Dear Matthew:My cat has recently developed the disturbing habit of using my bathtub as a litter box. I'll wake up in the morning to take a shower and I'll discover a little "present" my kitty has left for me to find.
What can I do to solve this problem? I never catch my cat doing this, but if I do I'll be sure to discourage him in no uncertain terms. It's getting to the point where I'm afraid to step in the shower and I spend most of my time scrubbing the tub! -- Lucy in Seattle
Dear Lucy: There are two easy solutions to solving this problem. The first, of course, is to leave the door to your bathroom closed so your cat can't get in there. Of course, if you're like me, you're bound to forget some night and the next thing you know, your cat is back up to his troublemaking.
Therefore, a foolproof way to stop your cat's unfortunate behavior is to fill your tub with a couple of inches of water and leave it like that for at least two weeks. Before long, your cat will assume that the tub is always full of water and stop thinking about it as a place to relieve himself. At that point, you should be able to empty your tub and go about your normal routine.
Of course, there is a chance that your cat will decide the floor around your tub is just as good as inside it -- which is just as bad for you. In this case, I recommend putting your cat's litter box near the tub so it'll be easy for him to access.
Dear Matthew:Max is my 2-year-old chocolate Labrador. He's a sweet dog, but a muscular, tall one (103 pounds).
Is there anything else I can use besides a head leader to stop his leash-pulling when we go out in public? Uninformed people give him horrified and scared looks, scurrying out of the way when we go jogging, and it breaks my heart because he's so sweet and friendly. They think it's a muzzle and assume he's aggressive!
Lately, I've just been going without it so he won't look so "intimidating". And, yes, I'm in the process of training him to "heel." He has a short memory span with that, it seems. Any suggestions? -- Anonymous
Dear Anonymous: The key to training a dog with a short memory span is through repetition, repetition and more repetition. Dogs are not Rhodes scholars, they're more like kindergartners. And how do you teach a kindergartners how to do math? By drilling them on the basics; multiplication tables and the like.
So, in the long run, the best way to solve your problem is through training -- then running with your dog isn't a battle of force and wills, it' a cooperative effort.
As for the best way to control your dog, I strongly recommend a training collar, the type that tightens evenly around your dog's neck when you pull on it. This type of collar will give you much better control over your dog.
Work on taking your dog outside where there's little commotion and traffic and practice running him around.
Dear Matthew:A friend of mine suggested putting mothballs around the soil of plants I don't want my cat to mess with. I nodded politely, but I wasn't sure this was a good idea. Have you ever heard of this suggestion, and is it something I should try? -- Evelyn in Arlington Heights, Ill.
Dear Evelyn: Your friend might as well have suggested putting rat poison out for your cat -- mothballs will most likely not deter your kitty from messing with your plants and could very well cause your cat to become very ill if eaten.
These things should be kept out of reach of children -- and pets!
Matthew Margolis is the host of "Woof! It's a Dog's Life," a dog-instruction series airing every Saturday on your local PBS station. Read all of Matthew Margolis' columns at the Creators Syndicate Web site www.creators.com, and visit him at www.matthewmargolis.com. Write him at 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.