Day 74 -- Back to basics

So how far of a step back have we taken?

On Day 72, I put the bowl back in the toilet with a small amount of dry litter. He was able to pee into it like a trooper -- peeing was never a problem. But he did not seem to find it a particularly attractive place for pooping.

All it took, though, is a little more litter. Once there was enough for him to dig into, he started pawing the litter happily (according to some, the digging action stimulates pooping activities), and proceeded to poop. Unfortunately, by then he had forgotten to stand on the toilet seat, and is back to pooping while standing in the litter.

After constant corrections in the past few days, Kratos is getting better now at peeing and pooping on the toilet seat (thank God it didn't all go away!). I'm going to keep him on the litter for another week before adding some water; that should be enough for him to get used to the pooping action.

Did you know that cats use very different stances when they pee and poop? Compare and contrast peeing:

and pooping:

When cats poop, they have to stand significantly higher off the ground than when they pee. The posture is clearly more challenging to pull off on the slim edge of the toilet seat, which might explain Kratos' initial anxiety and ultimate failure in pooping in the toilet. Hopefully, this time around, he will be able to get used to the squat, and all the canned food he's eating will make the transition that much easier.

I know what you're all wondering -- what's the consistency of his poop like? I'm happy to report that it seems to be softer and a lot smellier now. Signs of a healthy dump? Maybe; at least it doesn't look like a painful one anymore!