Attending to Some Human and Feline Toilet Issues

Although the festivities following the Saturday morning graduation ceremony of Dr. Lance Mekeel continued throughout the rest of the weekend, there were a couple of, well, elimination issues that needed attention.

First the human one.  Apparently somebody sat down to do their business, and ended up taking a ride.  The toilet seat in the graduate's home crapped out (sorry, I couldn't help myself), and broke right off the bowl.  I was thankfully not the victim, so I am fortunate that I can laugh at the picture I get in my mind of this little disaster in progress.

So, naturally the guys made a quick trip to Home Depot to find a new toilet seat and rescue the situation.  A house full of friends and relatives celebrating the graduate + one broken toilet in the only bathroom = a large potential for ugliness.

This smart guy, this new graduate, this DOCTOR,

made quick work of the repair and had a new toilet seat installed in no time.  No more "sideways slide."

Then there was the other issue of the feline "throne."

Daughter Sarah and SIL Lance have two ridiculous,  insane,  adorable cats, and they love their cats.  They do not have any children YET, and so those kitties are their babies.

Penny thinks she is the princess, and usually acts like one.

There is no predicting where she will want to take her next nap.

Snickers is a colorful cat, in more ways than one.  She might well be the most unique kitty I've ever known, both in her appearance and in her behavior.

Sarah and Lance came up with the idea to have a cabinet to enclose the nasty cat litter box, and especially to contain all those litter pieces that sprinkle all around when the cats exit the box after using it.

And not only that, they had the shell for the cabinet already in their possession - an old cabinet that was originally built by my husband/lover/carpenter and used as a fish tank stand.  It was in a bit of disrepair and would need a few parts from the hardware store, but they had a plan.

Then, during a lull in the party, Lance, his dad and my husband retreated to the garage to do the manly stuff.  Here is the cabinet before the work began.  One door panel is broken off and has been for years.

First they created an entrance opening high on the right side panel of the cabinet.

Next they cut a ventilation opening in the upper back of the cabinet.  I suppose this is a cat's version of a crescent moon on an outhouse door.

After that a small platform was built into the cabinet that would be the landing space when a cat enters. The area under the platform will be convenient for storing extra litter.

The two front doors were remounted, using new hardware and magnetic closures, so the cats would have full privacy not be able to push open the doors while doing their business.

Finally, the litter pan and bag of extra litter was placed inside.  Voila!

I think this is a much more pleasant and convenient arrangement than having the cats' potty in full view, and containing all the litter particles is certainly more sanitary, too.  Probably this idea could be adapted and used with all sorts of cabinets and end tables.

After all the party guests had gone, the cats were finally introduced to their new throne room.

The report from Sarah is that the cabinet was "a success."  You know what that means.