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The Charles Mingus CAT-alog (1972)

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Re: The Charles Mingus CAT-alog (1972)

#111

Post by zwilliamson »

drakonka wrote: post #7

There are even special litter boxes sold that are intended to go on the toilet seat for this type of training. But as cool as this is, I believe it can be dangerous, especially for owners of male cats. Cats' urinary habits are important to keep an eye on. A change in urination volume or frequency can be the sign of a critical issue that requires veterinary attention. You just can't easily track urine volume if the ca…

When it comes to cat health and preventative care a lot can be gleaned from the book The Forever Dog (https://foreverdog.com). There is a lot we can do as care takers to prevent health issues and not just monitor for them.

The summary of the book is "Eat less, eat fresher, and move more and more often"

Perhaps with cats the movement part maybe not be as applicable, but the eating fresher (no processed foods) and eating less would make a huge difference it a cats life. Maybe someone will write Forever Cat?

Re: The Charles Mingus CAT-alog (1972)

#112

Post by Nextgrid »

JohnBooty wrote: post #85
koalaman wrote: post #61

I left my cat alone in the house for a few days with my housekeeper popping in to feed and entertain him. He had a little over 2 day spell on his own at the end when my housekeeper couldn't come in. When I arrived home I discovered that our housekeeper had accidentally closed off the door accessing his litter box. I searched the house looking for the mess but couldn't find anything.. until I went to the bathroom and…

This is true. My cat definitely pees in the sinks and bathtubs sometimes even when his litter is fresh. He poops in the litter with no issues, so I don't think it's a location problem. My best educated guess is that he simply finds the sinks more convenient than hiking down to the basement. I have no doubts that he would pee in the toilet as well, but I can't leave the toilets open because we have dogs around. (Altho…

> but I can't leave the toilets open because we have dogs around.

As someone who's never been a dog owner, what's the problem with dogs and toilets?

Re: The Charles Mingus CAT-alog (1972)

#113

Post by sethammons »

Nextgrid wrote: post #112
JohnBooty wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is true. My cat definitely pees in the sinks and bathtubs sometimes even when his litter is fresh. He poops in the litter with no issues, so I don't think it's a location problem. My best educated guess is that he simply finds the sinks more convenient than hiking down to the basement. I have no doubts that he would pee in the toilet as well, but I can't leave the toilets open because we have dogs around. (Altho…

> but I can't leave the toilets open because we have dogs around. As someone who's never been a dog owner, what's the problem with dogs and toilets?

Dogs like to drink from toilet bowls. I've owned lots of dogs and it has never been an issue aside from one dog as a kid and we just accepted it

Re: The Charles Mingus CAT-alog (1972)

#114

Post by drakonka »

zwilliamson wrote: post #111
drakonka wrote: post #7

There are even special litter boxes sold that are intended to go on the toilet seat for this type of training. But as cool as this is, I believe it can be dangerous, especially for owners of male cats. Cats' urinary habits are important to keep an eye on. A change in urination volume or frequency can be the sign of a critical issue that requires veterinary attention. You just can't easily track urine volume if the ca…

When it comes to cat health and preventative care a lot can be gleaned from the book The Forever Dog ( https://foreverdog.com ). There is a lot we can do as care takers to prevent health issues and not just monitor for them. The summary of the book is "Eat less, eat fresher, and move more and more often" Perhaps with cats the movement part maybe not be as applicable, but the eating fresher (no processed foods) and ea…

I think that largely makes sense, but also think the _biggest_ jump in cat food quality isn't so much the jump to freshness but the jump away from dry. Cats who eat primarily dry food are at risk of chronic dehydration. They simply do not end up drinking enough water to compensate for the low moisture content in their food[0]. Water fountains help entice some cats to drink more, but in the end it's usually not enough to compensate.

For my cats, I usually opt for variety. I try to pick high protein wet food of different types, including nutritionally balanced raw, within their individual requirements and tastes. At the same time, I follow my vet's advice and always have urinary wet food handy. Usually they get one pouch of urinary food that helps prevent and dissolve a certain type of bladder crystal in addition to normal wet food each day.

[0] https://www.waltham.com/news-events/nutrition/cats-can-benef...

Re: The Charles Mingus CAT-alog (1972)

#115

Post by base698 »

Nextgrid wrote: post #112
JohnBooty wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is true. My cat definitely pees in the sinks and bathtubs sometimes even when his litter is fresh. He poops in the litter with no issues, so I don't think it's a location problem. My best educated guess is that he simply finds the sinks more convenient than hiking down to the basement. I have no doubts that he would pee in the toilet as well, but I can't leave the toilets open because we have dogs around. (Altho…

> but I can't leave the toilets open because we have dogs around. As someone who's never been a dog owner, what's the problem with dogs and toilets?

My cats also drink out of the toilets.

Re: The Charles Mingus CAT-alog (1972)

#116

Post by drakonka »

natdempk wrote: post #110
drakonka wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you mind sharing what air purifier model you use next to your Litter Robot?

Sure, I use a Coway Airmega AP-1512HH set to low permanently. It doesn't move a ton of air on the low setting, but it is very quiet and the size fits pretty well next to the robot. I think getting something quiet is key as to not spook your cats, as one of mine hates the sound of loud white-noise-ish sounds. I will say I think this one works well, but you could likely find something cheaper because you don't need to…

Thanks. I have read good things about that model, but don't think it's available in my country. But I was looking into a Coway Storm AP-1516D last year, and didn't end up pulling the trigger since there were just too many options to choose from. This reminds me to look into them again.

Re: The Charles Mingus CAT-alog (1972)

#117

Post by wwwwewwww »

yholio wrote: post #41
fhe wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd just want to add that, I in general don't think it's a good idea to train cats to learn behaviors that are unnatural for them. One could say that, eating processed cat food and living with humans are already unnatural, which is true. But to the extent that's possible, I want to provide my cats the freedom to act as naturally as possible. On this particular cat toilet training trick: cats are in fact quite particu…

The modern housecat is just about as natural as a naked human living wild in the forest. It has been selectively bred to perfection for cuteness and sociability with low aggression and diminished survival abilities. Some can't even tolerate the natural climate where their owners live. I totally support "healthy", but natural, what is natural for a species that has evolved to use intelligence to prevail over the natur…

"The modern housecat is just about as natural as a naked human living wild in the forest. It has been selectively bred..."

I think it would be better to say "The modern housecat is just about as natural as a modern human living in a modern house". Both species adapted to modern human environment.

Re: The Charles Mingus CAT-alog (1972)

#119

Post by Nextgrid »

sethammons wrote: post #113
Nextgrid wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but I can't leave the toilets open because we have dogs around. As someone who's never been a dog owner, what's the problem with dogs and toilets?

Dogs like to drink from toilet bowls. I've owned lots of dogs and it has never been an issue aside from one dog as a kid and we just accepted it

If this is really a big problem I wonder if a brand could come up with a mix of Bitrex (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium) and one of those deodorizers/fresheners you put hanging on the edge of the toilet bowl.

Re: The Charles Mingus CAT-alog (1972)

#120

Post by fullstop »

JohnBooty wrote: post #85
koalaman wrote: post #61

I left my cat alone in the house for a few days with my housekeeper popping in to feed and entertain him. He had a little over 2 day spell on his own at the end when my housekeeper couldn't come in. When I arrived home I discovered that our housekeeper had accidentally closed off the door accessing his litter box. I searched the house looking for the mess but couldn't find anything.. until I went to the bathroom and…

This is true. My cat definitely pees in the sinks and bathtubs sometimes even when his litter is fresh. He poops in the litter with no issues, so I don't think it's a location problem. My best educated guess is that he simply finds the sinks more convenient than hiking down to the basement. I have no doubts that he would pee in the toilet as well, but I can't leave the toilets open because we have dogs around. (Altho…

My cats will use the sinks or tubs if they have a UTI.
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