Until we get a full staff (and a house for them to work in), we have carefully divvied up the chores. I do most of the cooking, but only because I don’t destroy the kitchen in the process. I do the grocery shopping and budgeting. We share laundry, walking the dog, and feeding the pets. Jim does vacuuming and any heavy lifting.
Jim does the dishes because – yech. Jim says he doesn’t mind.
I do the catbox because Jim says yech, and I don’t mind.
In fact, I just realized as I scooped in a trance-like state last night that in this hectic time, I’ve been using the catbox almost as a Zen garden. I mean, it’s basically rearranging and cleaning sand, right? Why not reap the benefits of an otherwise unseemly chore? It is actually calming more than it is icky. I’m not ashamed to say that there are some days that I actually look forward to cleaning the catbox.
Actually, yes I am. Ew.
If you want to engage in the fine art of Zen catboxing, let me offer up some suggestions for maximum effectiveness:
- Use a high-quality scoopable litter.
- Use a LOT of it – the deeper, the better.
- Pick a scooper that feels good in your hand and is strong enough to dig without bending or breaking.
- Scoop at least twice a day.
- Get the cat(s) out of the room first. They will always supervise and/or test your efforts if you don’t. This destroys the meditation process.
- Realize that all good things must come to an end (ha!) and let it go. Let them go. You can always come back and scoop again.
Happy gardening!
To build your own non-catbox Zen garden, read my article, “How to plant a Zen Garden“
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