I just love this photo of Samantha with the sunshine on her fur and the fall colors outside her window in the background.
Two months ago I wrote about the issues we were having with Samantha using her kitty litter consistently. She was sometimes having accidents in a certain spot in the front entryway when we tried to move her kitty litter upstairs where we really wanted it. We got some great recommendations from our readers and this one comment from our friends The Island Cats got me thinking of what the next thing I wanted to try was “Maybe there’s something about the upstairs box that she’s not liking. Try moving the downstairs box upstairs and see what happens.” At that time we had one box upstairs and one downstairs and she was using both, but often missing the box in the downstairs one.
We did two things: we moved the downstairs box upstairs with the other one so there are now two boxes upstairs. In addition, we decided to put her on a joint supplement, Cosequin*, which she had taken in the past. We thought perhaps she wasn’t squatting properly because of joint issues. Guess what? It worked! She had one accident in that spot initially but we gave it more time. Now it’s been two months and she hasn’t had one since (knock wood)!
We still have some other things to figure out, like how to keep our beagle Cricket out of Sam’s kitty litter area. Cricket is so cat-like, that it’s almost impossible to keep her out of anyplace Sam can go. While the suggestion of the Door Buddy* was a great one, I just don’t see that working; I see Cricket getting stuck in the door; she is so darn stubborn! Though we haven’t ruled out the idea of trying it completely yet.
I’m so proud of Sam, and it’s nice to have our entryway area clear. I wanted to keep this nice welcome mat from Carpet One that we reviewed in front of that door, but we decided that might be pushing it for now!
Today is the Sunday Selfies blog hop, and Samantha wanted to share her selfie along with giving you her good news!
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Thank you to The Cat On My Head for hosting this fun blog hop. Please visit other blogs through the links below!
This is great news. So many people dump a cat for spoiling in the wrong place (wow) so reading that you scared so much to get her back on track is AWESOME!!!!
I couldn’t even imagine dumping a cat for that reason! We had issues with our elderly cat, Conrad, before he passed away, and there were no solutions for him. So we just learned to clean up when we needed to!
Great that you figured out how to help Sam. I also changed Nestle’s box to a different type with higher sides and it seemed to help. I also think the giardia meds are helping.
I’m glad to hear that Nestle is doing better too!
I love your dedication and detective work. Cats really do have very few ways to communicate with us, and they lean on us to pick up the very subtle cues they throw down. It sounds like you’ve done excellent work, and I’m hoping for an accident free future for your household!
Jean from Welcome to the Menagerie
Thank you, Jean! It took us some time, and a lot of trial and error, but we’re so happy we’re finally there! Paws crossed, of course. 🙂
Samantha, we love your selfie and the photo of you in front of the window. What great news about the litter box issues. We continue to have issues with Giulietta off and on. Thank you for hopping and sharing your good news. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
We hope you can find a solution for Giulietta too. But we never did with our old guy, Conrad, but he was just so elderly I don’t think we ever would have.
That’s awesome that you found something that works for Sam! Kitties and their potty issues can be tough!
They sure can. I honestly didn’t think this was going to work! LOL
We’re glad to hear you found something that works for Sam. It could very well be that she was having problems squatting…or even getting into the box.
Great to hear this-beautiful pics of Sam!
Very clever Island Cats, glad it worked 🙂
Yay Sam! I’m so glad you found a solution that works for all of you. And you take a beautiful selfie too!
So glad to see that things are working out better for Sam, and you. That Door Buddy might work, if Cricket gets stuck in it once she may not want to try it again. There’s also something that you put in her food, I think, that makes the poo so dogs don’t want to eat it. Love Dolly
Don’t underestimate the stubbornness of a beagle! LOL. We might try it, and just use it when we’re home so we can monitor everything.
Great job, I love hearing about smart Pet solutions that work! Sharing this
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Thank you for sharing, Cathy! Hopefully it can help someone else out who’s having issues.
Ruby also sometimes confuses the litter box with a snack tray. The Door Buddy has really helped. You can adjust the strap so the opening is just big enough for a cat. We also use a hooded box and face it to the wall – leaving only enough space for the cats to sneak in and out. What a beautiful girl, Samantha is!
Thank you!
I’m just afraid that if I make it more difficult for Sam to get in and out, she’ll rebel again! We’ll just take any changes slowly is all…that’s the way pretty much everything goes around here anyway – very slowly! 🙂
I am glad you found the solution to the litter box problem.
Yay! I’m glad you found a solution that is working for her. I know the feeling of having a cat-like dog that’s hard to keep out of places that are for cats only and that makes it that much harder to find solutions sometimes 😉
That’s GREAT news, Sam!! We use Cosequin DS for Shadow. Actually, we’ve been using it since Callie first started having joint issues as a pup – she was only 8 months old – and it always helped her tremendously. So it was automatically added to Shadow’s daily regimen when her joints started giving her problems.
I wonder what the difference is between Cosequin and Dasuquin. Our vet recommended one for the cats, but the other for the dogs. I wonder if they are the same or different brands. Anyway, as long as they’re working, that’s what’s important!
Different manufacturers, I believe. Cosequin products are made by Nutramax; not sure about the Dasuquin. At the time we first put Callie on the Cosequin DS, it was the only supplement of its kind that was recommended by the AVMA.
So glad you found a solution!
Wow this is great to hear Sam,xx Speedy
Hi Sam, looks like you have made a break through, and paws crossed all will be well again. You look like you have a great spot there for and Easy and a Selfie! purrs ERin
Thank you, Erin! I do have an awesome spot in the sun there. I used to even have a bird feeder outside my window, but the bears broke it! Momz says I’ll get another one once we get some snow.
Love, Sam
Yeah Sam, we like cosequin at our clinic. We use it for inappropriate urination and we forget that kittys as they age have sore bones too. Glad she is doing better.
Way to go Sam, you got through to the Mom and she fixed up the litter boxes right!
Yeah, Mom is kind of slow, but eventually she catches on! MOL
Love, Sam