#1 issues with Sunshine

I've found that Sunshine has been having pee issues & this starting happening BEFORE my newest setup. I found the two pee spots in the computer room on the carpet when the old yucky setup was being used (maybe last sat or sun). I cleaned them up and put their cardboard scratcher over the spot. Monday morning I had the brand new setup but Sunshine ended up peeing on top of the cardboard scratcher in the same spot. I cleaned the area again & threw out the cardboard scratcher. I put a rectangular storage container that I keep their treats in over the no-no spot and this has worked. However, this morning Sunshine went #2 in the setup and then later I heard scratching in the bathroom and found that she reached my towel hanging from the wall and pulled it down and peed on MY towel! Oh MY! I brought her over to the T even though she didn't need to go anymore & threw my towel in the tub and cleaned up the floor.

I'll have to watch Sunshine like a hawk from now on.

On a positive note, the new setup is SO easy to clean. Even when Eleanor scratches out almost all the litter & goes #2, I scoop out what I can to flush and slide the usable litter onto a newspaper & then clean out the RP and put the old litter back & throw in a scoop of new litter. Presto!

I love the new setup!

Yesterday, I was cleaning up the old setup with the triangle shaped milk container & I noticed something gross. Their pee was seeping underneath the dam and staying inside the duct tape underneath. YUCK! I later found two pee stains on the computer room carpet (luckily we plan on taking out that carpet in the future). I think it may have been Eleanor. I don't blame her for going pee on the rug. I found out how nasty their old setup was when I pulled apart all the duct tape holding it together. It stank so bad! EEEWWHH

So I was forced to create their next setup.
#1 - find something to reinforce the RP bottom.
#2 - find something for new litter dam
I use things from around the house.
So I cut out a piece of hard plastic from an old litter box lid.

Again, something from around the house. Litter dam = soda container

If using a RP - you MUST reinforce! Notice my rulers & hard plastic.

Bottom side all duct taped & ready to go.

New setup on the T.

New setup with lid down

So far the new setup is a hit. Yesterday one of the kitties used it for #1. I don't know which one but the water was yellow! Last night & this morning Sunshine used it to go #2. Eleanor just used it for #2 & hers even went straight into the water.

still chugging along

Things are going well. No changes to the setup. Still using the milk container for my litter dam which is working well because it's easy to clean. I also like that it has a triangle shape. I began feeding their moist food at night before I go to bed. This ensures that if they don't go potty during the night time then they will when I wake up. Sometimes I don't catch them but when I see they've used the potty I'll give them a "treat" anyway which is just some Iams regular kibble. I praise & treat even though I don't know for certain which one it is. However, I am getting good at telling the difference. For example, Eleanor has to dig...dig...dig so there's usually lots of litter down the T if she used it. Eleanor also has a more chunky #2 that she covers. Whereas Sunshine's is smaller and wetter & she usually doesn't cover it. I figure that the "treat" won't hurt and will just make them happier to be around the T. There are also times that wipes just aren't enough for cleaning up & you can't flush them anyway. So I've been using and old tooth brush for any real yucky cleanups on the dam. I even have a tiny spray bottle that I've filled with rubbing alcohol that comes in handy when cleaning the seat.

Happy Valentine's Day

Here's a new pic of the kids!

Two days ago the duct tape holding together the litter dam disintegrated & it was pretty smelly so I assembled a new litter dam. It's a little bigger about 5" even though you can't read the measuring tape.

Here's what it looks like with the seat down. Most of it is in the back.

So up until yesterday, the cats have been doing great. The block of wood on the sink did the trick. Yesterday, Sunshine was sick again though. She had another bout of diarrhea actually I'm not sure what you'd call it because it's only tiny squirts of clear liquid. She had some left over sauce from chicken pot pie the night before. I also ran out of the yummy Merrick moist food and was using 9 Lives again. I'm going to ask my sister in law what she thinks as she's a vet assistant and her vet takes care of our pets. Anyway there is no more extra 'meals' (like chix pot pie) and I bought more Merrick and they had that this morning mixed with water.

I'll let you know how it goes. TTFN.. I hear a kitty calling!

covered my sink & got rid of cardboard boxes

This morning while I was getting breakfast ready for the animals, Sunshine decided to go pee in a cardboard box by the trash. I heard her scratching on the floor and I turned around from the kitchen counter and saw the mess. I carried her into the bathroom and placed her on the toilet. I'm sure that didn't do anything. She already went! I was in the process of cleaning up the floor with bleach and Eleanor kept jumping on the kitchen counter to eat her moist food. Looking back it was quite funny. I get Eleanor off the counter and go back to clean up cat pee and Eleanor's back up on the counter again. After 3 times, I finally put Eleanor in the 'cat room' (computer room with cat tree-- where kitties eat & used to use their old litter box).

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've started cleaning the RP & T with rubbing alcohol instead of bleach. We've also been doing clicker training but the huge change was switching their moist food.

They are now eating Merrick 3.2 oz cans of moist food. Boy the ingredients are so yummy I almost want to eat it myself. Each morning they each get half a can & I still mix it with a tiny tiny bit of pumpkin and mix with a little water and then put it in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Check out the ingredients! They love this stuff & I think it's helped with TT.

Merrick Cowboy Cookout
Beef, Beef Broth, Beef Liver, Fresh Sweet Potato, Fresh Carrots, Fresh Snow Peas, Fresh Whole Granny Smith Apples, Potato Starch-modified, Dried Egg, Dried Blueberry, Dried Cranberry, Olive Oil, Flax Seed Oil (for Omega-3), Cassia Gum, Carrageenan, Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, Natural Carmel color, Salt, Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Niacin, Lecithin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Cobalt Glucoheptanate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.

Surf & Turf
Beef, Beef Broth, Beef Liver, Salmon, Lobster, Shrimp, Fresh Yukon Gold Potatoes, Fresh Carrots, Fresh Zucchini, Fresh Golden Delicious Apples, Dried Egg, Beef Stock, Olive Oil, Dried Blueberry, Dried Cranberry, Tricalcium Phosphate, Cassia Gum, Carrageenan, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Natural Carmel Color, Salt, Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Niacin, Lecithin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Cobalt Glucoheptanate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.

Sunshine has been using the sink to go #1 so at first I blocked the hole with some cardboard but she could still move it around. Yesterday, I found a hunk of wood to put on top of the sink. Hehe-- she can't move that! Must be why she used the cardboard box this morning.

Here's a pic of the hunk of wood on top of the sink. Sunshine doesn't look too happy about it!

I don't plan on increasing the hole any time soon. We need to get back on track with Sunshine going #1 & #2 consistently in the RP. I might even back track. Now that the sink is covered & all cardboard boxes gone hopefully Sunshine will use the RP.

I've been played!

This morning, I found Sunshine squatting over our shoes. I picked her up and brought her into the bathroom. I found that Eleanor had just gone pee so I cleaned it out and coaxed Sunshine to go potty. She finally went #2. I was cleaned her #2 out of the RP and found her squatting on our shoes again. I brought her back to the bathroom and filled more litter in the RP and found her squatting on top of the empty bag of litter. And by squatting I mean she is just squatting but nothing is coming out YET.

Friday night she had a diarrhea episode. She went a soft #2 & then kept squatting with tiny squirts of clear liquid. When this was happening she couldn't stay on the toilet seat and would just squat where she ended up so I got another roast pan and filled it with old non-flushable litter and gave her some fur ball medicine and eventually it passed. I put the alternative litter pan in the closet to save in case another episode happened.

So today when she kept having more squatting issues I thought maybe she had another bout of diarrhea so I gave her the litter pan and she went but it was #1. I forgot that she usually goes #2 and then #1 right after each other. Boy did I feel stupid. She so played me.

On Sat I replaced the cardboard litter dam because it was getting gross with one made out of a milk container. I also replaced all of the litter. I even started clicker training this weekend.

Here's a picture of the milk container litter dam.