it’s been suggested before that this dog [of unknown mixed heritage] could be part cocker spaniel; people are always remarking that it looks like he’s wearing fuzzy bedroom slippers. much to his dismay, though, he is not a cat magnet. most cats take one look at him and figure they’re about to become lunch. fortunately he and the present household cat are best buds.
]]>i didn’t have a mom-cat, but i did get a lot of help from the dog [couldn’t have done it without him]. feeding time was a mess, especially in the early days. i set each formula-soaked kitten in the litter pan when it finished eating, and the dog promptly licked each one clean and dry. the kittens adored this. probably as adult cats, they all now run to their litter boxes when they want to be petted.
]]>I have a set of disposable/recyclable aluminum cookie pans that I use and “kitten litter” [non-clay] to put in it. I can’t complain about kittens as Sox occasionally misses the box. He feet are in it, but his tail isn’t.
]]>i provided my brood with a large tray, sides only about 1/2″ tall. their aim wasn’t perfect at first, but their intentions were good right from the start. when they needed to go, they at least took off in the general direction of the litter tray. one little guy was a tad dense, he figured as long as his front paws were in the tray, he was doing it right. took him a week or so longer than the other two to figure out that ALL paws needed to be resting on kitty litter. they were all impeccably trained by about 4-5 weeks of age.
i should mention that as they got bigger and wandered further from the nest, “impeccably trained” means that i provided them with several trays of litter strategically placed around the room so they wouldn’t have very far to go. no way is a 3- or 4-week-old kitten going to make it all the way across the room in time, but if they only have to scamper 5 or 6 feet to get to the “bathroom,” they’ll try to hold on that long.
]]>