Conference misery::feline_v1

    Mary, sounds like you have a candidate for toilet training there!
    If he will go in the sink, maybe you can teach him to use the toilet
    too!  Just hope he never decides to do anything other than just
    peeing in the sink. :^p  
    
    I don't think it is gross, but then, I have 20 cats, so maybe I
    don't qualify to give an opinion.  When you spend your life cleaning
    up after 20 cats, very few things are considered gross.  
    
    BTW - it has been years since I have eaten out of my bathroom sink
    :^D
    
    Jo

      There is quite a few mentions in here about kitties using the tub
    drain,  I always thought that was good thinking,  but the sink?  Wow!
    I used to have a cat, Tabby, may he rest in peace, who used the tub
    if I forgot to keep the box as fresh as he liked it.
      It's funny how they know that that is where the water goes, and that
    is a good place to go....
                                    Denise

    Mary,
    
    while I think it is a GREAT thing that he is doing (as it keeps the box
    a bit cleaner), couldit be that he is trying to tell you something
    (like a physical ailment, aka a urinary tract problem)?
    
    Deb (who is always suspicious of a cat doing something that makes my
    life easier)
    
    P.S. Weren't we suppsed to have lunch last week?

    
    Hi Mary,
    
    I think your friends are way off base.  Do they own cats?  I think
    Honey is showing his intelligence.  The sink is a great place for him
    to go pee.  Keeps the litter box cleaner longer too!  What a smart kitty
    and friendly too!  ;-)
    
    I too had a kitty (years ago) who would use the tub drain.  We thought
    he was clever!  Maybe Honey thinks the sink is a Cat sized toilet? 
    
    Where does the gross part come in? All I ever do is wash my hands is
    the half bath!  Never thought of turning it into a salad bar!
    
    Feline Fine,
    
    Sue & Panther & Spot (Who still thanks you from the bottom of her
    			  little? tummie for her canned food.)
                                                  

    I don't think it's gross at all...but Otis does the same thing, so I am
    hardly one to judge.
    
    Tiffany doesn't/wouldn't think of it but Otis has used the tub drain 
    and the sink (it's a great size...oval shaped).  And, just like you, 
    when I am in either bathroom he hops in the sink and proceeds to go.  
    One time the sink was full of water and although it surprised him...he 
    did end up getting back up on the counter - proceeded to make himself
    comfortable and began sticking his paws in the water trying to catch 
    'something'.
    
    My daughter took a FABULOUS picture of Otis - leaning (with both elbows
    secure) on the toilet rim - waiting for someone to flush it so he can
    watch the water swirl.
    
    We have since decided to keep a camera handy because Otis has so much
    personality - we never know what he's going to do next.
    
    M
    
    thought might be in there.

    	Okay, this has nothing to do with peeing in the sink but how
    about this for cute.  I have a central vac system in my house now
    and I think that it is great being able to vaccuum and talk on the
    phone at the same time, but never mind that right now.  After I
    vac'ed the house I thought that it would be a good idea to do the
    cellar (I have a table saw and electric miter box saw - hence lots
    of sawdust right now), so off I went to the cellar.  The cats decided
    that they wanted to watch me work so they sat on their usual box
    while I proceeded to clean up.  Well, Dixie couldn't get over the
    clink, clink, clink, of the little pieces of wood traveling through
    the hose, so she decided that she wanted to catch them.  There I
    am with a 30' hose, while Dixie is chasing the wood by following
    the clinking noise until it gets into the wall fixture part, and
    of course, I have to find another piece of wood for her to follow
    :^).  She used to only follow the noise when I was using the thing
    in the cellar, but she started chasing the tiny clicks when I was
    vaccuuming upstairs.  Boy, if I only could have my camera out when
    she was doing that (of course, it wouldn't be the same :^)).
    
    
    	About the sink, I have never used it for anything more than
    washing my hands, brushing my teeth, or shaving, so that wouldn't
    bother me, however, Dixie did use the tub drain once so I had to
    clean that up.  Luckily she only has done that once.  BTW, both
    of my guys love to watch the water swirl down when I flush my toilet.
    

    re: sink - I don't have any problem with that.  Of course, after 
    dealing with a certain cat who shall remain nameless, who has been
    marking the household lately, I think the sink is a wonderful idea.
    Sure beats the counters, my bookbag, the nintendo controller, the
    living room rug etc etc etc.
    
    Besides - toilet, sink, - it all ends up in the same place in the
    sewerage system anyway.
      N
    

    A friend of mine had a cat that would go in the toilet...
    But she couldn't get him to flush afterwards!
    My crew love to watch the water swirl away, and one begs
    you to turn the faucet on so he can drink and swipe at it.
    But the funniest cat towards water is B.K.  If the tub blocks
    up and drains slowly, he LOVES to wade in the water.  No matter
    how deep it is!  He has been in there up to his belly, and then
    sat down!  When the basement flooded this past January, I was
    wading through to get to the corner where the water was coming
    in, and behind me comes B.K., keeping up with mom.
    
    BTW-the water was not too warm, either!!!!  
        
    L-

    Forgot to mention this....It has to do with water, anyway.
    When we were kids, we used to go out on my dad's boat.
    He docked it in Winthrop and we had a slip.  This gigantic
    cruiser pulls up to the dock to get gas.  Sitting on the
    front bow was this Tiger cat W-I-T-H a cat sized life jacket
    on!!!!   It was so cute!!!!!!  Seems the whole family goes
    out on the boat, even the cat.  He walked along the bow going
    back towards the stern, as calm as could be.  The noises and
    unfamiliar surroundings did not phase this cat at all!!!
    
    
    L-

    Re. 7
    
    Nancy....sorry, I had to really laugh (i.e. the bookbag).
    
    I bring 'stuff' into work every day in a bookbag and one day I kept
    getting embarrassing wiffs of a horrible smell.  At first I thought
    it was coming from somebody walking by my desk - but then it seemed
    to radiate with EVERYONE that walked by my desk (which didn't make
    good sense).  Then I thought it was my shoes.  Thinking that it was me, 
    I would quickly wisk people out of my office cause I knew if I could 
    smell it, so could they.
    
    THEN!!!  I opened the book bag to get my purse to go to lunch and I
    damn near keeled over on the floor.  Otis had somehow gone in or on the
    bag....yukko! 
    
    I must say that now that he has been neutered he either goes in the
    sink or tub drain - and most of the time he uses the litter box.  But, 
    of course, as soon as I say this I might have to take it back.
    
    Marilyn
    

Well, then, that settles it!  I'll let him do it!

I did call my vet on your recommendation, Deb.  She asked me to bring in a
urine sample just to make sure.  Just think how easy that's gonna be to
get!!  All I gotta do is pull up the stopper at just the right time!
Honey isn't showing any of the classic signs, i.e., straining, etc., but
I'd rather be sure.

Hey, this ain't bad at all!

And yes, we were gonna get together this week...I've been in a staff meeting
all week (groan...).  Maybe tomorrow??  I'll mail you off-line...

Mary

    Mary, my sister's cat, Josh, pees in the bathroom sink all the time!
    Her husband thinks it is gross but my sister is thrilled!!  He simply
    prefers the sink over the box, there is nothing physically or
    emotionally wrong with him whatsoever.  I wish one of my cats would
    be that smart!  I'd let them do it too.
    
    --Roberta
    

      My aunt had a cat the used to FLUSH after using the toilet. Of
    course, she lived in one of those older apartments where the toilet had
    the overhead tank with the flush-handle attached by a long chain to the
    tank. "Spooky" would do his thing, then reach up and hang from the
    chain, and his weight was sufficient to do the flushing...
    
    JM
    
    P.S...Some of the pet supply catalogs have a device that fits right on
    the toilet that is designed to get cats to use the toilet. I'm not
    totally sure how it works, but I beleive thare is a compartment wehre a
    small amount of litter is placed to indicate tot eh kids that this is
    the proper place to go..
    JM

    I'm reading a book now entitled "Training your cat"  There is a section
    on toilet training.  They claim that the great majority of cats can be
    trained to use the toilet.  It is much more difficult to train one to
    flush.  They also don't reccommend the flushing technique because
    you might find your feline friends favorite game is flushing
    repeatedly at 3 a.m.
    
    Its quite interesting the preceedure used in training your cat or kitten.
    It would take about 8 weeks depending on the cats I.Q., and an owner
    with incredible patience.  But the steps are very logical and I can
    see where they would definetly work.
    
    If any noters are interested in a detailed step by step proceedure I
    would be happy to enter it.  Let me know.
    
    I am going to try it with my Maxine she's 5 months now and big enough
    to be physically able to do it.  They don't recommend it any younger
    because they need to be big enough to be able to straddle the seat.
    
    My only question is if she has kitten, will she go back to using a
    litter box to train her kittens?  Thats the only reason why I might
    want to wait.
    
    Valerie                         

    I'd love to do away with the litter-box, but I think my two 12-year-old
    kitties are too set in their ways to learn this trick, especially
    flushing!  Those of you who have trained your kitties to use the human
    bathroom instead of the "cat bathroom", do they urinate there, too, and
    flush after that also?  (WHat a neat idea! - no messy cat box in the
    basement!)

    My original note is posted in 84.30.  The reason I'm not too wild
    about Eubie using the sink is his feet get wet and then he tracks
    the pee all over my carpets.
    
    Still at a loss of either breaking him of the habit or washing
    his feet when he's done.

    Just a thought.  Have you considered covering the sink with a board,
    and maybe spray the board with bitter apple or some other cat
    repellant?   Maybe you could try soaking up some of his pee in
    a piece of tissue and putting it in the litterbox, sort of
    transferring the odor to the box so maybe he'll get the idea. 
    
    If worse comes to worse, have you considered caging him for a 
    while until he gets back in the habit of using litter?  
    
    Just my 1.37 cents.
    
    karen

    I would plug the sink and fill it with about an inch of water. 
    That would certainly discourage most cats from trying to squat in
    it.  :^)
    
    Jo

>    I would plug the sink and fill it with about an inch of water. 
>    That would certainly discourage most cats from trying to squat in
>    it.  :^)
    
Jo,

I woulda believed that until this morning....Mandy pranced into the bathroom
where I was getting ready for work, jumped up on the sink counter, getting
in my way something awful, backed up and PLOPPED HER BUTT DOWN IN HANNAH'S
WATER DISH.  The weird thing is that she didn't seem particularly upset about
it....she just sat there and looked up at me with her big blue/green eyes
as if to say, "what ARE you doing up there?"  Hannah was not amused.
I, on the other hand, was no longer in any condition to apply make-up.
There are things to remember about having kittens around....I think I'm gonna
learn all of them again real fast.

re: peeing in the sink....I think filling the sink up
with some water - enough to keep cats from squatting - should stop the
behavior in the sink....but other spots will become the target unless the
underlying problem is dealt with.  This cat seems to want/need something
he isn't getting.