, he did it in the floor of the toilet, right in front of me! Five minutes later Mimi began complaining too, so I changed the litter right back to the biodegradable one.

Mimi, after using the toilet, receiving a treat.

 

From then on things have been developing more or less well. We went from the whisky glass to the desert bowl and we are now at the Chinese soup bowl.

Ziggy went to the carpet when I was away for one evening and someone (the good student Mimi?) went to the carpet this morning because the litter was too wet from pee.

I am continuing with the bowl of water method for some more days. If it does not take I have to consider another option - even a commercial kit - before going back to the god damned litter box!

I know its graphic, but it is the document of a vitctory!

Day 44 or Day 1B

After much fuss with Ziggy, tin number 2 and the carpet, I have decided to change the training method. I am going for the bowl of litter with the ever increasing water container inside (check the DIY Systems page on this blog and relaxedcat.com).

To attract Ziggy, I switched the dissolvable litter for silica, which has more traction for a digger. Since in this method there are no holes in the bowl the silica does not go into the toilet (in which case it would clog it, since it does not dissolve in water contrary to what some sellers may advertise). Just to be sure, I added a strip of card board to the part of the toilet that the sitz bath does not cover.

The cats were enthusiastic, and Ziggy vehemently dug the silica and peed. The glass of water inside the sitz bath was no problem. We will see what happens when I increase the width of the glass.

For a moral boost I decided to begin the counting again: today is Day One of Method B.

Back to phase 0 (simple bowl), but worst than 44 days ago: Ziggy lost his aim.

Conclusions until now:

When you are training the cats do not move – even for two days – to a place where they have access to the outside. It is better to leave them with a friend or neighbour that can come over twice a day to clean and encourage.

After a certain width, the hole in the bowl (or tin or whatever you use) becomes a source of stress, specially because it comes together with a reduction of the litter. For a digger – like Ziggy – it may be a point of no return. That is why so many people complain about some commercial kits, like Litter Kwitter, in which the step between phase 1 - no hole - and phase 2 - a very wide hole - is just too big for most cats. Other systems seem better, with more intermediate phases (like Servicat or CittyKitty) and may be worse a try if you are willing to spend 50 to 70 bucks. However, if you have a digger, he may consider this systems too shallow and just dig your carpets!

If you have a non digger, adaptable and intelligent cat, like Mimi, you can use whatever system: in less than one month you will succeed. If you have a sensitive cat, that demands constant attention and a lot of petting, like Ziggy, expect various setbacks, much carpet cleaning and despair. You may just give up after some weeks, or you may persevere, expecting to put up three, four or even more months of your life into this enterprise. I am giving him two to four more weeks....

Ziggy, using the sitz bath with a glass of water: phase 1 of the new method.

Day 42

The move to the seaside house was a set back, as I predicted. They did part of their business in the toilet but the rest outside. This happened although they know exactly what was expected of them, Ziggy included: once he did a small poo and came to my room, calling me to check it and get a reward. He never did it in the floor or carpet.

Back to Lisboa there was trouble: I had gone back to cake tin number 1 in Peniche and here I went forward to pudding tin number 2. Ziggy went to the living room carpet. Mimi, as usual, adapted. By now she could be doing it in the toilet tout cout. The problem is that I have two cats. And I love them both.

Mimi, after using tin number 2, with a perfect aim.

Today I went back to phase number 0 – the plain bowl or sitz bath. Still, Ziggy went to my studio carpet the moment I forgot the door open.

He understands perfectly what I want him to do  but he does not want to do it.

This time I scolded him harshly and he is sulking in his bed.

I am staying in phase 0 for one day and checking whether he wants to cooperate. If not, this experiment may be over…

Ziggy just wants to dig!! And he is digging the carpet...

Day 36

 

Yesterday Ziggy used a full roll of paper, just to pee...

Today I woke up to a nightmare. Ziggy went to the toilet to pee. Nice…. Gave him a treat and cheered. Next he began going around the house, meowing and digging the corners of the two only standing – or lying – carpets (because they are two big to put away). He tried to get into my studio – in which carpet he relieved himself yesterday, exactly at the time I was at the door saying goodbye to someone which I hope did not feel the stench.

However, today, my studio door was closed, as usual and he could not use his, now preferred toilet ground.... So I went after him trying to avoid the unavoidable. The moment I turned my back to get a mug of tea it was done, on the living room, under the corner of my Indian – very difficult to clean – carpet.

Seconds later, when I was on the process of cleaning the mess Mimi was on the toilet, no fuss, no need for treats or attention.

I am divided… shall I stop the experiment because of Ziggy’s stubbornness? Or will he pick it up like Mimi did?

Today I am going to the seaside house, a change that may bring more trouble…

Day 34

When I was getting my expectations high, things slowed down…

The cats where doing well with tin number 1 so I upgraded to tin number 2. Ziggy seemed to have no problems at first...

The cake tin, tin number 1, was completely accepted. I was 24 hours away last weekend and the cats used the tin without any problems. It was full when I came back which could have been a problem and lead to devious behaviour. 

The construction of the contraption for tin number 2, the pudding tin.

Tin number 2 in place with the hole half covered.

The reception of tin number 2.

Thus, yesterday morning I moved a step further: the pudding tin, with a much wider hole and less litter. However, I was cautious: I covered half the hole with milk carton, to begin with.

My champion, Mimi, has no problems: discreetly she pees down the hole and does her solid stuff on the litter. However, Ziggy went to my studio carpet twice, once just right NOW!

Mimi doing it on tin number 2 without problems.

Once again, I picked it up and called him to watch the gross stuff go down the drain, so he understands the water covers it all up. Plus, I sprinkled the carpet with an old cloth deodorant I found in the pantry.

In face of this set back I covered even more of the hole in the tin. So now ¾ are covered. I hope Ziggy gets back on track soon, because in two days we will be travelling to the my mother’s seaside house and you never know what can happen when he has access to the outside flowerbeds…

Deodorant for the carpet to discourage Ziggy.

Conclusions until now: the time it takes you to toilet train your cat depends on the cat. If you have a highly intelligent female like Mimi – that likes challenges and may even see it as game  –  it will take you less than a month. If it wasn’t for her brother, Mimi would be doing it directly in the toilet today.

If you have a stubborn digger like Ziggy, expect much opposition as you diminish the litter and open the hole.

Of course if you have two cats you have to go according to the slow one. And never rush because you are only setting back the process. It’s a bit like in life: sometimes it is more productive to take it slow.

Just now I covered the hole in more than 3/4.