Submit your pictures of your cats and kittens for the "Kitty of the month" award and win a £10 Pets at Home voucher. Email your pics and some details about your cat and what makes them so special to emmie42@hotmail.com by 15th May.
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Friday, 10 April 2009
Teaching the cats to use the toilet!
Well we had finally reached the end of our tether with the litter tray as the litter would be everywhere when Alfie had finished his business and Inky seemed to have trouble aiming for the tray, preferring to poop on the side of the tray or on the floor just in front of the tray. It seemed like we were changing the tray every 5 minutes and to add to that, someone (we think it was Inky) had taken to peeing in the lounge corner every night which was stinking the house out.
Losing hope that Inky and Alfie would ever learn to go outdoors and not liking the idea of another 20 years of stinky litter I decided to try and toilet train the kitties with the help of the Litter Kwitter. This is basically a toilet seat with 3 trays of various sizes which sit inside. You start off putting the Litter Kwitter in the bathroom with the red tray inside filled with litter. They learn how to use it as a normal tray. Then when they are used to that you move it onto the toilet so they learn to leap up. Then you change to the amber tray which has a hole in the middle so they learn to balance on the edge of the seat and go through the hole into the toilet. Then when they are used to this you switch to the green tray which has a big hole in the middle. Eventually you remove the Litter Kwitter from the toilet and they use the regular toilet like everyone else.
Sounds good right? In theory it is. Carrying this process out proved a little more tricky. For a start we have four cats who would all learn at different speeds. Jess and Rosie hardly ever use the litter tray which meant they would be harder to train. Inky was still missing the tray and Alfie was basically very afraid of change! To cut a long story short it didn't work. I have no doubt that this system works for others but for us it was a no-no. Inky still pooped on the floor and Alfie was so scared of the new tray that he took to pooping in the bath. Disaster. So we are back to the litter tray downstairs. On the bright side however Inky has stopped pooping and weeing on the floor which is good because I was also worried this was a behavioural problem.
We are hoping that as the little ones grow up they will learn to go outside more so we will have less mess! However if toilet training your cat sounds like something you would be interested in click here to find out more about this.
Losing hope that Inky and Alfie would ever learn to go outdoors and not liking the idea of another 20 years of stinky litter I decided to try and toilet train the kitties with the help of the Litter Kwitter. This is basically a toilet seat with 3 trays of various sizes which sit inside. You start off putting the Litter Kwitter in the bathroom with the red tray inside filled with litter. They learn how to use it as a normal tray. Then when they are used to that you move it onto the toilet so they learn to leap up. Then you change to the amber tray which has a hole in the middle so they learn to balance on the edge of the seat and go through the hole into the toilet. Then when they are used to this you switch to the green tray which has a big hole in the middle. Eventually you remove the Litter Kwitter from the toilet and they use the regular toilet like everyone else.
Sounds good right? In theory it is. Carrying this process out proved a little more tricky. For a start we have four cats who would all learn at different speeds. Jess and Rosie hardly ever use the litter tray which meant they would be harder to train. Inky was still missing the tray and Alfie was basically very afraid of change! To cut a long story short it didn't work. I have no doubt that this system works for others but for us it was a no-no. Inky still pooped on the floor and Alfie was so scared of the new tray that he took to pooping in the bath. Disaster. So we are back to the litter tray downstairs. On the bright side however Inky has stopped pooping and weeing on the floor which is good because I was also worried this was a behavioural problem.
We are hoping that as the little ones grow up they will learn to go outside more so we will have less mess! However if toilet training your cat sounds like something you would be interested in click here to find out more about this.
My story - or how 2 became 4!
This is my story - or how 2 cats became 4 cats! I grew up with cats and was lucky enough to have a really special cat called Patchie who was the kittie love of my life. She died at 19 and I was devastated. My parents vowed they would not have another and I decided that I would get my own cats when I was in a position to do so. Then, some years later, I met Stu (my husband). He had not grown up with cats or, in fact, any pets but was, thankfully, open to the idea of owning one. He always said that two was enough but somehow two have become four. Stu and I now live with four of the funniest characters in the kittie world and I would like to share our adventures with you. Hopefully, you will find this interesting reading if you have cats and you will be able to relate to some of the tales on here!
Number 3 - Inky AKA Pooky or Pooks or Doggy
Inky is the sweetest funniest kittie I have ever met. She is number 3 and the one who wasn't meant to happen but did. Her story is a sad one. I found her one day when I was out at work (I am a medical rep and do a lot of driving). It was pouring with rain and I was driving along a small country lane. There was a plastic bag in the road in front of me blowing about in the wind. I could see there was something in the bag but didn't know what. I didn't really want to get out of the car and have a look because I had my high heels on and I knew I was going to get soaked but something told me I needed to look at the contents of that bag.What I discovered inside was a tiny black kitten, a bit bedraggled but seemingly otherwise ok. I couldn't believe it, who would do such a thing?! I put her in the car on the back seat and drove to the nearest village shop to source a cardboard box. I was about an hour away from home and knew I needed to find something to contain her while I drove. I put her in the cardboard box and hoped she would settle down but she was determined to get my attention and escaped soon after we set off for home. She eventually settled on my lap and stayed there all the way home.
I had phoned ahead to let Stu know what had happened and he had arranged an appointment at the vets to get her checked out. We had 30 minutes at home before the appointment and during this time we decided we would keep her.
Once we got to the vets they said we couldn't keep her and that she would have to go to the RSPCA in case the owner came forward. I pointed out that I had found her over an hour away and that the owner was very unlikely to come forward after what they had done but they insisted that it was protocol. They took her to be checked over and, thankfully, she was fine. No fleas and a healthy weight. I was devastated at the thought of not being able to take her home as she had been through so much already and I was already attached to her. They said we would have first dibs on her if no-one came forward but that wasn't good enough for me. I wanted to take her home and make a fuss of her. Eventually one of the nurses said she would fight our cause for us as we had 2 other cats registered at the practice and they knew they were well looked after. About 30 minutes later she brought Inky out and said we could take her home. That was the worst 3o minutes in a long time!
She is roughly 11 months now and is the funniest little character. She loves Rosie and loves to sit on him and be washed. She loves chasing sweet wrappers and grrrrrs when anyone goes near her when she has one. She likes to jump in the air and loves playing fetch and so has earned the nickname "Doggy". She miaows for her breakfast in the morning and then ignores it when you put it down. Most of all, she loves drinking water out of a cup and doesn't really understand the whole bowl idea.
Number 1 - Jessie AKA Mr Grumpy
So, Stu and I had been living together a few months and I had finally convinced him to get a cat. We decided to get a rescue cat as it breaks my heart to think of all the unwanted kitties out there. We went to our local branch of Cats Protection and looked at all of the kitties looking for new homes. We loved all of them but first we needed to have a home visit to assess whether or not we could have one. We lived in a two bedroom terrace that had a little yard and was quite near a busy road so we were told we could only have an older cat. Fine we said.
When we went back to pick our kittie there was only one that fitted the bill so we had a choice: take that one or wait until another older cat was brought in. We decided to take Jess although Stu was rather nervous about this because he was quite grumpy in his pen. The staff warned us that he might be grumpy when we initially got him home but we prayed for the best and set off.
Once we got home Jess was very busy exploring his new home and seemed happy to be out of the pen he had been in for the last 3 months. He followed us around constantly and miaowed at everything. Looking back, I think that is the friendliest he has ever been! He was very quick to bite and scratch which we managed to cure by telling him off everytime he did it but he soon earned his nickname of Mr Grumpy.
When Rosie arrived a few months later his grumpiness accelerated to a whole new level which was only to be expected and he seems to have stayed at that level since then. The trouble is, we know virtually nothing about him as his elderly owner died and the family didn't want him. We know he is roughly 14/15 but that is all.
When we moved house he was thoroughly discomfited and sat in the middle of the stairs refusing to budge for the first 24 hours which was very useful when we were trying to take things upstairs! However he now has the life of riley as most of our neighbours are elderly and he has made friends with all of them. His daily routine consists of visiting all the houses in the street to receive tidbits and fuss. He comes home only for his meals and to sleep at night. However it seems to suit him better this way and if he is happy who are we to argue?
When we went back to pick our kittie there was only one that fitted the bill so we had a choice: take that one or wait until another older cat was brought in. We decided to take Jess although Stu was rather nervous about this because he was quite grumpy in his pen. The staff warned us that he might be grumpy when we initially got him home but we prayed for the best and set off.
Once we got home Jess was very busy exploring his new home and seemed happy to be out of the pen he had been in for the last 3 months. He followed us around constantly and miaowed at everything. Looking back, I think that is the friendliest he has ever been! He was very quick to bite and scratch which we managed to cure by telling him off everytime he did it but he soon earned his nickname of Mr Grumpy.
When Rosie arrived a few months later his grumpiness accelerated to a whole new level which was only to be expected and he seems to have stayed at that level since then. The trouble is, we know virtually nothing about him as his elderly owner died and the family didn't want him. We know he is roughly 14/15 but that is all.
When we moved house he was thoroughly discomfited and sat in the middle of the stairs refusing to budge for the first 24 hours which was very useful when we were trying to take things upstairs! However he now has the life of riley as most of our neighbours are elderly and he has made friends with all of them. His daily routine consists of visiting all the houses in the street to receive tidbits and fuss. He comes home only for his meals and to sleep at night. However it seems to suit him better this way and if he is happy who are we to argue?
Number 2 - Rosie AKA The Horror
Rosie was our second addition to the family and is now officially the "Daddy" figure to the little ones. He was teeny when we first got him, about 6 weeks old which is too young really. The lady who sold him to us told us he was a girl (hence the name!) and was 7 weeks old, but when she told me his birthdate I realised she was a week out.
When we got him home he could barely wash without falling over and his purr was a bit pathetic too. We kept him in our bedroom for the first week to keep him from the clutches of Jessie and he had a lovely time hiding under the duvet and between the pillows. The first time he saw his litter box he got in it and started eating the litter. Then he discovered that it tasted nasty so he spat it out and cried. 30 seconds later he ate some more and so the routine went on for a few minutes. He couldn't jump onto the bed so used to launch himself at the duvet and claw his way up, emerging on top of the bed victorious.
Jessie was not very keen on Rosie and regarded him with disdain, sometimes approaching to wallop Rosie on the nose. Rosie didn't seem that bothered however and as time wore on he made approaches to Jessie for friendship which were firmly rebuffed!
Rosie stayed upstairs in our house for quite a while, mainly, because he was too small to negotiate our steep stairs and he soon discovered that the best place to sit was under the desk in the spare room where he could bite Stu's toes as he worked. In fact, he loved being in the office so much he would curl up on our laps under the desks as we worked or would sit on our keyboards to stop us from working.
Rosie is now 2 and although he looks very wise I am pretty sure he is quite dumb. He has grown into a big cat and is very handsome and proud. He is lovely with the little cats and is always washing them and play-fighting with them. He still hasn't cracked Jessie's hard outer shell though as Jessie remains steadfastly indifferent.
When we got him home he could barely wash without falling over and his purr was a bit pathetic too. We kept him in our bedroom for the first week to keep him from the clutches of Jessie and he had a lovely time hiding under the duvet and between the pillows. The first time he saw his litter box he got in it and started eating the litter. Then he discovered that it tasted nasty so he spat it out and cried. 30 seconds later he ate some more and so the routine went on for a few minutes. He couldn't jump onto the bed so used to launch himself at the duvet and claw his way up, emerging on top of the bed victorious.
Jessie was not very keen on Rosie and regarded him with disdain, sometimes approaching to wallop Rosie on the nose. Rosie didn't seem that bothered however and as time wore on he made approaches to Jessie for friendship which were firmly rebuffed!
Rosie stayed upstairs in our house for quite a while, mainly, because he was too small to negotiate our steep stairs and he soon discovered that the best place to sit was under the desk in the spare room where he could bite Stu's toes as he worked. In fact, he loved being in the office so much he would curl up on our laps under the desks as we worked or would sit on our keyboards to stop us from working.
Rosie is now 2 and although he looks very wise I am pretty sure he is quite dumb. He has grown into a big cat and is very handsome and proud. He is lovely with the little cats and is always washing them and play-fighting with them. He still hasn't cracked Jessie's hard outer shell though as Jessie remains steadfastly indifferent.
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