Fourteen year old cat with bed-wetting issues.
June 8, 2009 9:10 AM Subscribe
Fourteen-year old cat peeing on the bed. Help!
This is sort of long. My question deals with helping my 14-year old cat ... well, I'm not sure what's up with her. I think it's separation anxiety and, perhaps, a dose of anger with her (relatively) new 'brother' and with me. How do I re-acclimatize her to my absence? Do I need to re-introduce the boy cat?
The past six months have seen a world of change in my and my cats' lives. Sixteen years ago, I adopted Amber as a four-month old kitten; two years later, I adopted AJ as a seven-week old kitten (both are female). The two of them grew up together and were never separated from each other; the two seemed to have a mother/kitten relationship with Amber as the mother. They've lived with me through poverty, bad roommates, good roommates, undergrad school, law school, the Bar Exam... they're tough and resilient little kitties. After 14 years with AJ, I know her quirks.
In 2008, I worked 65+ hours/weeks. In December, I was laid off.
In January, knowing that Amber wasn't going to be around much longer and knowing that I had time to be around to help ease the introductions, I adopted a boy cat, Bug (at the time he was nine months old). The idea was that he and AJ would get comfortable with each other while Amber was around to act as a buffer (she was the calm, matronly type; AJ can tend towards being a whiny, spoiled brat). (More pics)
In April, Amber passed away (age combined with a tumor in her sinuses). Since then, AJ and Bug have been competing for the 'second cat' position (I'm the Top Cat, according to the vet). Obviously, I have favored AJ for the second cat position: she's older, knows the rules of the house and... well... she's a Diva. Bug has the advantage in their tussles: he's bigger, heavier and younger. So far, he hasn't hurt AJ in anyway; it seems that he just likes to make her scream by hugging her and holding her down. She's clawed his face a couple times but he keeps coming back, a fact that I can see leaves AJ a bit tense whenever he's in the room. (There are peaceful times with the two. Bug has been a good addition: he's inspired AJ to be much more playful.)
After Amber's passing, AJ became very clingy with me, a new behavior that I didn't really mind since I've been grieving Amber's loss (I've also had the emotional turmoil of (1) being unemployed and (2) being rejected for more than one job). She's always been touchy-feely (often she'd sleep in the space between my arms while I worked on the computer) and would demand attention by plucking at my clothing with just the tips of her claws but this new clinginess is a bit more than that. She sleeps with me on the bed and always moves to stay in contact with me, even if it's just a paw gripping my finger. When I'm on the computer, she'll either be right at my feet, in my lap or on the desk between/on my arms as I type. (Right now, she's under foot). If I leave a room, she goes with me. The only time she isn't right by my side is when I shower or cook.
As a side effect of my unemployment and resulting depression, I hadn't been leaving the house much in April and May, a habit that was exceptionally conducive to AJ's clinginess. In the past week/week and a half, though, I'm getting out much more... and there's the problem: every time I leave for more than four hours, AJ pees on my bed.
There have been two notable exceptions to this:
Roughly ten days ago, AJ peed in the bed while I was sleeping in it. (ugh!) I can't think of what caused this.
Last night, she peed on the jeans I had just taken off. I tossed the jeans on the bathroom floor, intending to wash them in the morning. While I started brushing my teeth, AJ very pointedly called attention to herself then stared at me and peed on the jeans. I had just returned from a 15-hour stint as a volunteer on a farm. She had also urinated on my bed while I was gone (a fact I discovered just before the jeans incident). (What did I do? My jaw dropped but I went back to brushing my teeth and didn't watch her - the jeans were already covered in dirt, what harm was a bit of urine? Still... her message came across loud and clear.)
Litterbox cleanliness isn't an issue here. Each time this inappropriate peeing has occurred, I've checked the litterboxes. One is a Littermaid and is always clean (AJ is a bit finicky about dirty boxes). The other is a 'traditional' box that rarely gets used anymore. Only once was there an issue with the litterbox: the Littermaid's litter level was a little low; clean, but low. The other box, though, was clean and the litter level was fine.
Health isn't an issue here: I've had AJ at the Doctor's office a couple of times since Amber's passing. He's checked her out and she's fine.
Getting rid of AJ isn't a possible solution.
In the past, I've used the Feliway diffuser. It didn't seem to help, but then I was using it to help with Bug's introduction to the household, not to stop inappropriate urination. Does anyone have any experience with Feliway helping in situations like this?
Beyond encasing my bed in plastic every time I leave the house, what can I do to get her to stop this behavior?
This is sort of long. My question deals with helping my 14-year old cat ... well, I'm not sure what's up with her. I think it's separation anxiety and, perhaps, a dose of anger with her (relatively) new 'brother' and with me. How do I re-acclimatize her to my absence? Do I need to re-introduce the boy cat?
The past six months have seen a world of change in my and my cats' lives. Sixteen years ago, I adopted Amber as a four-month old kitten; two years later, I adopted AJ as a seven-week old kitten (both are female). The two of them grew up together and were never separated from each other; the two seemed to have a mother/kitten relationship with Amber as the mother. They've lived with me through poverty, bad roommates, good roommates, undergrad school, law school, the Bar Exam... they're tough and resilient little kitties. After 14 years with AJ, I know her quirks.
In 2008, I worked 65+ hours/weeks. In December, I was laid off.
In January, knowing that Amber wasn't going to be around much longer and knowing that I had time to be around to help ease the introductions, I adopted a boy cat, Bug (at the time he was nine months old). The idea was that he and AJ would get comfortable with each other while Amber was around to act as a buffer (she was the calm, matronly type; AJ can tend towards being a whiny, spoiled brat). (More pics)
In April, Amber passed away (age combined with a tumor in her sinuses). Since then, AJ and Bug have been competing for the 'second cat' position (I'm the Top Cat, according to the vet). Obviously, I have favored AJ for the second cat position: she's older, knows the rules of the house and... well... she's a Diva. Bug has the advantage in their tussles: he's bigger, heavier and younger. So far, he hasn't hurt AJ in anyway; it seems that he just likes to make her scream by hugging her and holding her down. She's clawed his face a couple times but he keeps coming back, a fact that I can see leaves AJ a bit tense whenever he's in the room. (There are peaceful times with the two. Bug has been a good addition: he's inspired AJ to be much more playful.)
After Amber's passing, AJ became very clingy with me, a new behavior that I didn't really mind since I've been grieving Amber's loss (I've also had the emotional turmoil of (1) being unemployed and (2) being rejected for more than one job). She's always been touchy-feely (often she'd sleep in the space between my arms while I worked on the computer) and would demand attention by plucking at my clothing with just the tips of her claws but this new clinginess is a bit more than that. She sleeps with me on the bed and always moves to stay in contact with me, even if it's just a paw gripping my finger. When I'm on the computer, she'll either be right at my feet, in my lap or on the desk between/on my arms as I type. (Right now, she's under foot). If I leave a room, she goes with me. The only time she isn't right by my side is when I shower or cook.
As a side effect of my unemployment and resulting depression, I hadn't been leaving the house much in April and May, a habit that was exceptionally conducive to AJ's clinginess. In the past week/week and a half, though, I'm getting out much more... and there's the problem: every time I leave for more than four hours, AJ pees on my bed.
There have been two notable exceptions to this:
Roughly ten days ago, AJ peed in the bed while I was sleeping in it. (ugh!) I can't think of what caused this.
Last night, she peed on the jeans I had just taken off. I tossed the jeans on the bathroom floor, intending to wash them in the morning. While I started brushing my teeth, AJ very pointedly called attention to herself then stared at me and peed on the jeans. I had just returned from a 15-hour stint as a volunteer on a farm. She had also urinated on my bed while I was gone (a fact I discovered just before the jeans incident). (What did I do? My jaw dropped but I went back to brushing my teeth and didn't watch her - the jeans were already covered in dirt, what harm was a bit of urine? Still... her message came across loud and clear.)
Litterbox cleanliness isn't an issue here. Each time this inappropriate peeing has occurred, I've checked the litterboxes. One is a Littermaid and is always clean (AJ is a bit finicky about dirty boxes). The other is a 'traditional' box that rarely gets used anymore. Only once was there an issue with the litterbox: the Littermaid's litter level was a little low; clean, but low. The other box, though, was clean and the litter level was fine.
Health isn't an issue here: I've had AJ at the Doctor's office a couple of times since Amber's passing. He's checked her out and she's fine.
Getting rid of AJ isn't a possible solution.
In the past, I've used the Feliway diffuser. It didn't seem to help, but then I was using it to help with Bug's introduction to the household, not to stop inappropriate urination. Does anyone have any experience with Feliway helping in situations like this?
Beyond encasing my bed in plastic every time I leave the house, what can I do to get her to stop this behavior?
Best answer: Even though she's been to the vet fairly recently, I'd take her again and check for a urinary tract infection; my cat started behaving like this suddenly, and it was because of a UTI. They'll often avoid the litter box if they start to associate it with ouchy peeing.
posted by OolooKitty at 9:27 AM on June 8, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by OolooKitty at 9:27 AM on June 8, 2009 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Judging by the amount of waste in the Littermaid bin, she's not avoiding the litterbox at all. And when she peed on my jeans, she certainly wasn't in discomfort. I think she had a full bladder when she did that; the puddle was impressive.
I will, though, talk with her doctor again.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 9:40 AM on June 8, 2009
I will, though, talk with her doctor again.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 9:40 AM on June 8, 2009
Make 100% sure the vet did tests for diabetes, and did he take a urine sample? I assume so but you said he "checked her out" and that could mean something different.
posted by tristeza at 9:44 AM on June 8, 2009
posted by tristeza at 9:44 AM on June 8, 2009
I'll confirm that cats do this when they are really upset. When I got a divorce, my ex kept our cat. The cat would urinate on the very spot I usually sat on the sofa, every day (good kitty!). He did not have a urinary infection. He was just upset that I wasn't there.
posted by Houstonian at 9:45 AM on June 8, 2009
posted by Houstonian at 9:45 AM on June 8, 2009
Best answer: (My cat was peeing on stuff right in front of my face, calm as could be, so I assumed he was just being a dick. Turns out it was a really bad case of urinary crystals that almost certainly was very, very painful - I'm just saying the seemingly placid peeing might actually hurt like hell.)
posted by tristeza at 9:51 AM on June 8, 2009
posted by tristeza at 9:51 AM on June 8, 2009
Best answer: Ten years ago my seventeen-year-old cat started doing this. She also hopped up on the bed and just started peeing, as calmly as if she was in the litterbox. The vet told me she had a kidney tumor and that she would probably live another couple of weeks. She lasted for five. So please do get AJ checked out.
posted by vickyverky at 10:08 AM on June 8, 2009
posted by vickyverky at 10:08 AM on June 8, 2009
Response by poster: I always thought that "crystals" in the urine, etc., would lead to some sort of outward show of discomfort (crying while peeing, etc.).
I just talked to her doctor; he agrees that it's probably a behavioral thing but wants to test her blood and urine again to be safe. She has an appointment for tomorrow.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 10:27 AM on June 8, 2009
I just talked to her doctor; he agrees that it's probably a behavioral thing but wants to test her blood and urine again to be safe. She has an appointment for tomorrow.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 10:27 AM on June 8, 2009
Another suggestion is to get some Bach "Rescue Remedy" which seems to help calm pet anxiety. It's safe for human and animal uses and is very gentle. Just a drop or two in their water (it's flower essences) and that might bring about a change. I've used it on my cats with success when things have gotten tense in my house.
(Sending you a hug. I love my cat babies as much as you do.)
posted by Mysticalchick at 10:47 AM on June 8, 2009
(Sending you a hug. I love my cat babies as much as you do.)
posted by Mysticalchick at 10:47 AM on June 8, 2009
One of our cats was urinating on our bed almost daily (just ours, never on either kid's bed). The vet put her on Amitriptyline which worked pretty well but which made her very lethargic and changed her personality for the worse, causing us to discontinue the medication after a while. The pet behaviorist we consulted theorized that she was acting that way because she was happiest and most comfortable on the bed while the litter box had neutral to somewhat negative connotations for her. The behaviorist's suggestion was to increase her positive litter box associations by luring her into the litter box with a bit of cheese or favorite treat and feed her the treat while she was standing in the litter box. We did that frequently over the course of a week or two (almost retraining her to use the box) and never had a problem afterward.
posted by Cats' Concert at 10:57 AM on June 8, 2009
posted by Cats' Concert at 10:57 AM on June 8, 2009
Response by poster: AJ isn't having any issues using the litterbox. She's used it while I've been in the room; she's used it while I haven't been in the room. Really, the level of waste in the litterbox bin is far too much for just one cat to produce. The bed-wetting has not happened every day; this 'deviant' peeing has happened only when I've left the apartment for more than four hours (other than the two exceptions noted in my original post). In other words, I can leave for two hours (the length of time a typical grocery shopping trip takes) and everything's fine. But leaving for more than that results in catastrophe, bed-wise.
Her doctor thinks this is just a call for attention but we're doing the blood and urine test tomorrow to rule out any health issues.
I'd appreciate responses that assume this isn't a physical/urinary health issue. MysticalChick, Gortuk, I'll research both of those and consider them, thanks!
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 11:13 AM on June 8, 2009
Her doctor thinks this is just a call for attention but we're doing the blood and urine test tomorrow to rule out any health issues.
I'd appreciate responses that assume this isn't a physical/urinary health issue. MysticalChick, Gortuk, I'll research both of those and consider them, thanks!
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 11:13 AM on June 8, 2009
Probably a dumb question, but I assume AJ is fixed; I've had experience with a cat that peed on the bed, and turned out to be pregnant. I just wanted to rule out that explanation.
My other experience of cat bed-wetting was that the cat just seemed to be trying to mark a safe territory for itself and you. I had introduced a new cat into our cat-mix, and a couple months into it my oldest cat peed in our bed a couple of times.
I'm guessing that AJ has trouble asserting her dominance over Bug, and relied on Amber to do it. Bug is probably still considered an outsider to AJ. So she might think she's doing you a favor by peeing in your bed, thereby asserting some sort of boundaries and dominance in order to warn Bug off, and out of Your (AJ's and your, not Bug's) space.
So, my second question about AJ and Bug is, do they groom each other? Do they snuggle together? Do they sleep on the same furniture, even if not together?
posted by jabberjaw at 11:25 AM on June 8, 2009
My other experience of cat bed-wetting was that the cat just seemed to be trying to mark a safe territory for itself and you. I had introduced a new cat into our cat-mix, and a couple months into it my oldest cat peed in our bed a couple of times.
I'm guessing that AJ has trouble asserting her dominance over Bug, and relied on Amber to do it. Bug is probably still considered an outsider to AJ. So she might think she's doing you a favor by peeing in your bed, thereby asserting some sort of boundaries and dominance in order to warn Bug off, and out of Your (AJ's and your, not Bug's) space.
So, my second question about AJ and Bug is, do they groom each other? Do they snuggle together? Do they sleep on the same furniture, even if not together?
posted by jabberjaw at 11:25 AM on June 8, 2009
Response by poster: Jabberjaw,
AJ is fixed; she's not preggers! lol
Bug and AJ do not groom each other or snuggle (they have gotten close, so very close, to doing so but it hasn't happened yet). They will sleep on the bed 'together' if I'm there as well; AJ gets the head/pillow space next to me, Bug gets the bottom of the bed.
Your assessment of the dominance/outsider issues is probably dead on. I'll have to rethink how I've been reacting to their dominance struggle.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 11:45 AM on June 8, 2009
AJ is fixed; she's not preggers! lol
Bug and AJ do not groom each other or snuggle (they have gotten close, so very close, to doing so but it hasn't happened yet). They will sleep on the bed 'together' if I'm there as well; AJ gets the head/pillow space next to me, Bug gets the bottom of the bed.
Your assessment of the dominance/outsider issues is probably dead on. I'll have to rethink how I've been reacting to their dominance struggle.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 11:45 AM on June 8, 2009
Response by poster: Wow. This past month has been tough.
After I posted this question, I took AJ to the doctor for a re-do on her bloodwork: it came back *perfectly* normal. No elevated white blood cell count, no signs of any issues. The doctor tried to get urine from her, but she had peed in the crate on the way to his office, so that didn't happen.
She continued peeing on my bed despite my having taken steps to ease the stress in the house (read: Bug and his desire to be Top Cat). Out of frustration, I took her back to have her urine tested for crystals. Again, she peed in the crate, so she ended up staying with the doctor for three days. Finally, on the last day with him, she peed. There was nothing in her urine. Again, according to the numbers, she was perfectly healthy.
Except one thing: since she hadn't made water in two days, the Doctor x-rayed her on the last day he had her and discovered that one of her kidneys was enlarged (twice the normal size). Since her blood and urine tests were normal, he couldn't explain it. We made arrangements to have an ultrasound done, but the ultrasound company (a tech/doctor who travels from location to location with the machine) was booked for several weeks. After this visit to the vet, she stopped her random, inappropriately-located urination.
During all this, I kept thinking that this was behavioral and that I was just tossing money at a non-existent medical issue. But I kept up on the medical issue because the answers I marked above made me realize that I'd forever regret ignoring her behavior/trying to rectify only her behavior if it really was a medical issue.
Last week, AJ started looking sick. She lost more weight; her coat roughened up; she was obviously dehydrated and her breath smelled like death. The clincher was that she refused to eat anything - including chicken! She got to the point that she'd sit in front of her water glass and stare into it but wouldn't drink. On Saturday, I took her to an emergency clinic that gave her sub-cute fluids. Sunday, she cried nearly all day. I was convinced she was dying. Monday, I was at the doctor's office with her, beating on his door till he let us in.
Amazingly, the ultrasound company had a cancellation and the Doctor was able to get an ultrasound that day! She was suffering from massive kidney stones that were blocking the tube from her kidneys to her bladder. This backup caused her to have renal failure symptoms (because, duh, she *was* in renal failure, just not from the usual cause). The Doctor treated her with fluids and pain meds and kept her from Monday till Friday (today). This morning, the ultrasound company generously re-did the ultrasound free of charge (!) and found that the stones are gone. She might still have some kidney damage, but we'll watch for that over the next month. For now, she's home again.
This long follow-up note is two-fold: one, to hopefully warn any other cat (or dog) owners out there that sometimes it really is a physical issue not a behavioral issue; and two, to thank those who answered as they did above. Without those warnings (even though I dismissed them at first), I wouldn't have followed up on her testing and the doctor and I would have been surprised by her "sudden" renal failure.
If there are any MeFis with pets in the Newark/Oranges area of Jersey, MeMail me and I'll tell you about this doctor! He's amazing! On Monday, when I was sure AJ was dying and when she was wailing and fighting the doctor's assistants, AJ completely settled down once the Doctor came into the room. She'd spent three days with him previously and she obviously knew that, with him around, she'd be okay. Plus, all of this: the three day hospitalization and this week's hospitalization plus ultrasound, treatments and medications, came to just about $600.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 2:06 PM on July 17, 2009
After I posted this question, I took AJ to the doctor for a re-do on her bloodwork: it came back *perfectly* normal. No elevated white blood cell count, no signs of any issues. The doctor tried to get urine from her, but she had peed in the crate on the way to his office, so that didn't happen.
She continued peeing on my bed despite my having taken steps to ease the stress in the house (read: Bug and his desire to be Top Cat). Out of frustration, I took her back to have her urine tested for crystals. Again, she peed in the crate, so she ended up staying with the doctor for three days. Finally, on the last day with him, she peed. There was nothing in her urine. Again, according to the numbers, she was perfectly healthy.
Except one thing: since she hadn't made water in two days, the Doctor x-rayed her on the last day he had her and discovered that one of her kidneys was enlarged (twice the normal size). Since her blood and urine tests were normal, he couldn't explain it. We made arrangements to have an ultrasound done, but the ultrasound company (a tech/doctor who travels from location to location with the machine) was booked for several weeks. After this visit to the vet, she stopped her random, inappropriately-located urination.
During all this, I kept thinking that this was behavioral and that I was just tossing money at a non-existent medical issue. But I kept up on the medical issue because the answers I marked above made me realize that I'd forever regret ignoring her behavior/trying to rectify only her behavior if it really was a medical issue.
Last week, AJ started looking sick. She lost more weight; her coat roughened up; she was obviously dehydrated and her breath smelled like death. The clincher was that she refused to eat anything - including chicken! She got to the point that she'd sit in front of her water glass and stare into it but wouldn't drink. On Saturday, I took her to an emergency clinic that gave her sub-cute fluids. Sunday, she cried nearly all day. I was convinced she was dying. Monday, I was at the doctor's office with her, beating on his door till he let us in.
Amazingly, the ultrasound company had a cancellation and the Doctor was able to get an ultrasound that day! She was suffering from massive kidney stones that were blocking the tube from her kidneys to her bladder. This backup caused her to have renal failure symptoms (because, duh, she *was* in renal failure, just not from the usual cause). The Doctor treated her with fluids and pain meds and kept her from Monday till Friday (today). This morning, the ultrasound company generously re-did the ultrasound free of charge (!) and found that the stones are gone. She might still have some kidney damage, but we'll watch for that over the next month. For now, she's home again.
This long follow-up note is two-fold: one, to hopefully warn any other cat (or dog) owners out there that sometimes it really is a physical issue not a behavioral issue; and two, to thank those who answered as they did above. Without those warnings (even though I dismissed them at first), I wouldn't have followed up on her testing and the doctor and I would have been surprised by her "sudden" renal failure.
If there are any MeFis with pets in the Newark/Oranges area of Jersey, MeMail me and I'll tell you about this doctor! He's amazing! On Monday, when I was sure AJ was dying and when she was wailing and fighting the doctor's assistants, AJ completely settled down once the Doctor came into the room. She'd spent three days with him previously and she obviously knew that, with him around, she'd be okay. Plus, all of this: the three day hospitalization and this week's hospitalization plus ultrasound, treatments and medications, came to just about $600.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 2:06 PM on July 17, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Gortuk at 9:23 AM on June 8, 2009