Hi Michele -- I'm so sorry about the neuropathy! Josie has that, too, and it's just so sad to watch them gimp about.
I wonder if Tiger's box has high sides? We had one with very high sides before, but got J one with lower sides when her leg weakness started. She has a much easier time getting in/out of it (and thus keeps using it).
We have a large storage bin that we use and yes it is higher then I would like, I added a lower sided one but it is much smaller next to it. He does have a hard time getting out of the big box and he really struggles. The small box is a bit small for him. I have not found anything else that seems like it would work for a big guy, I am open to suggestions though so not something I have to make or cut by hand please.
Re: the testing, Josie bit and scratched our first curve, too, and so we started wrapping her up in a towel (self preservation!). Within a week, she turned into one of those purring cats you see on the videos, and she now goes and sits on her towel to get wrapped for her test when we call her for it. (It's ridiculous, really.
) I do truly think it was a matter of being consistent and committed. We *pretended* we were confident, and the next thing we knew, we actually were!
Consistency and confidence is definitely something I am lacking. He might do better with a towel, it just takes two of us and that is part of the problem.
Also, bribes helped tremendously. Djamila suggested the freeze-dried minnows for test bribe/reward, and J is a fool for them. We cut up one and give her half before, half after, and she doesn't get them at any other time, so that has bookmarked the testing with something she really likes.
