The Comedy of Cats
I can still vividly remember my beloved first cat, Max. He was an exquisite Russian Blue with lush, blue-gray fur and sparkling green eyes, and I brought him home with me back in 1999, when he was still just a kitten. He was incredibly affectionate and playful, and never failed to ask for pets and belly rubs whenever he could get them. His favorite trick was the stretch, in which he would lie down, and I'd grab him by the front legs and help him to reach as far as possible - holding the stretch for several seconds until he was satisfied.
Max was an absolute riot and was constantly on the go with one of his favorite toys, a tiny red pen laser. I'd move it around the condo, watching him dart around to try and catch the elusive red dot, to no avail. As a way of spoiling him, I eventually crafted a unique cat tower from scratch - something that took an abundance of effort but proved to be more than worth it in the end. I bought a variety of lumber, several large concrete tubes for the tunnels, and wooden planks for platforms for him to sit upon. Then, I carpeted each piece individually with the same shade of blue gray that matched his fur and wove twine rope over parts of the structure so he could scratch his nails on it. After a great deal of hard work, and towering six feet tall, it was finally finished and he absolutely adored it - truly, he was so spoiled.
Then came the comic relief. Anyone who has seen the film Meet the Parent’s will be familiar with the fact that their cat Jinx, was potty trained to use the toilet. It seemed a much better option than having to endure the odor of a litter box, plus it would be far simpler to clean up - simply flush the toilet. I scoured the internet to figure out how to train my cat, and I was shocked to find an abundance of training articles, advice from other owners and even photographs of cats using the toilet - a real hoot! I set about creating a round box which I could fit inside the toilet bowl. Once Max got accustomed to it, I began cutting a small hole in the base, increasing its size until there was nothing for him to scratch at. When that was done, I completely removed the container, and Max hopped on the seat to use the toilet. Training him took the entire month, but when it was all done, it was worth it as there was no more litter to worry about.
The situation got funny when I was having a barbeque with some friends in my house. We had all moved into the living room to chat and enjoy each other's company, when there was a lull in the conversation. Then, all of a sudden, we heard some splashing coming from the direction of the bathroom, and Max emerged, looking quite pleased with himself. All my guests could not contain their laughter at the sight of him using the toilet! I quickly went over to flush the toilet, preserving the moment in our collective memories forever.
Max had a wonderful personality, and he always brought joy to my home. His humor is something I will always remember fondly.