Day 32 -- Back to the bowl...?

I came back home tonight, nervous, and found one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.

The good news? There was a nice, healthy pile of poop in the popcorn bowl. Check out how little litter he used!

The bad news? Apparently, Kratos has decided to pull my roommate Haru's towel off of the rack, onto the bathroom floor, and then peed on it. Yup, that towel has now also been thrown out, sitting snugly in the dump with our rug. Very annoying, to be sure -- but how ingenious! I didn't know whether to punish him or to praise him for his elaborate cleverness.

Anyways, I took out some more litter from the bowl tonight... Let's see if Kratos keeps with it tomorrow!

Day 30 -- Kratos' second accident (and third)

This last stretch will not be easy.

The plan now is to start decreasing the amount of litter in the popcorn bowl until Kratos gets used to pooping into a bowl without any litter. But if you saw any of the videos I've posted, you can see that Kratos loves his litter, always scratching at it attentively as part of his pooping ritual (unfortunately, before pooping, not after).

Which is probably why, when I ambitiously left so little litter in the bowl that you could see the bottom, he freaked.

I was stationed outside the bathroom door at the time, where I often am nowadays, doing homework on the floor with one hand clutching the camera. Kratos was not on the toilet -- and didn't even particularly show any interest in the toilet -- when that sound of streaming water caught me by surprise. I jumped and rushed in, but obviously I was too late -- Kratos had peed in the bathroom corner where the litter box used to be.

Saddened, I added a tiny bit more litter into the bowl, but Kratos had no more scatalogical needs for the evening. When I woke the next morning, I had hoped to see some comforting poop in the bowl, but alas, there was none.

I knew Kratos was due for pooping, and I was nervous all day about where he would do the deed. Will he go on the bathroom floor again? Or will he hide and poop in some secret location where the poop can only be smelled, but never be found? I rushed home after work with dread, swung open the front door, and took a deep breath -- nope, it didn't smell. I quickened my pace and walked towards the bathroom, hoping that he started using the litter bowl again.

He didn't.

I found a pile of poop on the bathroom rug. I won't show you a picture of it because, well, it pretty much looks exactly how it sounds. I cleaned up the poop, threw out the rug, and filled up the bowl with even more litter -- enough that Kratos has finally decided to go back to using the bowl again.

I had always thought that the hardest part was to get Kratos to start pooping on the toilet -- after he got used to it, it seemed clear that he would simply continue using it out of habit. I was wrong. Weening Kratos off of the litter, by far, is going to be the most difficult part of the process.

Well, at least I know that it's possible. Kratos did poop on the rug after all -- with no litter in sight. And that's progress, right?

Day 24 -- One step back

There hasn't been much progress made in the past two weeks because I was gone last weekend to Sundance, and will be gone this weekend as well for Chinese new year, and I didn't want to do anything too drastic when I wasn't there, watching Kratos' every move.

Meanwhile, Kratos had a leisurely two weeks where he could get comfortable with pooping on the toilet. I noticed an unfortunate trend, however -- Kratos was starting to stand in the popcorn bowl while pooping now, instead of having all four legs on the toilet seat. I guess he has decided that the popcorn bowl is a safe place to place his weight, and while I appreciate the implicit praise for my worksmanship, this is one step back from perfect litter-free existence!

I tried to correct him by moving his leg onto the seat:

But Kratos doesn't always appreciate my correction, often just leaving the bathroom altogether when I intervene. I guess you can't blame him -- I wouldn't want someone moving my limbs around when I poop. Sigh.

Anyway, next week, I'm going to move the process along by drastically decreasing the amount of litter in the popcorn bowl. Nowadays, before using the bowl, Kratos always first scratches the litter for quite a while before he is comfortable pooping into it, so this is really going to test his tolerance. Things are going to start getting very exciting... and very smelly.

Day 14 -- Improved litter bowl apparatus!

Nowadays, I have a smile on my face every time I see a bundle of joy left by Kratos in the popcorn bowl. But I also have a frown every time I myself need to use the toilet. Detaching and reattaching the popcorn bowl with duct tape was starting to get really annoying, and, well, the sink was starting to look mighty attractive. I had to fix the situation, and fast, before I did the unthinkable.

I switched to a different design. Instead of taping the popcorn bowl to the toilet itself, I taped it to two steel rods bought from Home Depot:

The two rods are sturdy enough to hold up the popcorn bowl and, when placed onto the toilet bowl, is very secure:

And now removing and replacing the popcorn bowl takes only a matter of seconds! 

Man, how did I ever get that D in wood shop in middle school?

Day 11 Part 2 -- Kratos's first time pooping on the toilet!

Understandably, Kratos was confused about the missing litter box. He sees the new litter inside this mysterious bowl blocking access to his favorite water source, but he is unsure about how to use it. For many many times, he enters into the bathroom and examines the toilet at length:

As you can see, he even reached his paw in between the popcorn bowl and the toilet just to get to his water! But eventually, necessity got to the best of him, and -- yes, he pooped!!

There's good news and bad news about this. The good -- incredibly, amazingly good -- news, is that Kratos pooped with all four of his paws completely on the toilet, instead of standing in the popcorn bowl. According to this website, which is the primary source of toilet-training information that I've been consulting:

Watch your cat using the bathroom in the metal bowl. Count the number of feet he gets up on the toilet seat (as opposed to down in the bowl of litter). The higher the number, the luckier you are and the easier your job is going to be ...

And I am very lucky indeed :-)

The thing that gives me pause is how attached to the litter Kratos seems to be.  Witness, for example, how much Kratos played with the litter before being satisfied enough to poop into it.  I will probably really have to let Kratos poop like this for quite a while before he will get used to pooping into the toilet without any litter at all...

Anyways, major milestone, and well done Kratos once again!

Day 11 -- Litter in the toilet

Okay, I got greedy again.  I just couldn't wait to go to the next milestone!  So going back on my promise to let Kratos get used to pooping with the litter box on top of the toilet for two more days, I instead immediately put the popcorn bowl to use:

Mmmmm, popcorn!!

I filled it up with litter, and secured it to the toilet bowl with plenty of duct tape:

After putting the seat down, it looks just like a normal toilet, but with attractive, comforting litter instead of water!  Will Kratos take to it?

Well...  At this point, I switched to using another camera to take a video of what happened, but I won't be able to get the camera cable till tomorrow...  So stayed tuned for Kratos vs Toilet Bowl!

Day 9 to 10 -- Inching closer to the toilet

Kratos is going through the "easy" part of the process like a champ.  The almost daily changes to the litter box has become part of his pooping routine; enter bathroom, examine carefully (many, many times), get air-lifted into the litter box by me, and poop.  He did fine when I moved the litter box right up against the toilet:

And he did fine when I placed the litter box completely on top of the toilet:

(Yes, it is now very, very annoying for myself to use this toilet.)

I'm going to leave the litter box there for the next two days.  After that will come the next major milestone -- filling up my popcorn bowl with litter, nestling it inside the toilet bowl, and having Kratos actually poop into the toilet!  Very excited now :-)

Day 8 -- New litter!

My shopping list from Target:

• Swheat Scoop litter; due to the clever pun, this litter is made from wheat, and has no crazy clumping chemicals, is unscented, is good for the earth, and above all, is flushable.  I'm switching litter so that I don't have to keep worrying about unflushable litter going down the drain.  I've also read that unscented litter is easier for cats to quit.
• Duct tape, for finally securing the litter box.
• A metal popcorn bowl, for the next major milestone in the process, where it will be holding litter and hiding inside the toilet bowl.  After this whole thing, I can always still use it as a real popcorn bowl.  That's reuse!
• A belt, because my pants keep falling off.

Kratos seems to be getting a little more used to using the elevated litter box.  His poopage frequency is still a tad low, but at least I see stuff in there, and I'm not finding any poop under my blanket.  He also transitioned to the new litter without complaints.  What a trooper!

Day 3 to 5 -- Higher and higher, and Kratos' first accident

Day 3 and 4 went by rather smoothly. I lifted up the litter box on both days, and Kratos was able to navigate them with relative ease. He started taking to pooping in them faster, though never without a complaining meow before and after he's done. Here are pictures of his adventure on Day 3:

And here's the picture on Day 4, where the litter box is already as tall as the toilet!  Unfortunately, though, as you can see, the construction on Day 4 is rather a bit of engineering failure, a disaster waiting to happen...

And happen it did.  On Day 5, Kratos jumped onto the brown cardboard box to poop, only to have it slide off the textbooks, bringing the litter box crashing down to the floor.  I fixed it up with a more secure setup immediately, but apparently, it was an experience so traumatizing that Kratos refused to step into the bathroom by himself for more than 24 hours!

I was getting really worried.  I kept air-lifting Kratos onto the litter box, but to no avail.  Meanwhile, Kratos had started eyeing his old pooping location with nostalgia, longing for the better, golden, olden days when his pooping platform did not suddenly collapse from under him.

Finally, he pooped in the litter box.  Hooray!  I breathed a sigh of relief.  I sat back down in my living room playing the wonderful World of Goo game, and then I noticed Kratos streaming into the room.  "Good job Kratos!" I said.  He ignored my presence, and moved deliberately and slowly towards the dining room.  He sat down.  "What are you doing there, Kratos?"  I asked with detached interest.  He did not move.  It was only a few minutes later that I realized he had been sitting down at the old litter box location, and...  Wait...

I ran towards him.  "Kratos, what are you doing!!"  He still did not move.  I reached my arms out to lift him up, but before I could, I hear the sound of liquid streaming out of his body.  I decided not to lift him up after all.

It was a sad, but odd relapse.  Why did Kratos go peeing in the wrong location only minutes after pooping in the right location?  I couldn't understand it.  But to make it clear that it is no longer acceptable to take care of his bodily needs in the dining room, I cleaned the place thoroughly, leaving no scent of pee or poop behind.

Thereafter, Kratos has gone back to peeing in the bathroom, but not yet pooping.  And his frequency of litter use has definitely decreased.  He is probably still pretty nervous about the collapse, and understandably so.  I'm probably going to leave the litter box untouched at the current height for a few more days to placate him.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

Day 2 -- Elevating the litter box (a little bit)

Okay, I got greedy. The next series of steps involve elevating the litter box, bit by bit, until it is about as tall as the toilet. But, flush from yesterday's success, and with plenty of confidence in my cat's non-fussiness, I decided to lift the litter box by quite a bit:

At least I finally put my computer science textbooks to good use!

Kratos didn't seem to like it too much, however.  He hung around the house, like yesterday, wasting time and drinking an abnormally large amount of water.  Worried that he couldn't see it's the same litter box, I lifted him up and brought him to it several times, only to have him escape quickly each time.  It is not until two hours later that he finally makes the entrance into the bathroom.  Slowly, he sizes up the new setup, carefully examining what's under the litter box.

Like my girlfriend who knows she must study for her finals but, just to procrastinate and put it off a little further, goes and checks Facebook instead, Kratos did not immediately hop into the litter box.  Instead, he hung around the bathroom a little longer, and then jumped onto the toilet to take a sip of water.

Yes, Kratos drinks from the toilet.  And yes, this is one habit that will require some adjusting once (and if!) he starts pooping into it!

After much procrastination, Kratos finally decided to do the deed.  All was well, and the smell of success filled the air!  That is, until Kratos started his fruitless attempt to bury his poop again:

Despite the litter failure, though, Kratos has advanced for another day.  Well done!

Day 1 -- Moving the litter box into the bathroom

The first step is simple enough -- Kratos must get used to pooping in the bathroom.  I moved the litter box there, and waited with baited breath.

Usually, Kratos poops right after eating his dinner.  But tonight, pooping did not seem to be on his mind.  Instead, he wandered around the apartment aimlessly, as if unsure what to do next.  Eventually, he sat at the old litter box location, meowing a sad meow of confusion and request.  I lifted him up, and put him into the litter box in the bathroom.  He escaped quickly, and this repeated for a few times until I gave up and ducked back into my bedroom.

Then, I heard that familiar scratching noise.  Uh-oh, I thought.  It sounded like Kratos scratching the wall, and for a moment, I was scared that he had pooped in the old location.  I rushed out of my room, and found Kratos indeed scratching the walls, but thankfully, without any poop, the ceremony only half-complete.  I smiled, and kept waiting.

Eventually, he made his way to the bathroom, cautiously and suspiciously.  He examined the box carefully, but when he saw me peeking in, he ran out, embarrassed.  It looked like he really wanted to go -- but was still very nervous about it.  He came back, ran, and came back again, this time bravely stepping into the box and -- yes! -- dropped a glorious mound of poop!  It was followed by the usual ineffective burying motions, but oh, at last, the poop was in place!

Kratos was embarrassed by all this.  After pooping in the new location, he suddenly became exceptionally affectionate, purring loudly next to me and consistently requesting my attention.  When I tried to walk into the bathroom to clean up the mess, he did something surprising that he had never done before -- he bit my toe, trying to prevent me from entering.  Is he feeling guilty about pooping in a new place?  Is he feeling nervous, unsure of himself and his torturous decision?  Is he afraid that he has done something wrong?

Whatever worry that was going through his head, I tried to put it out of his mind by showering him with head scratches and tummy rubs.  Well done, Kratos!  This was your first step towards kitty perfection, and you have performed well!

Kratos my cat... and his litter problem

Kratos is my cat, and a very cute cat at that.

He is also, in general, a very clever cat.  He hunts for kibbles with mighty accuracy and thrift when I toss them onto the ground.  He stalks spiders and insects for hours on end.  He plays with, and masters his toys quickly.  And he even knows how to shake my hand!  I was almost ready to declare him the cleverest kitty to ever walk the earth, except for one small problem...

He does not know how to bury his poop.

It is not for lack of trying.  After he does his business, Kratos understands the need to cover up the smell, and does all he can to do so -- except all he can isn't quite enough.  He delligently uses his paws to scratch everything around him -- the litter box, the wall, the floor, the air -- everything but the litter itself.  And, it is only after countless minutes of fruitless labor and many useless scratches on the sides of the litter box that he gives up, saddened and defeated, like a confused lighthouse operator who pulled all the levers and pushed all the buttons but still could not get the light to turn on.

It makes no sense; Kratos otherwise has excellent hand-eye coordination.  I have tried showing him how to bury his poop properly, but to no avail.  Everyday, Kratos repeats his dance of frustration and eventual disappointment, with zero improvement in his almost three years of existence.  And everyday, I wonder if there were a better way.

Until I realized, of course, that there is.

What if I simply removed litter from the equation?  I spent a few days working out the math, and I'm pretty sure that it turns out:

Kratos - litter = happy kitty of perfection

Indeed -- I decided that I will toilet-train Kratos.  It will be a long, potentially endless journey of trial, error, courage, setbacks, and poop smears, eventually culminating in either the ultimate triumph of the cat-folks, or a crushing and disappointing return to the banality of daily failures.  

And this blog will be its diary.