Re: Ripley reacting to stress of house sale (which is going nowhere, by the way)- I'm always stressy, I'm a stress puppy, so my normal stress levels are pretty high. Maybe I should get myself into yoga though to try to sort myself out, maybe try to become the more relaxed owner/friend she needs? It's a good thought. So far as keeping the house nice...we're liking that. And so far as Ripley being daft...its not because of the weight. She can't clean herself properly because of the weight, is the only problem and for the sake of her future health (and present sanitation) she is on a diet. Cats and dogs have a range of intellect like any other creature, some smarter and some less so, not based on their appearance but on their behavior. Her behavior - getting lost between rooms, hiding by burying her head, hitting herself in the face with her foot repeatedly while cleaning - is not something I've seen in clever cats. Other than her snore-stop technique and the ability to hypnotize people the only sign of cleverness is that she seems to have learned a few simple words ('no', 'now', 'i am', 'kibble'). Gripping stuff, and not consistently situational.

And yeah...I'm daft too. Hence the cry for help. Thanks to all for the advice. I'll try out some stress reduction for my general self and see how that goes (thanks Cynthia!), some plant life around the loos (thanks Karol! although I think she's to healthy to have been a stray, it's worth a try), some observation and thought (thanks Gregel!) and some drugs if nothing else works (thanks Veronica!). We've miles to go, and I'm open to any other suggestions. The next phase may be the construction of more personally ergonomic litter boxes out of the preferred ceramic tile. Fabulous husband claims this is madness, but it might just be mad enough to work. Anybody game for a constuction weekend if I can get the plans/materials together?