12yo cat with litter box issues

589 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by chefpaige1, Aug 21, 2006

MCatLvrMom2A&X

Discussion Starter · Aug 13, 2006

I have a 12yo cat she has never been one to be to be good about using the box. She always pees in there but more times than not will poo in the floor on my carpet in the living room were ever she happens to take the notion. She is very sensitive to different litter so I make sure to never change the brand. Last time I did try that boy was that no fun

:

Is there any way that I can stop this or is it something I am just gonna have to continue living with for the rest of her life? I even went so far as to order a book called cats on the couch a cat phycologist book. It did help to limit her to one room with no carpet but I hate doing this to her. Any thoughts/suggestion would be most welcome.

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QueenOfThePride

· #2 · Aug 13, 2006

Some cats prefer to have one box to pee in and one box to poop in. Have you tried adding another box?

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MCatLvrMom2A&X

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 14, 2006

I forgot to mention she has 2 boxes and they are spaced across the room from each other. It seemed to help at first but then it changed. I had 4 boxes at 1 point when I had 2 cats maybe I should try that again with just her.

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lincolnsmom

· #4 · Aug 17, 2006

We are having a similar prob with our 13yo male cat. Pooping and peeing all over the basement, and now on the main floor, too. If you figure out a solution, please post it!

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jlutgendorf

· #5 · Aug 19, 2006

First, make sure they're checked out by a vet for UTI or worms. Both cause improper elimination and both can lead to serious health issues if not addressed promptly.

Are the cats declawed? Declawed cats can develop arthritis later in live due to the surgery. This makes it very painful for them to use the litterbox (scooping to cover their waste). They associate the litterbox with pain, and thus starting pooping and peeing elsewhere.

You can also talk to your vet about "kitty prozac". Some elimnation can be caused by anxiety, brought about by a stressful situation. A short period of time on the medication and retraining them to use the litterbox can help with problems.

I have some other resources for innappropriate elimination. I'll post them after work.

~Julia

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lincolnsmom

· #6 · Aug 19, 2006

thanks, julia ... mine's not declawed, but how would I identify senility in a cat? Anyone know? My guy's elderly, for sure, so it'd be a possibility ...
thanks again,

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aparent

· #7 · Aug 19, 2006

You might try a litter buffet putting several litter boxes around the house with different litters and box types in different locations. Older cats may not like boxes with tall sides. Different depths of litter is another issue with kitties. Litter boxes should be one and a half times as long as the cat. Also, after a long time a plastic litter box will smell like urine no matter what you clean it with - time for a new box. Some things to try.

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jlutgendorf

· #8 · Aug 20, 2006

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9563

Here's a big long thread about litter box issues. It takes some wading through, but there are dozens of ideas to try.

As for senility, I don't know that there's any test per se, but I do think it's possible. You would probably be the best judge of senility in your cat, though having your vet check him out wouldn't be a bad thing, as other issues could be present.

My parent's 16 yo cat def has her "senior moments". She gets lost in the hallway, is sudenly tolerating the dog (after 8+ years of hating him) and she'll pee innappropriately. We figure she does it because she can't find the litterbox in time.

For her, they keep her confined to the room with her litterbox at night. During the day, if they're home, she get's plopped in the litterbox several times a day and her access is restricted to certain rooms when they're gone. (like the bathroom as she loves to pee on the bathmat, or the laundry room as she also loves to pee on piles of clothes).

One last thing to remember, whenever you find oops spots, whether poo or urine, they need to be cleaned with an enzymatic cleaner (Nature's Miracle, Nok Out, Simple Solution) or else they're still going to smell (to the animal) and they'll keep revisiting the spot.

~Julia

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chefpaige1

· #9 · Aug 21, 2006

I haven't found the Nature's Miracle type stuff to work at all on cat pee. Chem Dry had stuff that they guaranteed, but it also didn't work. Anyone find a solution other than ripping out the carpet?

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