OT - cat with litter box problems
FleurDeLis
on 8/21/11 9:08 am
on 8/21/11 9:08 am
Shellybelly asks a lot of the right questions.
How many cats do I have? Enough so that when I call the vet I don't have to give my name. They know its me.
The rule is 1 litter box per cat plus one extra.
Right now she has been doing this for such a long time she has trained herself to do this. You may think you have cleaned up the areas she used, but trust me they are not clean. Urine sinks into the area in a pyramid shape--it is wider on top than bottom. It seeps into the wood floor and subfloor and the smell ain't coming out. It travels along the cracks in floorboards. The only way to get rid of the smell that she can smell and you can't is to treat it with something professional strength like Odorixit. Works on everything. $149 a gallon but you can buy a pint. Even so, you really need to pull the carpet and padding up, get totally rid of it, clean the subfloor and seal it with oil-based Kilz.
This is why landlords hate pets.
My darling started doing this and decided she just didn't like to share a box once her kidneys started going. So I put down puppy piddle pads in a pad holder. She got to go on a nice clean soft surface that did not bother her delicate paws. One of our male cats would then come along, smell it, and act like he was covering it up only his paws never touched the pad.
One time a litter box had no litter in it--then she decided to use that one.
I've been a Cat Fancy subscriber for over 30 years. What they often say to do--once you have ruled out medical issues and things like environmental changes like a new litter--is to put the cat in a separate room and start litter box training all over. The bathroom is ideal for this unless you carpeted it. She will have her own box and peace and quiet. She gets rewarded when she does the right thing.
Remember that if you get mad or upset ten seconds after she goes inappropiriately, she has no idea what is wrong with you. She doesn't connect her bad behavior with yours.
Cats don't like scented litter, either, before I forget.
A diabetic cat can soak a newly cleaned litter box. If she has arthritis she may not be able to make it to a box in time or get into it in time. She may have a neuropathy from it. Her little cat brain may not be getting the signal that her bladder is full.
The territoriality thing is a whole other issue.
Her size may be an issue. She may decide the boxes you have are too small for her.
I used to have two boxes side by side. The 16 year old we just lost once went and sniffed one box, then the other, then back to the first, then back to the second, and then back--cat, what is your problem? She finally decided to use the first box after all. It may be washed and odor free by our standards, but not theirs.
Some cats pee in one and decide to poop in the other cats box, not their own.
Is this a litter box problem or is it territorial marking? I'm pretty sure that when Blue Belle gets him upset and he pees a few drops on my leg, Hunter is trying to tell me something and it is deliberate. Hunter, by the way, taught himself to use a human toilet.
There is no doubt in my mind that this started out as a way to relieve stress and she just grew to like it. Since the cause of the stress is gone, tranquilizers won't work since she isn't stressed out. If it were territorial they might work.
You might consider a visit to an all-cat veterinary practice for a second opinion. There are also animal behaviorists but you can do the basic research on your own.
Give the bathroom thing a try.
How many cats do I have? Enough so that when I call the vet I don't have to give my name. They know its me.
The rule is 1 litter box per cat plus one extra.
Right now she has been doing this for such a long time she has trained herself to do this. You may think you have cleaned up the areas she used, but trust me they are not clean. Urine sinks into the area in a pyramid shape--it is wider on top than bottom. It seeps into the wood floor and subfloor and the smell ain't coming out. It travels along the cracks in floorboards. The only way to get rid of the smell that she can smell and you can't is to treat it with something professional strength like Odorixit. Works on everything. $149 a gallon but you can buy a pint. Even so, you really need to pull the carpet and padding up, get totally rid of it, clean the subfloor and seal it with oil-based Kilz.
This is why landlords hate pets.
My darling started doing this and decided she just didn't like to share a box once her kidneys started going. So I put down puppy piddle pads in a pad holder. She got to go on a nice clean soft surface that did not bother her delicate paws. One of our male cats would then come along, smell it, and act like he was covering it up only his paws never touched the pad.
One time a litter box had no litter in it--then she decided to use that one.
I've been a Cat Fancy subscriber for over 30 years. What they often say to do--once you have ruled out medical issues and things like environmental changes like a new litter--is to put the cat in a separate room and start litter box training all over. The bathroom is ideal for this unless you carpeted it. She will have her own box and peace and quiet. She gets rewarded when she does the right thing.
Remember that if you get mad or upset ten seconds after she goes inappropiriately, she has no idea what is wrong with you. She doesn't connect her bad behavior with yours.
Cats don't like scented litter, either, before I forget.
A diabetic cat can soak a newly cleaned litter box. If she has arthritis she may not be able to make it to a box in time or get into it in time. She may have a neuropathy from it. Her little cat brain may not be getting the signal that her bladder is full.
The territoriality thing is a whole other issue.
Her size may be an issue. She may decide the boxes you have are too small for her.
I used to have two boxes side by side. The 16 year old we just lost once went and sniffed one box, then the other, then back to the first, then back to the second, and then back--cat, what is your problem? She finally decided to use the first box after all. It may be washed and odor free by our standards, but not theirs.
Some cats pee in one and decide to poop in the other cats box, not their own.
Is this a litter box problem or is it territorial marking? I'm pretty sure that when Blue Belle gets him upset and he pees a few drops on my leg, Hunter is trying to tell me something and it is deliberate. Hunter, by the way, taught himself to use a human toilet.
There is no doubt in my mind that this started out as a way to relieve stress and she just grew to like it. Since the cause of the stress is gone, tranquilizers won't work since she isn't stressed out. If it were territorial they might work.
You might consider a visit to an all-cat veterinary practice for a second opinion. There are also animal behaviorists but you can do the basic research on your own.
Give the bathroom thing a try.
The retraining thing may be necessary. I am calling the vet in the morning for an appt to make sure her thyroid was checked recently. I think it was but I'm not positive. I also noticed today that she seems to have lost some weight, although I think she is eating about the same amount she has been eating ever since she was diagnosed with diabetes and we switched to wet cat food. So it's time for a trip to the vet.
And yeah, my vet knows me pretty well too. At one point I had six cats - now down to three - and a few years back we also took in a stray temporarily that needed a lot of medical care. After we got him fixed up, a friend adopted him. I kind of miss him, though, he was such a nice cat. We kept him in the bathroom the whole time he was here, both to separate him from our other cats and because he'd injured his front paws somehow and they were bloody and oozing all over the place. The vet didn't want to try to bandage them so I wanted him in the bathroom so he didn't leave bloody footprints on my carpet. You should have seen the bathroom though! I went to check on him after he'd been in there for maybe an hour, and it looked like a massacre had taken place. He had apparently explored the whole bathroom very thoroughly because there were streaks of blood on the walls, curtains, cabinets, tub, everywhere. At one point he was on several meds, including eyedrops, and he was so good at letting me give him his meds. My other cats always put up a fight.
And yeah, my vet knows me pretty well too. At one point I had six cats - now down to three - and a few years back we also took in a stray temporarily that needed a lot of medical care. After we got him fixed up, a friend adopted him. I kind of miss him, though, he was such a nice cat. We kept him in the bathroom the whole time he was here, both to separate him from our other cats and because he'd injured his front paws somehow and they were bloody and oozing all over the place. The vet didn't want to try to bandage them so I wanted him in the bathroom so he didn't leave bloody footprints on my carpet. You should have seen the bathroom though! I went to check on him after he'd been in there for maybe an hour, and it looked like a massacre had taken place. He had apparently explored the whole bathroom very thoroughly because there were streaks of blood on the walls, curtains, cabinets, tub, everywhere. At one point he was on several meds, including eyedrops, and he was so good at letting me give him his meds. My other cats always put up a fight.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Try Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter (Petsmart carries it). It's made for cats with litterbox problems to get them to start going again. It's a little more expensive than regular litter, but the idea is that it's a temporary use, then kitty is back into her routine. Other than that, it sounds like you've tried about everything!
FleurDeLis
on 8/22/11 11:14 am
on 8/22/11 11:14 am
4 of our 6 are rescues. Two lived near a cemetery. Bob was born with a umbilical hernia and somehow lost his tail. Has two vertebra that are not connected to anything. After the rescue group trapped him and got him fixed up he went into foster care where of course nobody wants an imperfect cat. He also has bowel issues and can't tolerate some things. He was on probiotics when we got him.
While there he met Tigger, who had to be caught because he had something going on with his eyes. His foster mom was able to save one eye but he fought too much to avoid getting a corneal scar on the other. He was named by a 2 year old whose family fed him. Of course, all two year olds have to name orange tabbies Tigger.
Tigger hid behind a bookcase for three weeks after we got him. His foster had to come back over and as soon as he heard her voice everything was ok. Bob, meanwhile, cool guy that he is, was ready to explore. When we would open up cat food cans he would break his neck to be first in line. He soon figured out meals came regularly.
I took a picture of Tigger's eye for our eye doctor whose specialty is cornea and cornea transplants. He took one look at it and was able to rattle off the top 4 viral causes of that in cats. Luckily he has some vision in that eye.
I originally was only going to get Tigger but his foster brought Bob along for the ride temporarily to "help Tigger adjust." Yeah, right.
Hope the thyroid comes out ok. The results take overnight around here to get back. That litter made for re-training sounds interesting. It's worth a try.
When we got the boys they started using Hunte's box. Hunter would sit there and leer at them. They didn't care. But when they sat there looking at him go, oh, my oh my. Cat politics. Who knows what they are thinking.
While there he met Tigger, who had to be caught because he had something going on with his eyes. His foster mom was able to save one eye but he fought too much to avoid getting a corneal scar on the other. He was named by a 2 year old whose family fed him. Of course, all two year olds have to name orange tabbies Tigger.
Tigger hid behind a bookcase for three weeks after we got him. His foster had to come back over and as soon as he heard her voice everything was ok. Bob, meanwhile, cool guy that he is, was ready to explore. When we would open up cat food cans he would break his neck to be first in line. He soon figured out meals came regularly.
I took a picture of Tigger's eye for our eye doctor whose specialty is cornea and cornea transplants. He took one look at it and was able to rattle off the top 4 viral causes of that in cats. Luckily he has some vision in that eye.
I originally was only going to get Tigger but his foster brought Bob along for the ride temporarily to "help Tigger adjust." Yeah, right.
Hope the thyroid comes out ok. The results take overnight around here to get back. That litter made for re-training sounds interesting. It's worth a try.
When we got the boys they started using Hunte's box. Hunter would sit there and leer at them. They didn't care. But when they sat there looking at him go, oh, my oh my. Cat politics. Who knows what they are thinking.
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