Week One

It's been 7 days since we started. So far I think their progress is what I expected. The bathroom is messy but certainly not as stinky since it's being cleaned and the litter changed regularly. Keeping Pepper in his own room proved to be annoying for both of us. He cries nonstop. Since he's doing well on the toilet though, we've been letting him roam free during the day.

Pepper

The first day was a nervous one with Pepper. I knew he was a fast learner, but he would also pee more frequently than Duke. So I was worried all night that he wouldn't be able to wait until the morning. He was the first one to see the new bowl. Pepper jumped down about six times before he checked the litter with his paw and sniffed. Eventually he got it, though! As you can see from the picture, he's still keeping all his paws in the bowl, which will need to change if he's going to progress.

Pepper has not been able to make it very long without an accident though. We found a towel in his room that he was using to relieve himself. I wasn't very upset about that, but when he peed on the small bed we made up for Duke in our room... right in front of us, I was pretty mad. I'm definately going to be taking him to the bathroom more often, whether he's in his room or roaming free just to see if he has to go.

Duke

Our big guy is a little shy on the bowl. At first, I would place him on the bowl and wait. He would just jump off without so much as a sniff. After about 10 tries, trying everything I could to coax him to go (even blocking him from jumping down for a time), I gave up. I figured if he had to go bad enough he would do it. I didn't think that maybe he just didn't want to do it in front of me. My wife was more clever. While I was at work, she put him in the bathroom and closed the door. Of course he didn't go right away, but after about 10 minutes she came back and saw that he had done his business. Good job, Duke!

About Our Cats

My wife and I have two cats. A few months ago, we actually had three cats and maintaining the litter box was a chore. Even if I cleaned it every few days, it would still get smelly. Not just in the bathroom, but in the entire basement. You could even smell it upstairs if it got really bad. I decided I wanted to toilet train them. I have heard of people doing it through blogs like this one and forum posts. One of my friends did it as well. This blog will be used to keep track of their progress, as well as inspire others to try potty training with their cats as well.

Duke

We have had Duke the longest. I received him from my mom because her allergies were getting worse and she could no longer take it. He was born from barn cats in Michigan in 2004. Duke is a big boy. He's not extremely obese (although he is overweight), but his body is very large. He can stretch his paws up to the top of the kitchen counters and he often does when he wants something. He is lazy. He doesn't play much. He would much rather lay in the sun on the couch, the bed or even the floor. It's all the same to him. One thing he really loves is fresh, running water. If you turn on the bath faucet he'll drink as long as you let him. He used to get water from the sink, but due to sanitary reasons, we don't let him on or around the kitchen counter or sinks. Duke is also very affectionate. He will sometimes get on your lap and force you to rub his head. If you rub him the wrong way, especially on his belly, he will bite though.

Pepper

I call Pepper the wild boy. My wife and I got him from the Nebraska Humane Society in November of 2011. We didn't know much about his history because his last owner only had him for a few months. His personality was described as a "personal assistant". I think it fits him perfectly. He follows us around and wants to be involved with whatever we're doing. He's also loud; he "talks" all the time. I call him wild because he's extremely playful, and he will often be wild-eyed and skittish when he hears something unusual. Pepper is also a tabby which I think contributes to his wild look. He is also affectionate and likes to sit on our laps. He will even lay on your belly or back if you are laying down. Oddly though, he doesn't like to be petted. He doesn't get mad, but he will move away from your hand if you try.