I have two wonderful 10 month old cats, a brother and sister, Timo and Gemini. They were found abandoned on the street at less than one week of age and raised by bottle feeding until they could be weaned. I adopted them at around 10 weeks of age.
They are just the best cats anyone could wish for. But they do have one idiosyncrasy. They use the bathtub for a litter box. I like this accidental development, but it certainly occurs to me that I might be ruining my cats for a future home, if one were ever needed.
About two months after I got them, I moved their litter box to the bathroom because I wanted to train them to use the toilet. Over a three month period I gradually moved the litter box to the bathtub. Some many weeks later, I removed the litter box and substituted the toilet top apparatus in the tub. Again, many weeks later, the toilet top apparatus was put just outside the tub and next to the toilet. At this point, the female started using the tub. I returned the litter tray to the tub. For months I left the “litter box” in the tub! But it didn’t matter, she preferred to use the tub. And then both did. I eventually gave up and removed the toilet top litter box, and they now consistently, without fail use the tub. Never a mistake.
While I really like that they use the tub (it’s very easy to clean with a little disinfectant and the spray hose, and there’s no litter to track everywhere, nor the expense of buying it and the pain of disposing of it), yet I worry I will gross out my visitors (we have few) and, worse, I will have ruined my cats if they have to go to a second home (my husband and I are elderly).
My feeling is that they would immediately return to a litter box if I provided it, but maybe not!
What do you all think?
They are just the best cats anyone could wish for. But they do have one idiosyncrasy. They use the bathtub for a litter box. I like this accidental development, but it certainly occurs to me that I might be ruining my cats for a future home, if one were ever needed.
About two months after I got them, I moved their litter box to the bathroom because I wanted to train them to use the toilet. Over a three month period I gradually moved the litter box to the bathtub. Some many weeks later, I removed the litter box and substituted the toilet top apparatus in the tub. Again, many weeks later, the toilet top apparatus was put just outside the tub and next to the toilet. At this point, the female started using the tub. I returned the litter tray to the tub. For months I left the “litter box” in the tub! But it didn’t matter, she preferred to use the tub. And then both did. I eventually gave up and removed the toilet top litter box, and they now consistently, without fail use the tub. Never a mistake.
While I really like that they use the tub (it’s very easy to clean with a little disinfectant and the spray hose, and there’s no litter to track everywhere, nor the expense of buying it and the pain of disposing of it), yet I worry I will gross out my visitors (we have few) and, worse, I will have ruined my cats if they have to go to a second home (my husband and I are elderly).
My feeling is that they would immediately return to a litter box if I provided it, but maybe not!
What do you all think?
