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Cat Help Needed

Iguanagirl8662

Iguanagirl8662

Katie
My 6 year old cat has for about the last 6 months been peeing on our family room couch and floor and our bathroom rugs. She also poops on the family room floor every once in awhile and the other day she peed in my shoe that was in the family room.

Since she has been doing this she hasn't been eating as much as she used too. She normally ate 1/2 a cup of food now she eats maybe half of that and she has been coughing up more hairballs recently.

I made a vet appointment to check for any problems health wise but my mother thinks she isn't sick that she's doing it on purpose but she never did this before. Anyone have any ideas what could be going on because it's getting really tiring not being able to sit on the couch and cleaning the floor.
 
What brand of food is she getting? Is it always dry food or does she get canned food too? Are the stools normal or runny? How often is the litter box cleaned? (infrequent cleanings can cause cats to look for better places to "go".)

Could be health related, could be behavioral. Has anything in the household changed? New cat/dog?
 
Cat's will stop using the litter box for many reasons. Changed brands of litter, dirty litter box, and UTI's are common problem from the litter box. Do you use clay or clump? Does it put off a lot of dust?

It sounds like your cat may have a UTI.
 
VickyChaiTea said:
What brand of food is she getting? Is it always dry food or does she get canned food too? Are the stools normal or runny? How often is the litter box cleaned? (infrequent cleanings can cause cats to look for better places to "go".)

Could be health related, could be behavioral. Has anything in the household changed? New cat/dog?
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She is eating Blue Buffalo dry food, both of my cats won't touch wet food.

Her stool is normal. I scoop out their litter box every day and completely change the litter once a week.

Nothing in the house has changed. I have one other cat but they have always been together.


Shiari said:
Has she begun drinking more/less?
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I haven't noticed any difference in her drinking.

josie said:
Cat's will stop using the litter box for many reasons. Changed brands of litter, dirty litter box, and UTI's are common problem from the litter box. Do you use clay or clump? Does it put off a lot of dust?

It sounds like your cat may have a UTI.
Click to expand...

For the past 5 1/2 years I used clay litter. A couple months ago I switched to world's best clumping litter and that's less dusty then the clay.

Would a UTI cause her to pooped around the house too?
 
A friend's cat has a similar problem. The cat's favourite "alternative litter" is unfortunately in her bed. Under the covers. Yuk. When the bedroom door is closed, he'll choose any item of clothing or footwear that has been left laying around.

The vet tested for a UTI but it came up negative. His view was that puss had had a UTI at some stage that had cleared up of its own accord. However, the cat had experienced pain when using the litter and now associates the litter with being in discomfort. The problem is now behavioural because, whilst the cat is no longer having trouble with the process, he thinks he will, so he seeks a place that smells most strongly of "Mum" and therefore comfort. Over time, this has just developed into a habit.

The vet treated for a UTI as a precaution, just in case there was something residual or recurring that didn't register at the time of the test. However, this didn't seem to help. When the cat is caught relieving himself in odd places, he shows no sign at all of being in any pain. He exhibits normal toilet behaviour apart from the strange locations. If caught soon enough, he can be picked up and placed in his litter which he will then use quite happily.

Both my friend and the vet are at a loss as to how they get the poor cat to understand that there really isn't a problem any more. He needs therapy!
 
Iguanagirl8662 said:
For the past 5 1/2 years I used clay litter. A couple months ago I switched to world's best clumping litter and that's less dusty then the clay.
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This may be the cause. You have 2 cats, but how many litter pans do you have? It is recommended that you have 1 more litter pan than you have cats. In case it has become an aversion issue, like bitsy's cat, getting at least one new litterpan of a different style/color and using the old type of litter (bitsy would use a brand new litter) in it may help. Also, stress-related issues with other pets in the house, especially other cats, often goes unnoticed by the owners as the signs can be extremely subtle. Try keeping the cat with the problem in a separate area with the new litterpan and with no contact with the other cat for awhile to see if the behavior goes away. Keep the vet visit to rule out any medical issues. Tell your Mom that inappropriate elimination issues are not done out of spite. There are underlying causes, either medical or behavioral such as stress or aversion.
 
Yes, cats will use other places outside of the litter box when they have a UTI. Many times people find their cat's UTI because it stops using the litter box. There are no signs or symptoms that jump out at us so many times a cat will suffer from a UTI for a prolonged period of time or it ends up clearing itself up without us knowing the cat had one.

Also if you have used the same litter for 5 1/2 years and have switched, even though you may like it better, your cat could find something he dislikes about it and therefore will go elsewhere. I have a cat like that, very picky, so I buy one brand and only that one brand and have no problems with him.
 
I can't add anything that hasn't been said. We were at the point with our cat Evie of having her put to sleep because she was pissing on the rugs and Apache's dog beds. (But not Riley's beds-- Riley always left her alone) We got the 2nd pup and now they wrestle together and leave her alone, the behavior has stopped.

But I wanted to tell you that there is a product called Stink Free Cat Urine Remover sold at Petsmart that works REALLY well to remove cat urine odor. Prior to using this product I had to throw out a couple shirts that she had peed on because normal pet deodorizer wasn't cutting it. The stuff works WELL.
 
Those are all great suggestions!

I also use the clumping type of litter - much less stinky, since the urine is removed with each scooping. BUT - if you have to use a new pan (different color and style as Susan suggested) with the OLD litter, and it actually works - great! After a while of the cat getting back on track with the old litter in a new pan, you can probably switch over to the new litter ever so slowly. Just start adding a little of the new stuff each time you scoop out the old. If the cat relapses into bad habits, go back to more of the old litter, and change even more slowly.

Another trick: I have found that if you want to keep a cat off furniture for any reason, it often works to put a fresh piece of aluminum foil on it. They really don't like the feel and the sound of walking on it. However, once the foil is really crinkled from use, it no longer has the same deterrent effect. Sometimes plastic garbage bags on the furniture will have the same effect, and will also protect important possessions.
 
Susan said:
This may be the cause. You have 2 cats, but how many litter pans do you have? It is recommended that you have 1 more litter pan than you have cats. In case it has become an aversion issue, like bitsy's cat, getting at least one new litterpan of a different style/color and using the old type of litter (bitsy would use a brand new litter) in it may help. Also, stress-related issues with other pets in the house, especially other cats, often goes unnoticed by the owners as the signs can be extremely subtle. Try keeping the cat with the problem in a separate area with the new litterpan and with no contact with the other cat for awhile to see if the behavior goes away. Keep the vet visit to rule out any medical issues. Tell your Mom that inappropriate elimination issues are not done out of spite. There are underlying causes, either medical or behavioral such as stress or aversion.
Click to expand...

There was only one litter box their entire lives but a couple of months ago I got one more to put down where she's been going so there's two. I've seen her go in there and use it but she is still going in other places.
 
kathylove said:
I also use the clumping type of litter - much less stinky, since the urine is removed with each scooping. BUT - if you have to use a new pan (different color and style as Susan suggested) with the OLD litter, and it actually works - great! After a while of the cat getting back on track with the old litter in a new pan, you can probably switch over to the new litter ever so slowly. Just start adding a little of the new stuff each time you scoop out the old. If the cat relapses into bad habits, go back to more of the old litter, and change even more slowly.

Another trick: I have found that if you want to keep a cat off furniture for any reason, it often works to put a fresh piece of aluminum foil on it. They really don't like the feel and the sound of walking on it. However, once the foil is really crinkled from use, it no longer has the same deterrent effect. Sometimes plastic garbage bags on the furniture will have the same effect, and will also protect important possessions.
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Thanks Kathy, we did try the trash bags and we tried putting boxes on the couch and she still managed to pee there. I'll have to try the tin foil.
 
You need to get the cleaner that was mentioned in an earlier post to clean where she messes. If she smells past messes she will continue to use that spot. Plain carpet shampoo will not work because it doesnt neutralize the urine.
 
josie said:
You need to get the cleaner that was mentioned in an earlier post to clean where she messes. If she smells past messes she will continue to use that spot. Plain carpet shampoo will not work because it doesnt neutralize the urine.
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We found that even normal pet cleaner (we have always used Nature's Miracle) did nothing for Evie's cat pee. Hence why we went with the super-strength stuff. It's pricey at $26 a gallon, but worth it!!

Some of my friends have had good success with Feliway. It's really expensive, but I was willing to try anything. It didn't change anything for us.
 
One of my cats will pee on any plastic bag left laying on the floor. Plastic would not work for me.

Iguanagirl8662 said:
Thanks Kathy, we did try the trash bags and we tried putting boxes on the couch and she still managed to pee there. I'll have to try the tin foil.
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I would pay the $26 too. It works better then anything else I have tried. I have used Nature's Miracle also and I wasn't happy with it.

Hypancistrus said:
We found that even normal pet cleaner (we have always used Nature's Miracle) did nothing for Evie's cat pee. Hence why we went with the super-strength stuff. It's pricey at $26 a gallon, but worth it!!

Some of my friends have had good success with Feliway. It's really expensive, but I was willing to try anything. It didn't change anything for us.
Click to expand...
 
A friend of mine's cat did this too. She had a urinary tract infection. The vet gave her antibiotics and the peeing on things stopped.

Sometimes cats do that for attention..

Have you gotten a new pet in that time frame? sometimes animals do the peeing and pooping thing when they are intimidated by another new pet.. they are trying to claim their territory back etc.

Sometimes even a new human in the house makes them do this... a new baby or a room mate moves in, etc.
 
So we went to the vet last week and the vet tried to get a urine sample but there wasn't enough in her to get a good sample. The also to an xray and saw nothing wrong. All and all she got a clean bill of health and the vet gave her an antibiotic shot just in cause.

Since the vet visit she hasn't peed on the couch but we have the cushions standing up so she can't get on them. She pooped on the floor last night but that was the only accident so far.

The vet recommended we try putting different types of litter boxes with different litters around the house. We have one upstairs with corn litter , one downstairs with clay litter and one in the bathroom with paper litter.

Hopefully she will continue to use them when we put the couch back together.
 
We love Feline Pine. There's no smell of urine, it's easy to keep clean and doesn't leave "kitty grit" all over from being on their feet. It comes in pellets or plain sawdust.
 
dionythicus said:
We love Feline Pine. There's no smell of urine, it's easy to keep clean and doesn't leave "kitty grit" all over from being on their feet. It comes in pellets or plain sawdust.
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I thought about trying that one too but I didn't know if it be ok since it was pine and pine/cedar isn't recommended to use for other animals.
 
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