Tinkle, tinkle, little star

Yaaay! le chat peed in the new setup today. she poo'd on the mat in front of the shower a few days ago, and I think it might have been because the setup was a little dirty. I cleaned it out and modified it a little, and voila! Most of it tinkled right into the water, which was nice to hear. Hopefully she will poo in it too. We are getting ready for our cross-country road trip. We leave a week from today. I am taking a litter box in the car. Hopefully she will go back to her toilet training when we arrive to our new home!

traumatic event?

damn! le chat was in using the toilet, and i couldn't stop myself from peeking in on her. as soon as she saw me, she jumped down...there was a turd in the water! I didn't want her to stop, so i put her back on the toilet, but she didn't want to be put on the toilet, and in her effort to balance herself or whatever, her tail got wet. I held her on the toilet in correct position while drying her tail with toilet paper. Then i closed the door of the bathroom in hopes that she "finishes" in privacy. I'm waiting right now.... I hope I didn't traumatize her too much so that she will avoid the toilet even more than she already does! She peed in it last night... she always aims for the litter instead of the water. How am I supposed to get her to aim for the water by being in correct position if she won't allow me to be in there with her to correct her!>!!?!??!

hmmmm

I think i've accidentally successfully trained le chat to go outside for poo and pee. She hasn't used the setup in.... i don't know how long. Since my last post I guess. She meows and whines to go outside everyday. So i guess she is going out there. I'm assuming it's under the deck (or in neighbors' yards - oops). Today I am not letting her out, but no indoor results yet either....

crap.

on the floor. near the toilet. she hasn't used the setup at all since I changed it. I'm guessing she's been going outside. tonight i came home to some turds on the floor. dang it! i re-directed. we'll see how it goes. I am getting close to giving up. Or just training her to always do it outside. that would be ok... i guess. damn.

more changes

Yesterday i moved the patch in the setup back another 3/4 inch or so....but i taped it at a weird angle, and once I put the litter dam in, it almost looks like it ended up being exactly the same size hole as before, just with a slightly different angle. Le Chat hasn't used it at all since the change, but she has been outside most of the day yesterday and today since it was so nice out... I am guessing she went outside at least once. I don't think she could not pee for that long. Unless if she used the setup and it went in the water. That would be cool, but I just really doubt that it happened that way.

whoa

le chat did a seriously large poo today. 3 large turds in the setup, 3 small "drips" on the toilet seat, and one medium turd on the floor. I don't know what she was thinking. She managed to get some of it on her hind leg and paw, so I had to give her a little bath in the sink. She was NOT happy about that, but at least her leg smells good again.

poo!

I had a long day at work yesterday, and when I got home, le chat was meowing like crazy. my roommate mentioned that she had been really whiny for the entire evening. her food bowl was empty, so i figured she was hungry... but then she ignored it when i gave her some food... UH OH! i ran down to the toilet to find a pee in the litter of the setup and a poo on the floor. she never goes pee and poo in the litter (it has to be cleaned first), and i guess she was trying to convince my roommate to do it earlier but finally gave up. I'm not too worried about it though. She was obviously upset about it. As soon as I cleaned everything up, she stopped meowing.

tuesday may 6

i forgot to post the update! i moved the patch back last tuesday -- she took to it pretty well. No accidents yet, but she was holding the poo for a few days until she finally went yesterday. I will have to be careful about how quickly I move forward.

caught in the act

I finally was able to catch a glimpse of le chat on the toilet. she usually jumps off as soon as she hears me coming. the good news is that she had 3 feet on the seat in correct position and one back foot in the litter!! i plan to enlarge the hole by 1/2 inch tomorrow.... we haven't had any messes on the floor this week! hoooraaaay!

progress!

so le chat has been doing well with the new setup. she peed, and once i scooped that, she poo'd in the setup tonight. the exciting part was that, for the first time, she positioned herself correctly to receive her treat! I haven't been able to catch her in the act to see what her positioning is like during the duty, but I'm assuming she still has some feet in the litter based on where it is landing. she's still not aiming for the water at all.. but that's ok. she's making slow progress.

new changes

Well, let's see... we've been doing ok with the current setup. Occasionally she still misses and leaves a poo on the toilet seat. Last night I had put a rug down because I was tired of the cold tile floor. Well, Le Chat took the opportunity to pee on it. I think it is because she had poo'd in the setup and I didn't scoop it in time. I'm hoping that's what happened. Needless to say, I removed the rug. Today, I decided we need to move forward. I am getting frustrated and losing patience. I had this big idea to enlarge the hole in the sitz bath to the largest point, and then use my current patching system to enlarge slowly. It is just easier to move the patch thing each week instead of building a whole 'nother litter dam. So I've modified the setup pretty drastically, because after I cut the hole, I realized that I didn't have time to build a suitable litter dam around the entire ring. So here is the picture with the sitz bath remnant, patch in place, and only the small patch dam holding back the litter. I installed it around 6:30 tonight, and when I got home at 9:30 she had already used it to pee! hooooraaaaaay!

update

ok, so no "accidents" since my last post..but I didn't get around to changing the setup until yesterday, so I was a week late. I moved the "patch" back another 1/2 inch or so. She hasn't used it since the change. Hopefully, we won't have any problems. This is taking FOREVER.

my bad.

oops. I got lazy and didn't bother keeping water in the plastic container lids that surround the toilet to deter pooing on the floor. I was home for about 3 hours after work, but Le Chat had not peed or poo'd yet when I left for the evening. I returned home around midnight to find pee in the litter of the setup, and a poo in one of the plastic containers. Her aim is unbelievable. I just had to laugh at myself and pick it up. Bad timing I guess. I'm still planning to move the patch back a little tomorrow.

oh, the anxiety!

I was getting so nervous because Le Chat hadn't poo'd since I changed the setup on Sunday.... but finally some results today. I thought it was especially strange because she's been having only wet food (usually only gets a tablespoon a day or so and has mostly dry food). OH, and the most important part is that it was IN the setup! This is the first time in a long time that I have moved forward without an initial protest poo! She has been peeing in it no problem.

time to move on?

Le Chat had another successful poo in the setup today, then peed in it soon after I cleaned it. I have a new method for teaching positioning. I have been taking her in and having her watch me clean up her "good job" while I praise her and pet her. Then I put her on the toilet with the SB in place with her paws in "proper" position -- she has to maintain it to get the treat. My NEW method is basically the same, but I take the SB out while I put her in position and then give her the treat - so she has to balance over the water and not be afraid. I don't know if it will make any difference, but I'm going to try it anyway.

So I have decided that I am going to make the hole bigger on the setup this weekend.. maybe just move the "patch" back 1/2 inch or so. Stay tuned to see how it works out!

feelin comfy

le chat has been happier with the patched setup. She has been peeing in it like a champ, and actually she is so comfortable she has peed and poo'd while I am in the bathroom! Maybe this weekend I will move the patched area by a centimeter or so... slow down the process of the enlargement of the hole.

patched up

After yet another poo on the floor last night, I decided that Le Chat is just not going to cooperate. I made a patch for the SB, so let's hope that makes her more comfortable.

I will NOT give up!

Le Chat has been holding it in for a few days so I am glad she finally poo'd....but not glad that it was not in the toilet. On Monday, I placed some shallow plastic containers with water in her favorite spots (to replace the foil that didn't work), so she found a new spot on a rug that is farther from the toilet. She had never used this one before, but now it is gone too. I should have known better than to leave it out. On Tuesday, I put some clear plastic wrap under the hole and sprinkled some litter on it, but she didn't seem to care and held it until today, then went on the floor after I had given up and removed the plastic wrap. I'm not sure if I'll replace the plastic wrap or not.....

gift from the Easter bunny?

I think NOT. Le Chat left me another "gift" on the floor last night. She pawed right through the aluminum foil to move it out of her way so that she could make a deposit. I'll post a picture of it later today.....

Fortunately, she is still using the setup 100% for her #1s. I have to think of something new to get the poos in the toilet before it becomes habit. I think I might try to patch up the hole a little. Maybe seeing all that water is freaking her out. It really doesn't seem like much of a change to me, but I guess it makes all the difference in the world to her. blast!

7 pm: The little brat has done it again! both photos are below... be warned of the poo pic! This time I am going to try pans of water in her favorite spot.

doh!

Le Chat was pretty mouthy today, so I wondered if she is upset about the changes we have made. A few times she started digging in the setup but jumped down as soon as I tried to peek in on her. Finally I closed her into the bathroom for about 15 min and she had peed in the setup by the time I let her out. Then I left for a few hours tonight and came home to another poo on the floor. Dang it! I don't know if i should back up right away and try to patch up my hole again or go a few more days and see if it gets better. I did the same re-direct method as yesterday... so I'm waiting at least until tomorrow.

new setup

BEFORE/AFTER

Here we have it! The hole has been enlarged from approximately 4 inches to about 5 inches in diameter. Le Chat promptly pooped on the floor within 30 min of the change. great. I showed her the "mistake" and firmly said "no!". Then I picked it up with a tissue and put it in the setup. After about 15 min, I took her in the bathroom and put her on the toilet. I praised her for the poo in the setup, and she watched while I put the poo through the hole into the water. Then, I put her in proper paw placement stance and gave her a treat. Hopefully, that will help her realize that she still needs to use the toilet....

it's great to be "regular" again

Le Chat had another successful poo this evening... right after my 12 dinner guests left. I am glad that she is back on her one poo per day schedule and that she didn't seem to be bothered by all of the guests!! I am going to find time this weekend to enlarge the hole. Oh, one thing, though. There was another bit of "residue" left on the seat. Do I need to be concerned that her aim is off a little? I am hoping the adjustments will occur over time as the hole in the setup gets larger...

it's time for an adjustment

yesterday i found a poo in the setup when I got home, (and a pee, and another pee later) and then another poo over night! Le Chat has finally had 3 consecutive poos in the setup with no accidents, so I think we are ready to enlarge the hole.... I might not have time until the weekend, but I can't wait. It has been so long since we've been able to move forward!

happy kitty

successful poop in the setup today! one really little turd was on the floor...i think it was just poor aim, or it got scooped out when she was burying it...

update

Last night, le chat surprised me again! I was standing at the sink, combing hair, brushing teeth, etc, while talking loudly to my boyfriend, who was in the shower. Le Chat jumped up onto the toilet and peed directly through the hole in the setup! She usually waits to make sure no one will come in and disturb her and runs out of the bathroom if she hears a loud noise, but she wasn't waiting for that! I was impressed that she did her duty while we were in there...she received lots of praise and a treat for that!

BEAT!

i was all excited and confident that we had crossed a barrier yesterday with the poo in the setup. Then I discovered another poo on the floor tonight. .. On the throw rug. I guess it's my fault.. I have to get rid of the throw rug. The tile floor is just soooo cold when I don't have one... boo hoo for me.

wahooooooo!

As of yesterday afternoon, I was ready to give up. I got some World's Best Cat litter, but the only thing I had seen Le Chat do was eat it.

Things started to look up when I found a pee spot in the setup... but still no poo. I have been feeding Le Chat wet food and trying to mix in pumpkin to help with the constipation, but still no results.

THEN, today, a breakthrough!! I came home from work to find the water in the toilet looking just a little bit yellow... I think le chat peed right through the hole! About an hour later, I went in and found 2 small poos in the litter, and ONE POO IN THE TOILET!!! yipeeeeeeeeee! It was her first time going directly through the hole into the toilet.... cause for celebration!

bah!

le chat was meowing at me when i came home tonight... jumping up and digging in the litter, jumping down... but she wouldn't just do it. so I closed her in the bathroom. within 5 min she was done... on the freaking rug! I know that I need to get new cat litter because this is just NOT working. I just haven't had time to go find it..they don't have any other kinds at my local grocery store.

note to self

successful pee in the setup tonight.. 10 p.m.

dang it!

so i thought i figured out that le chat just didn't like the feline pine. Now even with more clay litter mixed in, she did another poo on the floor when i was not home. as soon as I cleaned it up, within 5 or 10 min she peed in the set up with no problems. where's my compliance, le CHAT!?!?!??!

only 2 hours later...

I put about 1/2 cup of clay based litter in the litter container with the feline pine litter. She pooed in it already, and no wayward turds! They all landed exactly in the tiny mound of clay based litter. I guess she's fine with the litter container...it's the litter that she is unhappy with....

i knew this would happen

I went away for the weekend and had a friend (thanks, LBJ!) check in on Le Chat each day. I received word on Saturday that she pooed on the throw rug on the floor. When I got home this morning (Monday) there was a poo on the floor and 2 pee spots! doh! pee spots on the floor are VERY rare and so I am a bit disappointed that we have to take a few steps back to get the ball rolling in the right direction again. I think I'll try adding some more clay cat litter to the container and reduce the amount of feline pine litter..... she still doesn't seem to be too excited about the switch to flushable litter.

the story continues...it's december 07

Ok, so Le Chat was doing well with the litter container in the toilet. I didn't do my research, and decided that i needed to start reducing the amount of litter. Each time, we would get down to just a dusting of clay litter in the bowl, and she would start doing her poo on the throw rug right next to the toilet. Then, I thought maybe she was mad that the pee wasn't soaked up with the small amount of litter, so I tried making a small hole. That didn't change her behavior and only allowed her to dump a bunch of clay litter in the toilet. (shhhhh, don't tell my landlord)....luckily, my toilet kept working. It was time for me to leave for a week for the holidays, so I just switched back to a bowl with no holes and plenty of litter. My roommate reported that there were no accidents with that setup while I was gone.



In January, I realized that I needed a new plan. I finally started doing a little more research and decided that I needed to get some flushable litter. I gradually started switching to Feline Pine. Le Chat was not pleased at first, and had a few accidents and started pooing only once every other day instead of once per day. She had only ONE peeing on the floor incident, and it was also on the poo throw rug (I cleaned it after every accident). Finally, she was consistently using the flushable litter in the litter container placed in the toilet. I built a "litter damn" using a plastic cup and a bunch of electrical tape and placed it in the 2 inch hole that I had previously made in the sitz bath container. I think she held out for 3 days before finally using the new setup, but it was success!! I also joined the yahoo group, Cats T-Training, which gave me more ideas and hope that we really will be able to achieve a litter-free lifestyle!

We have gradually progressed to a hole with a 4 inch diameter. We have been there for one week with no accidents so far... almost time to enlarge the hole. I can't wait for her "business" to start going directly in the toilet!!

aha!

Ok, I know I haven't finished where I left off, but I think I discovered something. Le Chat has been sort of skittish lately as we progress with our setup. I think there is about a 5 inch hole in the sitz bath right now. When I cut it to that size, she was holding it and only going every other day or even once every 2 days.... BUT she went around 5 am today and then again around 7 pm. Each time, I noticed that there happened to be some toilet paper floating below the hole and "obstructing" the view of the clear water. Perhaps it makes her more comfortable? I am going to try to always have a sheet of toilet paper floating to see if it makes a difference!! Keep up the good shatting, Le chat!

welcome, self!

Well, this is my first blog ever. Am I doing it right? I created this blog to tell the story of toilet training my cat: Le Chat.

She really is a good little kitty. She's about 5 years old. My roommate told me that he had a friend that successfully trained her cat, so I decided to give it a try. I watched some videos on youtube to get an idea of where to start.

So I believe it was early November, 2007. I moved the litter box right next to the toilet.
A week later, I elevated the entire box by about 1.5 inches. Week by week, I raised the litter box until the top of it was level with the toilet. I think it was the middle of week 3 when my (human) toilet seat broke. So I bought myself a new one and taped the old one to her litter box. She was a little weirded out and meowed at it, but she never went outside of the box. Not even once!



Finally it was time to move the litter into the toilet. This required a different container: a sitz bath. I cut the bumps off the sitz bath so that I put the toilet seat down on top of it, and filled it with litter. I am a bit of an idiot, so I was still using clay-based NON-flushable litter at this point.




She was doing well with the litter container inside the toilet.

I will continue with the story later. I am tired.