Indignities

It seems like one of the situations that caused a number of indignities is finally over at our house. I'm speaking of out and out harassment of anyone using the litter box. For some reason since our adoptive cats entered the scene, the litter box has been a scene of constant drama.

If the cats saw another go into the litter box, or if they even heard the scratching that goes on in there, they would immediately respond. At first it seemed to be just curiosity and they would put their heads in and see what was going on, but that didnt last long. The cats recognized that the user was essentially trapped, and was a great target. Sometimes this meant just standing and staring at them from outside. Often it meant hiding out of sight and startling the user when they exited. Sometimes it meant standing outside and batting at the user while they were about their business.

All of these strategies had their effect, and the users began to adopt methods to minimize their risks. Using the box in quiet times, especially when the others were dozing, was probably the most effective. Sometimes they would use the box and keep their head sticking out to watch for impending attacks. Most of the time after they finished they would look around for anyone lying in wait, and even if they didnt see anything, they would dash out and around to be sure they didn't get attacked. In the meantime all this made any use of the litter box a nervous, and sometimes traumatic experience.

Thankfully, this seems to have come to an end, perhaps because we let them all out on occasion so they work off more energy. I haven't seen this much bathroom drama since we had teenagers in the house...