Scoop THIS!

(2000-04-12)

So I might have mentioned that Hub and I have the privelege of living with these four cats. We only have eighteen gazillion pictures of them, so I'll get around to posting some on this here soul-baring site soon.

If you have a cat or two, or four, you might know a little something about the trials and tribulations of ye olde litter box? Yeah, stinky. I mean, back in Connecticut I had friends who have HORSES who spend 15 minutes a day cleaning up after or grooming Star or South Wind. Who'd a thought that scooping the litterbox, sweeping the bathroom, and picking litter out of pink toes would take as long? I guess two of my guys are as big as horses. They're huge, 18 pound behemoths. Catzillas. So you can imagine the clean-up...I swear they poop bigger turds than I do.

So what better invention than the Littermaid! I got one off a guy at ebay. Unless you live under a rock, you've seen ads for this: the cat uses the box, and sensors turn on. In ten minutes a big scooping arm comes through and rakes the litter. We got one. Who could resist?

Well. You'd think it was the utmost personal-- excuse me, FELINE-al-- affront, an act of such egregious human disregard for all things feline!

First, the little Littermaid motor would start up (mmmmmwwwwEEEEEEEE) and one cat would wake up and creep over to the bathroom, belly to the floor. This obvious act of overt curiosity would pique the interest of at least one other cat, who'd wander over, eyes round as saucers as the rake-arm leaves its rest and starts (meeeerow?) MOVING. They'd look at each other, yenching little neck muscles and twitching tails in suspicion. Then they turn and look at us.

And we know we're evil.

But here's a small problem we've been having: the cats are trying to out-pee the Littermaid. Everyone knows that as soon as the box is clean, every cat wants to be the first to pee in it, right? Remember I said the thing is cleaned TEN MINUTES after the cat pees? Four cats, ten minutes...do the math. The little buggers are practically lining up in front of the damn thing.