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cat conundrum...

shed'n my skin said:
Please try to get a vet visit lined up for your kitty if you can!
Click to expand...
Absolutely; if you feel that you can, ask for medical care for the cat as your birthday of early Xmas/holiday present (maybe if you play the role of a martyr, your parents will get the idea of how important this cat is to you!).

Now, the garage will work fine over the summer...but what about the fall/winter?
 
Will the garage work fine over the summer? I can get mighty hot in there.
Honestly, the garage isn't the solution.
The solution is getting to the vet, finding out why she is urinating in the house, and getting rid of the fleas. Testing specifically for kidney values and having a urinanalysis isn't going to cost a lot if you find the right clinic.
If you lived in a house for 12 years would you want to be shoved out in the garage?
I'm sorry if I'm sounding bad again, but this is just another way for your parents to put the problem out of sight. It's good her life is being spared, but is it really a good quality of life that she will live out?
 
Great job on getting your parents to at least THINK about their decision. I am glad SOMEBODY in your family is acting like a responsible adult (YOU!).

I am of mixed feelings about the garage / outdoor life. At least it is a reprieve so you can think about solutions. The idea of asking for vet care for gifts is brilliant! Maybe if she can get to the vet soon, the urinary problem can be solved. Can you bring her into your room (once the fleas are gone), at least when you are there to supervise? Will they at least provide Advantage or Frontline for the fleas?

I think a garage would be pretty cold in Iowa in the winter. If nothing else, maybe you could put a little doghouse in the garage and heat it with a pig warmer mat or some other heat.

It isn't a great solution, but at least you have time to think. I am really glad you brought this to the forum. No matter what happens, at least you will have the satisfaction of knowing you have put forth some effort to find an honorable solution.
 
well...she is currently living in the garage and seems to be doing quite well. she seems to be very comfortable in there. The parents haven't really talked about what to do with her yet, but i think I've convinced them that getting rid of her isn't an option. Now i just have to convince them to let her back into the house. so right now I'm trying to get rid of the fleas and once she's out of the cat food she has now I'm going to look for some senior food. thank you all for the advice so far, i wouldn't mind some more :)
 
Thanks for the update!

I was also wondering what happened. Glad you were able to get them to do the right thing - at least, for now. In future years, you will probably look back on this incident as a time of growth and maturity in your young life, no matter what the eventual outcome. You have learned to really fight for something that you know is the right thing to do, against strong odds.

I have a couple of extra applications of cat Frontline I will mail you - email me your mailing address (but don't post your address here for all the world to see, lol!). You just put the liquid on the neck, between the shoulder blades, where the cat can't lick it off. Do it once per month. See if you can get some Precor (sp?) from a feed store or place where they sell pesticides. It is a growth regulator for fleas - the babies can't turn into adults if you spray the area where they live. I used it in carpeting before and it worked for months. It won't kill adults - the Frontline will do that. If the cat (and the living area) don't get exposed to new fleas from the cat going outside or other animals coming in, then the fleas will eventually die off. But you have to earn some money for another round of Advantage or Frontline (not the cheap grocery store imitations though!) in 2 months. After that, the fleas should be gone.

At least that should help you get started on solving your cat's problems.

Good luck!
 
Please do not let the cat become and outdoor cat. First, because it has been an indoor cat and will be at additional risk for all the normal things that kill outdoor cats (cars, wild animals, disease, mean people, etc.) and second, because outdoor and feral cats are one of the most harmful animals out there for native wildlife.

Many (if not most) instances of inappropriate urination in cats are due to medical issues, some of which can be life threatening (urinary blockages, diabetes, and renal failure are examples) and pretty much all of which are treatable. Ask your parents if either of them has ever had a urinary tract infection or kidney stones. They are very painful ailments and are painful for cats too. Except that cats cannot reason out the cause of the pain, so they associate it with the litterbox and start avoiding the box to get away from the pain.

Please keep pushing for a vet visit with a urinalysis (they are not very expensive), if your cat is sick it is acting out of pain, not to spite you.

For puking, if you have reason to believe it is hairball related (hair in the GI tract can make them puke, even on days they don't puke up a hairball) I'd suggest either a standard hairball paste like Petromalt or these which I've personally had very good luck with. Getting the cat on a better food can also reduce hairballs tremendously. My little calico used to cough up a hairball EVERY day until I put her on Innova EVO. Now it's less than 2 a month, even though I do not brush her. If I use the hairball treats it's even rarer.

In addition to the stuff suggested above for fleas you can get a pill called Capstar from the vet which will kill all the fleas currently on her in 24 hours. After that you maintain the flea free state with one of the monthly treatments. Under no circumstances should you use the once a month flea stuff from the grocery store (Hartz and the like). Not only do they NOT work, but they can kill your cat or make it very sick.
 
My two cats also throw up hairballs fairly often. Or at least they used to, until I started adding coconut oil (just a teaspoon or two per day for 2 cats) in their food each day. Their coats are also much softer and nicer now. I use a hairball control food, and tried the hairball remedy (which they really hate), but the oil works better, although they are not 100% free of hairballs. But it really isn't a big deal - I just clean it up with a paper towel. Don't allow her on the furniture or carpet (except in your room, where you can catch her when you hear her starting, and then put her on some newspaper you keep handy).

It is all very doable.
 
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