Reader Jennifer has a cat-related question. I don’t have any advice for her, but I thought y’all might have some suggestions.
I’m a long time reader of your blog and I am hoping that you could post this so that I could get some advice from yourself and some of your cat loving readers. I have a 14 year old male fixed cat named Tigger. He’s been healthy all of his life until about the last year or so when he started having bowel movements outside the litter box. At first it was only once in awhile and I thought it was because he was constipated, they were very hard and dry. I started giving him canned and dry food and that seemed to solve the problem. I also had taken him to the vet who gave him a physical, there was nothing wrong with him. Also I tried the Feliway infuser, I don’t think it made any difference. Then it started up again last fall, again it was only once in awhile so I wasn’t too upset about it. Then shortly after Xmas it started to be everyday and then I saw him urinating outside of the litter box. I took him to a different vet who did bloodwork and a physical and again nothing wrong with him. She gave me some suggestions about litter box retraining, I will make a long story short and say that I have done everything she suggested and it has not seemed to work. I don’t want to go back to her because she is pushing me to buy their brand of expensive vet food which I cannot afford. At this point we have him confined to a small area with a baby gate across the doorway, it is our main floor bathroom and laundry area. His food is in the bathroom and litter box in the hallway. He will use the litter boxes when he is confined but not when he is free to roam the house. I don’t want him to live like this, it is hardly fair to him to be confined to such a small area but I can’t let him out to eliminate outside of his litter box. We have a 9 month old baby girl who just started crawling and I can’t take the chance that she is going to get into cat waste. I suppose having the baby is what is causing his stress and that is why he is eliminating outside of the box. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to put him down because of this. I’m hoping someone will have some suggestions for me. We are short on $$, I’m on maternity leave and my husband was off work for a few months. I can’t afford a lot of expensive vet bills. Any suggestions would be really appreciated. I’m afraid if we can’t solve his problem we are just going to have to leave him confined to the area he is in or put him down and no one wants that.
When I read Elayne‘s comment from yesterday, I snickered and then I giggled and then I snorted.
I had a dream last night about you. You were doing a sort of video-entry (what’s the name for those?) where you had mounted a camera to your shoulder so it was as if we were peering over your shoulder as you went about your daily tasks. You were cleaning in the kitchen and then you said how much you love having a septic system because it makes laundry so easy – you just drop the towels right down the sink (and here you.. just dropped the towels right down the sink) and the septic tank gets them nice and clean. Then you went into the bathroom to clean in there, and you said that for sinks with small drains, such as in the bathrooms, it was easier to flush whatever dirty clothes you had down the toilet, and you demonstrated this with a pair of socks and a pair of jeans.
You said that the septic tank had a sort of grid over the top of it, and the clothes got caught up on the grid, and the water and chemicals would wash over them from subsequent flushes/sink-drainings/etc. Then all you had to do was go out once a day, hoist the grid up, and let the clothes dry in the sunshine, and it was just the best thing ever. You said the only problem was when it was rainy and you had to haul the wet clothes into the house to dry, and I was yelling at my computer screen, “That’s the ONLY problem? The piss and shit and stuff that rushes over your clothes every time you flush a toilet, THAT doesn’t bother you in any way?!? Have you LOST YOUR MIND?” But it was the internet, you couldn’t hear me.
The worst part is, in the comments, people were saying what a fabulous idea that was and how they couldn’t believe they’d never thought of it, and several people said they were going to re-do their standard “city water” hookup and switch over to a septic tank system so they could do the same thing. Others said they’d also been doing it for years, and I resolved never to leave the house again lest I accidentally brush up against someone who washed their clothes this way.
You owe me several hours of sleep! (c:
Rereading my last sentence in the second paragraph, I’m LOLing:
On the internet, no one can hear you scream.
*snerk*
I don’t know why it made me laugh so much, except that it almost seems plausible that I could come up with something boneheaded like that, and then rave about how much easier it made my life while completely ignoring the down sides of my brilliant new idea.
Scenes from around Crooked Acres:
Cucumber plants are blooming! Now that we’ve had some dry weather, the garden’s starting to take off. We had our first oven-fried summer squash last night.
Nest-building in the garden shed. Ugh.
Evidence of mice in the garden shed. Nice of them to leave the pecan shells behind, isn’t it? (I wish I could shell a pecan half as well!)
Brandywine. These tomatoes can’t grow fast enough to suit me!
Cherry tomatoes. Can’t wait to have these on a salad!
This Robin was hanging out on the tomato cages; I caught her in mid-flight.
Corn!
I tell Fred that this little chicken (one of the batch we got from the hatchery – we don’t know what kind it is) reminds me of a road runner, it’s so tall and lean.
Check out the stinkeye I’m getting from the chick, second from the left. “We are trying to ROOST here, please leave us ALONE.”
Yes, wee baby chicken, please roost with your butt hanging over the food. I think your brothers and sisters don’t get enough chicken poop in their daily diet.
I don’t remember intentionally hatching a part-Polish egg, but it appears we must have. Check out the mohawk!
Someone’s ALWAYS crowing.
“Heya, Georgie, howyadoin? Mind if I hang out up here for a bit?”
“There appears to be a distinct lack of food up here.”
“Seeya!”
Dry weather and sunshine = dust bath!
Watching Fred on the tractor.
The many faces of George.
Phyllis: Always smiling.
Creed: Always looking for a cuddle.
Dwight: Always playing like a little wild thing.
Disapproving of you.
Previously
2008: I suggest that you expect entries to be incredibly light on content for the foreseeable future.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: I need to invest in shirts that are low in the back so I can show off my badass scar.
2003: I’m about to enter the PMS Zone
2002: What I’ve done since Thursday
2001: No entry.
2000: God help me, I’m going to go upstairs and strangle Spanky if he doesn’t stop that infernal fucking howling.
I had two kittens that did this. They would pee or poop right outside of the litter box, it would drive me nuts! The problem was that the kittens associated the litter box with pain. Apparently these little guys ( who aren’t so little, as I keep calling them kittens when they are like 5 months old ) Anyway, as I read online as to why they are doing this I found a great site that stated that the kitties went in the litter box, had some pain, then decided that the litter box was causing the pain and they decided to “go” elsewhere. They suggested that the kitties had some sort of parasite like worms. So we went to our local pet store and paid the 20.00 for the worm meds. Turns out, it worked. The kitties now go in the litter box just as they are supposed to. We now have no more “accidents” 🙂 So is it possible that your kitty has a problem with the litter box? Maybe kitty has a bladder infection or something??? Just my 2 cents.
George is such a handsome boy. He looks so nonchalant with a chicken perched on his back. I think the chicken world may be the only place where a pollack (sp?need slang dictonary) gets to be the cool dude. I can say that being 50% pollack myself. Great pics Robyn-Crooked Acres is a magical place in the springtime.
I didn’t have a dream about you so much as I had a dream inspired by you. Last week, I dreamed that I had a couple of cats — in real life, my own are dearly departed — and that people I knew kept moving or having other problems with their house, and would give me their cats to take care of, until I had ten. And in the dream, I could see each cat’s distinctive look and personality and I knew all their names and spent quality time with all of them.
Angelena – thanks for your 2 cents, I appreciate any responses to my problem. Nope my cat has been checked by 2 vets and had bloodwork done and there is nothing physically wrong with him. I got him a new litter box in addition to the old one, he uses both, so I don’t think it is a litter box issue exactly, I think it is some sort of anxiety/stress issue and he is showing it by eliminating outside of the box. The vet seems to thinks this as well and I did the retraining that she suggested about 3 times now and it is not working. Of course my cat is 14 years old so it could just be that maybe he is sinking into kitty dementia or just not able to control his bowels.
Jen-I know exactly what you are going through. My 14 year old cat Puss was doing the exact same thing.
At first I thought it was out of spite-he would come to me for attention when I was getting ready for work and if he didn’t get any, he would march into the room that had the litterbox and poop on the mat right outside it. Having 2 cats it was frustrating not to know at firsat who the culprit was, until one day I peeked into the area where the litterbox was and caught Puss peeing on the wall outside the box.
It was SO irritating, because there seemed no rhyme or reason for it. The vet said he was fine physically, but that it may be an emotional behaviour, and that it may take alot of attention and retraining to break.
It broke my heart that day after day he would do this, and it frustrated the hell out of me. After 6 months or so,I gave up-nothing I did was helping the problem.
I made the decision that at 14, Puss had had a very good life and that whatever was causing this behaviour was hurting us both, with no sign of a breakthrough in sight. I made the painful decision to have him put down, and the weekend before the appointment his bathroom actions moved out of the litterbox area and into the livingroom. It was as if he couldn’t help it, and it broke my heart.
It was a very sad day when I said goodbye to him-it was the first time I was ever there in the room when he passed, but afterwards there was a sense of peace.
My vet told me that animals are very intuitive and will sometimes act out in ways to distract you from the real problem. It was as if Puss was trying to get me mad and make the decision so that he could be at peace.
Sorry I can’t offer you any advice on how to help the situation. It hurt like hell to say goodbye, but I know he’s in a better place where he is happy and I’m no longer as tense and frustrated daily.
Jen -Is Tigger having any stiffness in his back or hip joints? Our 18 yr old started having some difficulties with the litter box specifically with solids. I thought perhaps he was having trouble negotiating the litter box because he had gotten a little stiff and could not turn around to get out of the litter box. He stopped using the covered box and when I caught him in the box that did not have a cover I noticed that he walked into the box and then backed out rather than turn around and walk out. It is hard to explain on ‘paper’. I don’t know what type of litter box you have but you might try getting one that is bigger and has lower sides so Tigger does not need to step up and over the side to get in. And it might help to make sure the box is not obstructed on the sides or end so that he can basically walk, drop and continue walking.
Wow. Are these gardens and animals all at your house? Would you like a 10 year old for the summer? She is a hard worker and it would save me money on camp..she’d have a blast!
Some of those photos appear to be unusually large. Like the wasp/nest? It looked like a lobster or a crayfish and I’m like, what on earth?! and also the pecan shells look like coconuts. hehe.
You have some of the prettiest chickens EVER! Never really thought of them being pretty before.
Hard poop and kitties…my parents are having that problem with one of their older persians. They are having to mix some kind of oily supplement in with the wet food to help her go. I assume any kind of fish oil or something would work.
I have an elderly cat – his name is Angel. He started peeing on the carpet when we introduced a new cat to our house. He was not pleased. It has taken a few months, but I make sure I give him lots of love all the time, and anytime I pet the “new” cat I can feel Angel staring at us – so I make sure I go pet him, and I give him a treat – that only he can have. Makes him feel special.
I would say your cat might be jealous of the new baby. imo
I’ve also heard that when they get old, they sometimes forget that they are supposed to do it in the box. I know Angel is getting senial. He’s about 17 years old. I feed him, and a minute later he forgets that I have fed him – the bowl can be one foot away, but I have to keep showing him the bowl.
Thanks everyone for their responses to my question. Leanne – Oh I wish he was just going beside the box, that I probably wouldn’t mind too much. The problem is that he was going all over the house, usually never in the same spot twice. Thank-you for sharing your story with me. I have the feeling that I am going to have to put him down and I guess I am looking for someone to say that it is okay. Elaine – no he doesn’t seem to have any trouble jumping in and out of his litter box, no signs of any stiffness or joint problems. See this is the thing, if there were some sort of physical problem it would be so much easier to deal with but as it is a mental problem it is difficult to figure out what is wrong. Donna – you are probably right in that it has something to do with the baby but he had started going outside of the box even before the baby arrived and it escalated when she was about 4 months old.
I looooooooove the second picture of George with the chicken on his back! He has a look on his face like, “Yeah yeah, I know… what’re ya gonna do, though?”
Your photos are always so beautiful… they almost make me want to go outside and get in touch with nature at my own house. Then I remember that nature and I do best when we stay far, far away from each other, heh.
Jen: I have utterly nothing to suggest, but good luck. I understand your frustration (been there!) and hope you find a solution.
Yes, what is that scary thing on the nest?
I know you guys have a lot of chickens but wow…when you see a bunch of them in the yard like that, that’s a lot of chickens!!
how the heck do you tell George and Gracie apart? Is one bigger than the other? They sure are purdy, love seeing pics of them on “duty”
What ever happened with the Copper Marans?
I just can’t fathom putting a cat down for that. Give him to a no kill shelter or something.
Donna, I’ve got a 14-yr old cat that does the same thing. I’m fighting the urge to euthanize, because I do think it’s a poor reason for euthanizing. But I think it would be worse for Katherine to go someplace new where she knows no one than to breathe her last in the arms of someone who gave her a good home for almost 15 years. It took her weeks to get over freaking out when our household moved six years ago, and all the usual suspects moved with her…I can’t imagine subjecting her to a new place and new people and (horrors!) other cats.
Jen, I understand your frustration, and the need to keep the place free of waste. Do you have a friend or family member who would be able and willing to take Tigger?
Jen, I understand this is very stressful. I have a 10 year-old cat that started spraying (due to stress – we’d moved) and we couldn’t get him to stop. We ended up giving him antiaxiety medications and they work for him like a dream. We had to try 3 different brands until we found the one that worked for him, but it is totally worth it! And they aren’t that expensive. The most expensive of the 3 that we tried was $10/month.
I would also second the other reader’s suggestion to lower the sides of the litterbox. Just because it doesn’t appear that he is having difficulty, doesn’t mean he isn’t feeling discomfort. Cats are hard to read that way.
I know you are at wit’s end. But do try every option before considering euthanizing him, if for no other reason than you don’t want to spend the rest of your life feeling guilt and second-guessing your decision by wondering if you’d really tried everything.
Good luck!
That Newt sure is a beautiful boy!
i think you need for chickens!!!
ooppssee – – – MORE CHICKENS!!!
Have you ever thought of making Tomato Jam with your tomatoes?
If Tigger has been given the all clear physically, I would suggest giving lots of cuddles and attention.
If he’s acting out due to jealousy maybe being made to feel he’s still loved and important will help.
Hi Jen. Believe me, I feel your pain. My Spike (13 yrs old) has been having litter box problems for quite awhile now. He is diabetic (insulin 2 x’s/day) & has arthritis in his one shoulder. We tried Prozac w/ no success. We have 5 litter boxes, 2 w/ ramps, that we keep very clean. We feed him & his siblings a better brand of food for their health. We try to keep his usual spots as clean as we can, although our carpet is basically ruined. Our next step is confinement in our garage when we can’t be w/ him. I was going to try putting a mat on his 2 usual spots, although he does go on other spots at times. Someone suggested to me that I try a pad that can be used for kids who wet the bed that will sound an alarm when wet, & then isolate him. This is assuming that he isn’t simply going senile. I cannot put a cat down for something like this, I would feel too guilty. I know this is rambling on, & I don’t know if there’s anything in here that can help, except to let you know that you’re not alone. Good luck with your problem.