This month we're talking about a product that is all the rage in large cities, and soon to be sweeping the nation in rural areas as well. It's a product that we may initially have mixed feelings about as humans, because it personifies our pets even more than we do already. It is a product called "CitiKitty" and it is designed to train our cats how to use the toilet.

You have to wonder what the Neanderthals would have thought about this month's product. I mean - what human in their right mind would have thought thousands of years ago that they would eventually be sharing their homes (or caves), let alone their bathrooms (or trees or logs or whatever), with a cat? After all, these are the people who spent years running away from fearsome, long-toothed saber cats, and hours thinking of the best place in the cave to put their fire in order to keep the beasts out. And now, here we are thousands of years later, sharing our homes with miniaturized versions of the same wild animals.

But, that was then and this is now, and with the help of evolution we have larger brains that allow us to be a little less close-minded. So - why do I think CitiKitty's toilet training kit is one of the neatest things out there? Primarily because it reinforces my theory that felines are indeed smarter than most people. Think about it. We've already proven that cats have a remarkable learning curve, even better than 99% of the human children out there, and cats can learn to use this product as young as three-months-old. They could learn it even younger if we had smaller toilets available, but they have to be able to jump up there, you know, so three months is a good age.

Have any of you ever attempted to potty-train a three-month-old human? It's not a pretty sight, my friend. Go ahead … take that diaper off and see what happens… But, with a cat - anything is possible.

Now, as many of you know, I'm an avid cat lover. What I am NOT is an idiot. My parents will be very proud to see that college was not wasted on me. You see, besides my English classes, I took a couple of math classes (I even took algebra three times), and after a few computations (with the aid of a calculator) I quickly deduced that training 15 cats to use a toilet in my household essentially meant that neither my husband nor I would ever get into either of our newly remodeled bathrooms again. In fact, the thought of sharing the bathrooms with our cats brought back memories of my childhood - and they weren't fond memories. My brother and I once put each into the hospital twice in one night by accidentally walking into the bathroom on each other. But that's a long story (although it is quite humorous, so if you really need to hear it, let me know and I'll try to fit it in at a later date, or call my mom - she loves telling it!). But, I regress…

At any rate, with the math equations firmly implanted in my head, I opted to have a very good friend of mine who has only two lovely cats (Maki and Nunchaku) to review this product for me. Being the good sport she is, and always one to try new things, Jennifer McIntyre (soon to be photojournalist extraordinaire) agreed to undertake this noble task.

CitiKitty (whose customer service is absolutely wonderful, by the way) was anxious to help out any way they could. They were quick to answer questions about the product both by email and phone, and when we received the kit; it came with a complete list of instructions. The kit itself is relatively simple. It consists of a heavy-duty plastic training seat that sits nicely on the rim of any (even elongated) toilet bowls. This "seat" has 4 rings on the inside that will eventually be removed - one per week. The plastic is very strong - strong enough to hold at least 25 lbs, and from what I understand - even more weight if necessary. This seat is placed on top of the toilet bowl, flushable litter is added, and the cat box is removed from the home. The cat quickly learns that it is now using the toilet as its litter box. At the end of each week, an inner ring is removed.

You might think that it is highly unnatural for a cat to use a toilet. And you're right. For humans, it is. I mean, it took thousands of years of evolution for humans to learn how to use indoor plumbing (and some humans still struggle with it - just look at a nearby phone booth), but cats seem to take to it naturally. They just haven't really been given the opportunity to try it. We're always yelling at the dog to quit drinking out of the toilet bowl, and really - what cat in their right mind is going to share a toilet bowl with a dog? But, once you explain to cats what the bowl is really for, the cats seem to take to it with ease. After all, they used to be royalty, remember?

Now - about my friend's experiences with CitiKitty. Maki took to it with ease and after only three weeks is nearly completely potty trained. Nanchuku was a bit more of a struggle. However, he is also an indoor/outdoor cat, and from the people I've done research on - this is a recurring theme. Those who allowed their cats to roam outdoors as well as indoors found that outdoor dwelling cats preferred to use the outdoor "facilities." But, for those caretakers who keep their cats indoors, this is a revolutionary product. The other issue that my friend experienced is the fact that it tended to be a bit messy. Maki likes to scratch (at least in the beginning stages of training) and so she experienced some litter on the floor. However, spreading newspaper around the floor easily took care of the problem and it decreased as the rings disappeared.

The up-side is a given… Think about it - you will save hundreds of dollars on cat litter each year. You will never have to clean another litter box. Never will another person walk into your home, sniff the air and rudely ask, "So, you have a cat, huh?" That is all at an end. It's over. And Maki is living proof of this wondrous miracle.

Maki, Jennifer's acrobatic, very intelligent feline, who has taken to being potty-trained with no more than a slight urging by its owner, is the poster child of success. Saber cats the world over would be proud of their toilet-trained ancestors. And you can be proud too.  Your cat will thank you!

From the Cats:

Hisses & Spits: From Nanchaku - Not really a hiss because it doesn't really matter if I have a box or a toilet. I'd just as soon run outside and go. I mean, it is a little extra work jumping up on the toilet. But, I guess if that's where mom wants us, that's fine by me…

Purrs: From Maki - I love my new status as a human! I love having my new bathroom, and really, we need to move so I don't have to share with mom and Nunchaku (she's such a slob!). Honestly, girls each need their OWN bathrooms!

From the Humans:

Two opposable thumbs up!! No more lugging around 25 lb boxes of litter! No more smelly litter boxes! No more neighbors walking in the house and wrinkling their noses! Now if we can just get them to flush every time…

Drawback? A little messy at first, but only until they figure out the first two rings. After that, it's all good! And I'll trade two weeks of a messy bathroom floor for a lifetime of messy house floors!