oh god

sugarfoot started mewling DESPERATELY to get outside to the point where she was leaping futilely at the door

i thought she was just going stir-crazy which would have also been very stressful...

but it turns out she really had to poop, and apparently the new litter we picked up for her (little kitten-safe sticks instead of clumpy sand) does not read as litter to her

yyyyyup right on Anthracite's yoga mat, mere seconds before she got home with our delivery food for the evening

peg is now super stressed out and snarfing down dinner before she rushes out to the grocery store for litter sand, and now we have to figure out a way to make it kitten-safe when the kidlets finally leave the box

my only real idea is that we mix the sticks and sand 20/80 for a while to get her used to it and gradually vary the mix until it's clear that "yes, this is poopie place"

blllllllaaaaaaarrrrrgggghhh i knew this is the sort of stuff we were signing on for as cat parents, but these are the worst parts -- where the cat is clearly distressed and you have NO IDEA what they want or what will help them...