Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   Well, Nikki and TJ don't think they can adopt two kittens right now, and be fair to their resident cat, Callie... so they declined adopting JellyBean and Sweet Pea.

   But Anna is interested in adopting Jellybean, and she's willing to travel 3.5 hours to get here, to adopt her. (She has a colleague in town she could visit during the same trip.) So, unless something extraordinary has changed, Jellybean will be going to a great home!!

   And... selfishly, that means I get to keep Sweet Pea! With Mili going home to OnePopoki in Arizona, I will still have six kitties (two more than I should), but so it goes!

   And I'm taking the next big step... I'm going to see if I can get Sweet Pea toilet trained. The thought of someday not having to scoop litter for her is far too tempting to pass up!!

   Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

2. 

   Good for JellyBean - congrats!

   I had been thinking about toilet training The Bobster. Well, now Milo has taken over the bathroom, so I don't know how that'll work. I have enough trouble these days, getting to use the toilet myself!lol!
   I was wondering, once Milo moves out of the bathroom, what should I do about the litterboxes? I really want each of them to have their own. But will they accept that? How do I get them to do their business in their own box?

   Posted 1 year ago by GreatDane #

3. 

   Yea anncetera!!!! Doing happy dance with you!!!

   Posted 1 year ago by artistabobbi TX 1/17 #

4. 

   GD, they may not mind sharing boxes. (Some cats do, most cats don't.)

   The best primer I've found on toilet training is found here:

   http://www.karawynn.net/mishacat/toilet.html

   I'm off to shop for a large oval bowl tonight... my toilet bowl is elongated, not round, so that will make this a bit more challenging.

   Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

5. 

   We toilet trained a cat once. Unfortunately, her brother wasn't at all interested in using the potty; we were lucky when he was willing to use the box.

   So far as a box for each kitty goes, we have a furbaby now who will only go in one of the six boxes available to her. The other four kitties avoid her box, but use all the rest indiscriminately.

   If one kitty likes an enclosed box and the other doesn't, that would keep them from using the other's box.

   Posted 1 year ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

6. 

   Bobsky has a covered box, because he always makes a huge mess - litter flies everywhere. So far Milo just has his old, small one, but I'd like to get him a covered one, too.

   I was thinking if Milo's been sick, maybe it's not healthy for them to share?

   Also, since Bobsky is used to having hie litter box to himself, I'm not sure he'd like Milo to come share. I guess I'll have to wait and see. One more week from tomorrow!

   Posted 1 year ago by GreatDane #

7. 

   GD, you have enough to worry about right now without planning on toilet training!! How are you feeling? Better, I hope!

   Posted 1 year ago by WillowandWindismom #

8. 

   My cats share boxes I have 3 boxes but they seem to use whichever they want. When Sophie was a baby I set her up a little box because the other box was so high. She wanted to use the big cat box and would pull herself into it. So cute

   Posted 1 year ago by Cat talk rules #

9. 

   WWM, still a bit of an irritated throat. I'm wondering if it's allergies. I stopped taking my Allegra and nasal spray when I got the cold and started taking meds for that. Unfortunately I have a sneaky suspecion this little bathroom dwelling critter has something to do with current state of affairs - ichy eyes, runny nose etc. The Bobster bothered me like that in the beginning, but my system sort of got used to it, and the meds helped, too. Milo's hair is longer, so that may make a difference.
   The allergies are one of the reasons I give Bob baths - it really cuts down on the shedding. Can't give Milo a bath until he's over this cold. Can't wait to get that done. The bathwipe things are okay, but no substitute for a bath.

   Posted 1 year ago by GreatDane #

10. 

    Oh, dear, GD! Surely you are not allergic to cats???? No, I don't think that you could give little Milo a bath at this point so the wipes will probably have to do. Have you had allergy tests by any chance? Could you try some Claritin? From my understanding, it's not the length of the kitty hair but rather the amount of dander that bothers people.

    Posted 1 year ago by WillowandWindismom #

11. 

    WWM, I took Claritin for a while and it didn't work that well. The prescription Allegra is great, and I also have Nasacort and some prescription eye drops.
    I just started the Allegra again 2 or 3 days ago, so it'll take a few days more to really kick in. Hopefully I'll be much better then.

    Okay, of to Catster! Milo was introduced to the Cat Dancer and I got some new pics and a video.

    Posted 1 year ago by GreatDane #

12. 

    Yay for Jelly Bean! :)

    Posted 1 year ago by miu #

13. 

    Hey anncetera! I love having my 2 toilet trained. My toilet is also oval. Go get a few disposable roasting pans. The heavy foil kind. Then you can just bend them to shape and you don't feel bad about throwing them away when the process is completed. Depending on your cat, you might want to double them up in the toilet so no one falls in.

    Posted 1 year ago by MeezerMama in OK; 10/23 #

14. 

    Oh yeah, I mean the big roasting pans like you would use for a turkey.

    and congrats for JellyBean!

    Posted 1 year ago by MeezerMama in OK; 10/23 #

15. 

    W&WM, allergies to felines are caused by an allergy to one (or more) of four different proteins found in cat saliva. The saliva's deposited in a very thin layer on the cat's fur, as it cleans itself. After a couple weeks, the layers of saliva are thick enough and inflexible enough that they start to crack off as they hair shaft flexes. That puts the dried proteins airborne, and they're so lightweight that they can remain in the environment for long periods of time.

    So longer fur provides a larger surface area for the dried saliva to stick to, and it makes sense that it might create a larger allergy problem (than a shorthaired cat with fur of equal density and with similar hair shaft size).

    GD, if you really had to give Milo a bath right now, you could, with probably no ill effects whatsoever. You have the heat lamp in the bathroom, and you can cover the floor in there with towels (all after drying off Milo thoroughly with a towel, and cuddling Milo in another towel). I'm pretty sure that if you pre-warm the bathroom with the heat lamp, and leave it on for a good long time afterward, Milo won't be chilled and would dry in short order.

    This all reminds me that I really need to bathe Misty this weekend. And the kittens, while I'm at it; they might as well get used to it!

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

16. 

    MM, thanks so much for the turkey roasting pan tip! I measured the toilet, and I'm going to see if I can find the right size bowl tonight. If I can't, chances are very good that I'll go the foil-turkey-pan route, before attempting to go the Litter Kwitter route.

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

17. 

    Thanks, Anncetera! I really do want to give the little guy a bath soon. Maybe I'll do it Sunday evening. Funny how that weird heating lamp (in South Fla!)has come in handy!
    I ordered some super absorbant towels at Drs. Foster & Smith the other day. I hope they arrive soon.
    I was wondering if I give both of my boys a bath with the same shampoo before they officially meet, if that would help, since they would sort of smell the same?

    Any idea how long it takes to train a kitty to use the toilet? I'd still like to train The Bobster once Milo's out of the bathroom, but don't know if having a litterbox around for Milo will make him just use that one. I also don't feel comfortable leaving the toilet open for The Bobster to use while Milo is so small that he could fall in it and drown.

    Posted 1 year ago by GreatDane #

18. 

    Claritin never worked for most people. My allergist told me about a dentist who sued the company for selling what was basically a placebo. Zyrtec is best for pet allergies and is available online from Canada as a generic for about $25 for a 3-month supply. It is now available here over-the-counter for that price for one month supply (Walmart).

    Posted 1 year ago by Sheba's Mom in Phoenix, AZ 10/8 #

19. 

    Hmmmmm, I may give that a try. The Doc gave me so many samples, I haven't filled the prescription for the Allegra yet, I'll wait and see how much it is. I seem to remember from before that it was maybe $80.00 a month or something. When I firwst got Claritin as a prescription about ten years ago or so, it was over $100.00!

    Posted 1 year ago by GreatDane #

20. 

    GD, bathing them both with the same shampoo may not help much, but it certainly won't hurt!

    I wouldn't even attempt beginning any sort of toilet training until Milo is at least 10-12 weeks old. He needs to be coordinated enough to jump up and down while still keeping his balance; that will be exceptionally important. You DON'T want him to accidentally fall into the toilet. When he's so tiny, drowning is a real possibility; even so, such an experience would guarantee he'd be scared to death of the toilet after that.

    As far as how quickly a cat learns to use the toilet... well, a lot of that depends on the cat. Bob seems to be very bright, flexible, and a quick learner. He also seems to want to please you. I think Bob (and Milo) will be relatively quick to train. Remember, however, to follow the steps however slowly you need to, in order to make sure they're both 'getting it.'

    And remember that praise and treats are your friends!!!

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

21. 

    Thanks, Anncetera. I wasn't going to train Milo yet, just try it out on the Bobster. I finally found treats he likes! They are Pounce treats with - of course - catnip flavor!

    Did you see the movie Milo made you? He's VERY excited about the Cat Dancer.

    Posted 1 year ago by GreatDane #

22. 

    I saw that! Milo seems to like the Cat Dancer! He looks like he's feeling so much better than when he first arrived home with you.

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

23. 

    Yes, he's much more energetic now. This morning, I found a cat on each side of the bathroom door with an end of the Cat Dancer. It was like a weird version of tug-of-war! I had to break it up, though, as I don't want them to share toys while Milo's still sick.

    Posted 1 year ago by GreatDane #

24. 

    By the way, what do I do with toys and blankets and such when Milo moves out of the bathroom? Will the virus live on them? Should I wash the ones that are washable, or is that not needed?

    Posted 1 year ago by GreatDane #

25. 

    I'd wash everything.

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

26. 

    WOO HOO... congrats on the adoption! Only 11 more days...

    Posted 1 year ago by 2 Popoki #

27. 

    Counting down... Mili is finally learning to play with JellyBean and Sweet Pea (though Sweet Pea doesn't want to have much to do with her yet). Like Chloe, Mili appears to be more curious about other cats, than territorial.

    Woo hoo! Oh, and I'm afraid I'll be arriving with two other people, not just one. Our other passenger had arranged to share a ride, but her driver's car had its transmission conk out a week ago... funds no longer exist for the driver to take vacation. So she's coming with us (the alternative was her not taking vacation at all). Hope that's okay with you!

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

28. 

    Oh, and Mili's finally getting more used to the harness. She still doesn't like it, but she tends to ignore it after the first 5 minutes or so.

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

29. 

    The more the merrier anncetera ! If y'all don't mind sleeping on the floor or the couch.

    Chloe is doing pretty well closed in the bedroom at night. Until about 5... then she starts knocking on the door to be let out! The first night, she was on her little condo at the foot of my bed when I closed the door. She looked at the door, looked at me and looked back at the door. LOL What a quizzical look on her little fat gray face !

    Posted 1 year ago by 2 Popoki #

30. 

    I'm glad to hear Chloe's adjusting. I think it will be important, when we come spend the night. I think it will really help to get Mili's scent all over the place first, before she actually meets Chloe.

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

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