I’ve long suspected that cats are a lot more intelligent than they’re given credit for. Here’s another bit of circumstantial evidence for it.

Ever since we got our Litter Robot self-cleaning litter box last year, we’ve had a minor problem with one of our cats: he doesn’t always get far enough into the globe before he goes, or sometimes only gets his front half in, and the resulting liquid drips down the front of it. Because of the excellent design, it’s immediately caught and channeled into the waste drawer, so the mess is completely contained, but it’s still an irritation.

This is a problem that a lot of cats seem to have with this litter box, and a few months ago I heard that the Litter Robot’s makers were working on a solution. A couple days ago I checked their website and discovered that they’d finished it: a wider rubber “lip” for the front of the globe, to catch any such “misses” and redirect them into the globe (and the litter) instead of down the front, and a small gate that fits into it to prevent litter from being kicked out before or afterwards, and to encourage the cat to get all the way in and turn around before doing his business. I immediately ordered both.

Quite happy about it, I poked my head into the room where she was reading and told GoddessJ. The aforementioned cat (Winston) was there as well, but I thought nothing of it… until a few hours later, when I discovered that he’d done it again. And this time he’d aimed just right: the liquid had seeped into the panel at the front and killed the circuit board that controls the whole thing.

Go ahead, try to tell me that’s coincidence. I dare you.

Fortunately, I was able to order a new circuit board as well. It should be here the day after the other new parts. But I’m sure that Winston is chuckling under his breath every time I turn my back on him.

It really wouldn’t surprise me to discover that cats secretly rule the world. They’re sadistic little bastards.