Week 3 Part 1

So, Bucky has gone to the new litter box with the hole. Alas, he feels pretty uncomfortable by the change and would prefer it if I let him go on my bed. He definately pee’d on my bed the first morning after introducing the hole. However, I can’t blame him since he made it very clear that he needed to go (Bucky is very vocal and always lets me know when he’s going to the bathroom).  I am learning to be more perceptive of those tones which tell me instinctively that he needs to go.

This behavior has also convinced me that he has gotten used to the praise associated with going to the bathroom: he doesn’t want to go there, but he will if I tell him he’s a wonderful kitty and praise him every step of the way. When I came home Monday night from work there were no messes, but there was definately no activity in the litter box. So, the good news was that he goes on my bed only when I’m around, meaning that he’ll go when I’m around and gives me ample opportunity to encourage him to be a good kitty. The bad news is that he’s holding it in.

So, last night he was very good. We went into the bathroom, and we made progress on two accounts. He went to the bathroom in the litterbox and I introduced the sound of the flushing toilet…I was afraid that he was going to be afraid of the noise-but nope! He was mesmerized by the water. He has associated it with wonder, as this morning, after he went, I flushed the toilet and he came running back to look inside the hole at the water. This is perfect for when I will eventually train him to flush the toilet!

…oh yes….the water. So, I think aside from the fact that his litter box suddenly has a hole in it, he is facinated by what is in the hole: Water! Everytime he goes in, he sticks his head in and he is so small that he occasionally drops into it and gets both his paws wet. He is so curious about it, that he can’t go to the bathroom unless I encourage him and play with the litter and not focus too much on the water.

Patience is so important in this phase and I can only see it becoming more so as the hole starts getting bigger and kitty tries to figure out how to position himself. Starbucks’ main problem is that he is confused and he’s not sure how to sit, and whether the litter box is toy or a bathroom.  So, as he gets used to it, I might start adjusting his body into how he should eventually be-i.e. balancing on the lid, starting now to ease the transition. Just gentle nudging when he’s about to go.

Pictures to follow!