Kick Litter is a 9-step program for recovering litter addicts

See sample pages from this book at Wink.

Dogs get all the credit when it comes to training. Yes, they can fetch bones, sit on command, bark for food, play ball, walk on two legs, roll over, play dead, pull sleds, and probably perform about one hundred other chores and fun tricks. But can they sit on the loo while doing their business? I think not. Cats, however, can be trained to do this in as little as two weeks, as instructed in Perre DiCarlos nine-step Kick Litter manual.

I first met DiCarlo two months ago at Boing Boings Weekend of Wonder. He gave a Powerpoint talk on how to train your cat to use the toilet. Who knew such a peculiar topic could be absolutely mesmerizing? Perre masterfully blended loads of humor with practical how-to steps that kept even cat-haters completely engaged.

He ended up sending me a signed copy of his pamphlet-sized book, and I love it on many levels. The design is wonderfully whimsical, the toilet-training steps are clear with nice illustrations, and each page is adorably funny. As an added layer to the book, we also get a short story told in the first person, er, I mean first kitty, by Di Carlos cats Moxie and Cooper. We get to hear a charming account of the cats' training experiences, including the time Cooper fell into the bowl, and how Moxie, the female, was able to kick her litter addiction in only two weeks, while Cooper had a harder 2-month recovery time. Whether or not you want to help your own cats kick their litter addictions, or whether or not you even own or like cats, this is an entertaining quick read that might even sit nicely on your bathroom book rack.

Kick Litter: Nine-Step Program for Recovering Litter Addicts
by Perre DiCarlo (author) and Chen Design Associates (designer)
CDA Press
2008, 48 pages, 6 x 8 x 0.2 inches
$16 Buy a copy on Amazon