This is a short story I wrote around 2012 when Myrna was still alive. It was never submitted to be published. It's a very simple story about a process we really used with her.
A Cat Trains the Owner
Once again, Jen found it difficult to wake up on time after being up twice last night to help Myrna go to the bathroom. It was like this every night and had been like this for over a year. You’d think by now she’d be used to having her sleep disturbed, followed by the ritual of 5 to 15 minutes of waiting for the girl to go, before finally climbing back to bed and then taking another 15 minutes before she was back to sleep.
Most nights, the girl got her up just once but lately, it had been twice. If she went by 11 p.m. she would be up again around 2 a.m. and then again around 5 a.m. If she got her to go by midnight or 1 a.m. then the girl would go by 4 or 5 a.m. It was rare the girl went by herself but she always woke up Jen to say she had gone.
It was a process that began when Myrna wasn’t using her litter box. They had worked with her using various behavioral techniques and timing when she needed to go. If three hours had passed and Myrna was up and about, they would ask her if she needed the litter box. They would take her, give treats to encourage her to go, and sometimes it worked. Quickly, the girl learned that treat time equaled litter box time and would cry when she needed to go, would also go downstairs to the basement as soon as she heard the treat bag. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. But over time, Myrna made the connection, and the trick began to work. She began using the litter box more often.
But the trick wasn’t meant to be used while Jen was sleeping. All she could do was pray the cat would use the box and not have an accident. But Myrna decided she would only use the litter box if Jen got up in the middle of the night to give Myrna a treat. So, one night, about 3 a.m., Myrna climbed on top of Jen, stood on her chest, leaned in and cried very loudly and incessantly until Jen woke up.
“What’s wrong?” Jen asked. Myrna bounced off Jen and jumped to the floor. Jen thought nothing of it and rolled over. Seconds later, Myrna was back, standing and crying again.
“What? You have a toy?” asked Jen and Myrna bounced off again. Jen went back to sleep but seconds later Myrna was on her again.
“MEOW, MEOW, MEOW!!!!!” cried Myrna at which point Jen had to get out of bed. She turned on the bedside light and followed Myrna. Myrna went to the litter box, climbed in, and went. Then she hopped out, looked up at Jen and cried, and walked in circles doing the twitchy butt thing she did when she wanted attention. Jen got the hint. She petted her and praised her.
“Good girl, Myrna! You used your litter box!” Jen got out a piece of paper and wrote down the time and then went back to bed and turned off the light. Only she hadn’t completed the process by ending the praise with a treat so Myrna climbed up onto her again.
“MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!”
“What???!! What do you need now?” cried Jen. And Myrna cried and walked in circles on the bed.
Then Jen remembered the usual process: Myrna goes, Myrna is praised and petted, and then treated. But the treats weren’t up here so Jen dutifully went downstairs to the kitchen to get the treats. She gave one to Myrna and praised and petted. And then Myrna sat and looked for another, so Jen gave another, then another, then finally one more before saying,
“That’s it Myrna. Back to bed” at which point both Jen and Myrna went back to bed.
So, ever since then, this has been the nightly ritual. If Jen could train Myrna to go without a treat or without Jen’s involvement, that would be great. But this helps Myrna, this comforts Myrna, and Myrna hasn’t had an accident day or night in a year. So, what if Jen hasn’t slept more than three months in a year? As for Jen’s husband, Myrna doesn’t bother to wake him. He would never wake up. He sleeps through everything.
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