putting to sleep a cat that pees outside its box
missuchloey
12 years ago
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Selenaserval
12 years agomegamuffins
11 years agoRelated Discussions
My cat is peeing everywhere, never in a box
Comments (1)All I have are questions for you, which answers can help me and others to help you figure out what's happening. Here goes: What tests has the vet performed? What is the vet looking for? What does the vet say that the problem is, based on tests performed? What does the vet say about the blood in her stool? When was the last time she went to the vet? Did the complete refusal to use the litterpan start before or after you shut her in the bathroom? Isn't it possible that either the toddler is bothering her (perfectly normal toddler activity, with supervision and intervention to protect the cat from unwelcome attention it's okay), or that she's reacting to the new baby's arrival? What are you using to clean the soiled places? have you recently changed her routine, her litter, her litterpan location? She's 15 years old, so some physical things are bound to have changed and she may be quite uncomfortable. It could be a simple fix, like changing to a flat pan that's easier to get into and out of. Whew. Lot of questions! If it helps at all, I have a cat who's but 11 who has begun to poo in one particular spot nearly every day. She's clear of any physiological problems except some stiffening of the old joints. I tried various things to make her littering easier but still find the poo a little too often. She was always fastidious, too. If that's the only problem I have with her I consider myself lucky. She's a sweet, gentle, daft cat but that pooing drives me batty. You're not alone. There are also medications (clomipramine, amitryptylline) to help kitty while you work out the problem. I had another cat on clomipramine for the same issue. In under three months I was able to wean her off the med. She hasn't poo'd inappropriately since. A little calm retraining works nicely if the cat's not upset. However, it's up to the vet to decide if she needs drug therapy....See MoreCat peeing blood and peeing on furniture
Comments (9)Several comments: 1) unless your cat is old, has diabetes, renal failure or some other degenerative condition, it is unlikely your cat has a urinary tract infection (very rare in young cats, but not unheard of). Most of these cats with bladder issues that are uncomfortable and have blood in the urine have cystitis, but that does not necessarily mean infection, too. The causes of cystitis are many, from stress, diet, stones to 'idiopathic' (i.e.. no obvious identifying cause). It is such a common problem in feline medicine, it has its own name: FIC (Feline idiopathic cystitis), or the old name was FLUDT (Feline lower urinary tract disease). 2) but one things is for sure, your cat is uncomfortable. ONe of the main things that should be considered in any cat that is urinating blood, straining, crying when urinating, or urinating inappropriately is the potential pain issue. Pain relief alone can make many of these cats better. You might ask your vet for some help in this area. 3) Diet is a big area of concern and should always be addressed. Canned food is a FAR better choice for any cat with bladder issues for several reasons. One is canned food is mostly water, so cats that eat only canned food urinate more, and urinating more empties the bladder more, and emptying the bladder more can result in emptying it of irritating substances such as crystals and mucus (often the cause OR result of straining and bleeding). But possibly more importantly is the carbohydrate issue, which many specialists are considering to be a big deal when it comes to 'happy bladders' in cats. Canned food (MOST canned foods, not all) are lower in carbohydrates- significantly lower. Dry foods all have carbs with a minimum of around 22%... But carbs are really not part of a cat's natural diet and a diet of maybe 7% or less would be far better. So I suggest if your cat is amenable to this, feed her a pate canned food only- no dry. Many cats in my practice have been made symptom free by just switching to canned food.. and my own cat was 'cured' this way when my professor in vet school told me to do the same thing despite my arguing with him that I was sure she had a bladder infection (of course I turned out to be wrong). 4) the 'stress' issue is a bit harder to resolve or diagnose, but stress alone can cause cats to pee blood and be uncomfortable. Your cat's loss of another cat, or having fleas, could have stressed her out some... but most of the time, we humans really have no idea what is stressing a cat. But adding more litter boxes, giving meds to reduce stress and using pheromone diffusers can all help resolve or at least improve these kittie's stress. 5) and I mentioned stones up above... sometimes bladder stones can result from either a dietary issue (most common cause), infection (rare in young cats) or a genetic metabolic issue (not much to be done about that last one other than keep cat on canned food). But without an x-ray, this possibility cannot be ruled in or out. I know rads are costly, but they are one time only cost and worth it to diagnose some cats properly. Discuss these things with your vet and see what they say....See MoreWhat to do if your cat pees out of the littlerbox
Comments (10)So what if you go through the list, and are still having problems? Because our 3 year old cat was so playful, and we thought it would be nice for him to have a buddy, we adopted a 2 year old neutered, declawed male cat from an animal shelter. After their initial adjustment, they seemed to get along well. The new cat was never very affectionate with us (our first cat is), but I don't think that's all that unusual. All was well for a few months, then the new cat started pooping outside the litterbox. My vet said he had colitis, and gave him some prescription food to try, which worked well - I kept him on the prescription food, and he always pooped in the litterbox from then on. A few months later, though, he started occasionally peeing on our beds. Thinking it was another medical issue, I took him to the vet a couple more times. He didn't find any medical issues - said it was most likely behaviorial, and gave us some Feliaway and advice similar to the above article. We had two litterboxes, and both were in the laundry room (upstairs). I could imagine that the location and/or noise might be an issue, or maybe privacy (our bedrooms are all upstairs), so I bought two additional litterboxes - one for the main floor (covered), and one for the basement (uncovered). I scooped all litterboxes daily, changed litter, tried different brands, etc. He continued to pee on the beds, and then later started peeing on our leather furniture, and carpet. I ended up returning him to the animal shelter, but have always felt terrible about it. I know that being a good pet owner means that you are willing to spent a certain amount of time and money when necessary, but after paying for several trips to the vet, Feliaway, replacing mattress pads, carpet pad, sections of subfloor, pillows, and buying gallons and gallons of Nature's Miracle and Urine-Off, I just reached my limit. Thank goodness for our first cat, or my confidence as a cat owner would be completely gone. Still, I don't think I will ever get another cat - I feel horrible that our second cat's behavioral issues were just beyond my capacity. Every time I see an article like this, I read it and think, did I do all I could? One of the most frustrating experiences I have had....See MoreFlooring choices & cat that thinks outside the box
Comments (20)Lizza, this may not answer your question but I'll tell you how I solved this problem with my senior cat. He's nearly 15yrs. and never had a litter box in his life, as he was an inside/outside cat. He began having problems holding his urine all night, took to peeing on the bathroom rug. Ok, I have a VCT tile floor, easy to clean, but bothersome to wash rug and floor every day. Plus the rug was starting to smell. Finally I bought a litter box, placed "his" rug inside it and placed the box right where the rug always lays. Yep - he climbed in the box and used the rug. After a few weeks, I began by cutting the rug in two pieces, laying one inside the box. He continued to use the rug.Over a period of months I kept cutting the piece of rug into smaller and smaller pieces until it was very small. Would you believe he was able to aim and hit that tiny piece of rug? ha. Eventually the rug disappeared altogether and now he uses the litter box - only pees. Only he doesn't cover the spot with litter, he goes thru the motions but usually I find small amounts of litter scattered near the box. No matter, I found an amazing cat litter called "The World's Best Cat Litter", made from corn. It's expensive but clumps like crazy. So far I've put it over a layer of Arm and Hammer litter because that's what I had on hand before I bought TWBCL. Absolutely no smell. Easy clean up. The reason I will go shopping for more litter today? My cat peed by the toilet night before last (I take up both rugs every night just in case), and I think it's because the litter in his box was too low. He isn't used to seeing it like that and stepping down into the box. That's my theory anyway....See MoreRobyn73
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