Potty Talk by Toast is a new book by Trisha Yeager Menke. It's all about training your cat to use the toilet, walk on a leash, sit, stay, and dress up in hot outfits. But there's more, too. Have a look at the Table of Contents and excerpts below.
To order Potty Talk By Toast, the newest, most comprehensive cat training book on the maket, click here!
Table of Contents
About the Authors
Chapter One: How and Why Cats Can Be Trained—by Trisha
Chapter Two: Hey Cool Cats, Let’s Get Started!—by Toast
Chapter Three: Getting Inside the Mind of a Cat—by Toast
Chapter Four: Litter Boxes Can Be Lethal!
Chapter Five: Leash Training; Don’t Let It Be a Drag!
Chapter Six: Teaching Your Cat to Sit, Stay, and Heel
Chapter Seven: Bonding With Your Cat
Chapter Eight: Correcting Behavioral Problems
Chapter Nine: Don’t Declaw!
Chapter Ten: Fascinating Feline Facts
Tribute to Toast
Appendix
Is a Cat Easier to Train Than a Man?
Well, with all due respect to the human species, I must admit—a cat IS easier to train than most guys. We have perfect aim, and we always leave the toilet seat exactly as we found it. Besides, we don’t throw our clothes on the floor, we seldom complain about the food, and we are not at all obsessed with sports (except for gophering and lizarding, of course!) What we do have in common with human guys is our ability to give love and affection (or whatever else is required) to get exactly what we want! So listen up, cool cats! I’m writing this book for you—to let you know about the benefits of becoming potty trained!
Learning to use the toilet has paid off for me—big time! I’m spoiled rotten, adored, overindulged, and in general I’m a lot happier than my “litter box” counterparts. My mom (her name is Honey) is much happier, too. She saves a lot of money not having to buy litter—money that she spends on skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I like them lightly steamed)! She saves a lot of time, too, never having to empty those yucky litter boxes. And guess what, our home smells clean and fresh—always! My mom is glad ‘cause I’m healthier than litter box cats, and best of all she is very proud of me! And that makes me a happy cat!
How do cats think?
For starters, they can be warm and affectionate one minute, and cold and aloof the next. Cats are highly independent—and intelligent enough to convince most people that they’re too stupid to be trained. They are self-confident and exude an aura of mastery over their territory and everything in it, including their owners.
Cats are highly manipulative in a fascinating sort of way. Toast regarded me as a furless food source and knew exactly how to get me to feed him just about whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it. Although he was a master at the art of ignoring me or anyone else, at other times he is genuinely warm and affectionate.
He enjoyed being around adults and kids—and has been know to seek out children wherever they happened to be. Once when he got away, I found him sitting on the grass about a foot and a half away from a toddler who was similarly squatted. They were eyeball to eyeball, and as far as I could tell, engaged in a fascinating sort of communication.
Toast even liked most dogs, probably because he learned early on that if they showed any signs of hostility, all he has to do is run over and pop them on the butt a couple of times. (I don’t recommend this for most cats!!!) Toast, however, was an Alpha Cat, who regarded all dogs as being lower in the hierarchy. Popping doggie hiney was a high risk sport for him, just as skydiving or jay walking in downtown Manhattan might be for us.
Tribute to Toast
Two days after Christmas of 2005 Toast lost his valiant fight against kidney disease. His death was very sudden, but preceded by an extended period of well-being.
He enjoyed Christmas Day with us. The weather was beautiful, and Toast wanted to be outside. My husband and I, along with relatives from Nebraska, sat outside with him. He was the center of attention, as usual, lying in the middle of our circle as we ate our sandwiches, trying to tempt Toast with a variety of foods and treats. He refused everything, but it was easy to see he was still happy. Toast had a very expressive face, and his smile was mostly in the eyes—a kind of half-closed look of contentment.
Six months earlier I had taken Toast to the vet because he wasn’t feeling well. Afterward, the vet told me that his kidney function tests were off the charts. “I’ve never seen a cat survive with a BUN and Creatinine this high,” he said. “I recommend you let us put him down today. He must be suffering a lot.” I shook my head. It was Friday late afternoon. “I’ll call you on Monday,” I said.
When we got home, Toast disappeared into the closet and didn’t come out for two days. Every hour or two throughout that night and the next day I went into the closet to check him, expecting to find him dead. All I could do was put my head beside his, stroke him gently, and whisper, “Please don’t die, Toast. I love you so much, and I need you! And, I prayed—endlessly.
Early Sunday morning, Toast came out of the closet, jumped up on the bed, and rubbed his soft cheek against mine. He was purring loudly and wanted food! For the next six months he ate voraciously, climbed trees, went for daily walks, played, and was perfectly normal and happy. The vet was astonished, and said he had never seen anything like it. I called him the cat with ten lives. I never took him back to the vet. I simply rejoiced and thanked God.
Toast lived a long, healthy life—for a cat born with serious kidney disease. On December 27th, 2005, when he started into his second day refusing food and water, I knew the time had come. Toast simply went to sleep on my lap —with the help of a very kind, female veterinarian who came to the house—as I petted, loved, and kissed him.
Toast was my miracle cat and I truly adored him. He was my best friend, my constant companion, the joy of my life, and the inspiration for my work. He will live on in my heart forever.
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