Elf on the Shelf snow angel used as cat litter tray

The picture of the Elf on a Shelf surrounded by sugar granules was meant to be part of a Christmas tradition involving placing toy elves around the home during December to check on whether children are being nice or naughty. It originates in an American book, The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell, and illustrated by Coë Steinwart.

Elf on the shelf cat litter tray

Elf on the shelf cat litter tray. Picture: Caters News Agency

However, mum Katie Wright who did the Elf on the Shelf presentation was surprised to find out that the family cat, Tilly, had decided that it was a decent place to have a poo overnight. When they came downstairs in the morning they could smell something was wrong!

Elf on the shelf snow scene as it was

Elf on the shelf snow scene as it was. Credit: Caters News Agency.

It’s only my first year doing the elf as my eldest is only just four. Oscar has really enjoyed it though and we’ve taken it easy knowing we probably have a decade of elf placements ahead of us.

The Sun reporter writes that Tilly ‘mistook’ the sugar for a litter tray. I don’t think that is quite correct. Tilly simply decided that it was a litter tray or more accurately a convenient place to use as a toilet. That’s because the granules provided a substrate that was acceptable. It did not work very well but that’s beside the point.

Tilly

Tilly. Credit: Caters News Agency.

Source: The Sun

SOME ARTICLES ON BAD CAT BEHAVIOR (SO CALLLED):

Cats can't be thieves as they don't have mens rea

Cats can’t steal stuff not even vicariously on behalf of their owner

There's a story today from the Daily Mail of two Siamese-like cats who "belong" to a church minister and she's ...
Read More
Bad cat behavior leading to euthanasia

Euthanizing a companion animal due to behavioral problems. Are there alternatives?

Problematic behavioral problems in companion animals are one of the most frustrating and emotionally draining challenges for their owners. Resolving ...
Read More
The cat who is pooping on the floor

Help desperately needed for parents who are close to breaking point because their cat poops on the floor

On social media (Reddit), a daughter states that her parents are at their wits end and close to breaking point ...
Read More
63% of declawed cats have bone fragments in their toes. Go figure how that feels.

63% of declawed cats have bone fragments in their toes. Go figure how that feels.

A study first published May 23, 2017, entitled Pain and adverse behaviour in declawed cats, definitively concluded that 63% of ...
Read More
Clicker training a domestic cat using a clicker and food reward to do the roll over

How to train your cat to roll over

There is quite a lot of informal training taking place on an ongoing basis in a cat household both from ...
Read More
The most common cat behavior problem is depositing urine and/or poop outside of the litter box for one reason or another

What is the most common behaviour problem in cats?

Surveys report that between 40% and 70% of cats referred to veterinarians or behaviourist have some type of elimination problem; ...
Read More
Tabby moggy causes household damage

Cats and labradors cause more damage around the house than other pets

British Shorthair is less destructive than the Sphynx. However, take this with a pinch of salt, please! A poll run ...
Read More
Angry grey cat?

How to calm an angry cat

How do you calm an angry cat? The first thing to do is to remove yourself from the vicinity of ...
Read More
Gabriel having sex on my arm

What’s up with cat humping, anyway?

I have brazenly lifted the title to this post from the Catster.com website. The title interested me. I thought how ...
Read More
Marvin at scratching post

How can I stop my cat scratching my carpet?

The facetious answer is to get rid of your carpet. I am actually a believer that the best homes for ...
Read More

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *