Toilet Training - Steps 1 & 2

Happy New Year! Suki's New Years resolution is to use the toilet instead of a litter box.  We got a Citi Kitty toilet training kit for Christmas this year, and started it this week. It's been going so well already!

Step 1 is to put your cat's litter box into the bathroom near the toilet, so that they get used to the idea of potty time being in that room. I skipped this step because Suki's litter box was in a closet right next to our bathroom.

We are currently on Step 2. Step 2 basically is when you put the removable tray with flushable litter onto the toilet seat. There is no hole yet (those get punched out as training progresses), so you do have to scoop out the presents whenever you notice them.

Don't forget to get really excited and reward your cat everytime they use the toilet pan! Suki likes to use it when I'm in the bathroom for some reason, so I'm always around to give her high fives and head nudgies (and take pictures of course).

I'll keep you posted on future steps!

Cat Sitting

Suki does not enjoy being left behind, but that doesn't mean she never is. Leaving your beloved pet with someone else is not only confusing for the animal, but it can also be nerve wracking for you too. What if someone accidentally lets your cat out? What if they forget to feed him/her? What if my cat thinks I have abandoned him/her? I'm always nervous when I leave Suki in the hands of someone else, but with a little preparation and a lot of comunciation with your cat sitter, i've gotten a lot more comfortable with it.

Preparation

Before you go, you need to have enough wet food and/or dry food to last your cat while you are gone, and a few days extra just in case your return is postponed for any reason. If you don't leave enough food, you're relying on someone else to go out and get it for you - which is not only really inconsiderate, but also - they are probably just going to buy cheap food  (that is loaded with unhealthy byproducts) from the closest store possible.

Another important thing to take into consideration is giving your cat flea meds before you leave. The last thing you want is to come home and find tapeworm egg casings. Not only are they disgusting, but you don't want your cat sitter (who may not even notice) to have to deal with that. Especially make sure your cat has had flea meds if your cat sitter has cats at home who have fleas. They can travel in on the cat sitter and get on your cat, who could then eat them while grooming, and get tape worms. Yuck.

Communication

Whenever I leave the Suk and have someone checking in on her, I probably text that person every other day. Just getting a quick confirmation of "She's fine" makes a huge difference if you are worrying. It might be a good idea to ask your cat sitter to shoot you a short quick text every time they go over, just to calm your fears or worries.

Instructions

Everyone is different, but I've got a few basic rules for anyone taking care of Suki. I do this because I want to minimize any possible risk of accident, injury, etc. I've put together a one-page sheet that you can fill out and leave for your cat sitter that covers most of the basics. You can fill in your own directions in certain areas.

Click here to download my one-page Cat Sitting Instructions sheet!



Am I missing anything? Leave a comment below with your advice relating to cat sitting!

Midnight Cat Snack

When I first got Suki, she almost seemed nocturnal. The first night I had her home, I had to lock actually her in the walk in closet so that I could get a few hours of sleep. (I found kitten Suki curdled up in the laundry basket the next day. It was adorable.) Up until just a few months ago, Suki would run around, bite my feet, use my body as a landing pad, literally meow in my face and lick my arms, all while I was sleeping. It was incredibly annoying, and for a while I had to lock her out of the bedroom at night.

The past few months I tried out a few things to see if I could alter her sleep schedule. In the evenings I try to prevent Suki from napping. I don't care if she naps during the day but between the hours of 7pm-12am, I try to keep her from catching any Z's. I'm not sure if this has had any effect over how long she sleeps at night but it has to help.

The other thing I've been doing is feeding Suki wet food right before I want to go to sleep. She wolfs it down in like a second because it's her favorite thing ever, and then she's really exhausted. She then climbs up into her cat condo to the very top, and sleeps through the night. I wake up in the morning and she is in the exact same spot and position. Once she hears me waking up she stretches, yawns, and then follows me meowing until I feed her some wet food!

Does your cat sleep through the night?

Cool Surfaces for Hot Cats

As I previously mentioned in "Cooling off in 100°F Weather" Suki lives in Southern California, where it gets so hot inside and outside.  We don't have a very good air conditioner (it only cools off in about a 3ft radius right above it), so I've been looking for ways to keep this kitty cool.

One thing I have noticed is that Suki has really enjoys spending the hottest parts of the day on my yoga mat. For good reason to! While hardwood floors remain cooler than the carpet, the yoga mat offers some padding and a little bit more comfort for her.

It's also pretty funny to watch her stretch on it.

How does your cat or dog cool off in comfort?

Cooling Off in 100°F Weather

Suki lives in Southern California, where temperatures outside reach 100+ degrees on a daily basis from June - October. We don't have the greatest air conditioner in our apartment, and so it also gets pretty hot inside too. We had to get creative to find a way for her to stay cool.

I found the best way to keep the Suk cool is to spray her with a cool mist of water (IKEA has really cheap water bottles), and then brush her where I just sprayed. After I'm done, she proceeds to clean herself, so in addition to the cool mist, her saliva also cools her fur down.

The only downside to this method... is that the water bottle will no longer be seen as a punishment. When Suki sees the water bottle now, she rolls over onto her back and basically begs for it.

How do you keep your cat cool? Leave a comment.