Cat attempts to communicate, owner nonplussed.
September 24, 2011 9:16 AM   Subscribe

Why is my formerly well-behaved, quiet cat now peeing everywhere and vocal to the max?

My elderly cat, Selma, has always been exceptionally well-behaved and so quiet that we used to think she was a mute. Now, however, she's peeing in new spots all over the apartment so frequently that we can't let her out of our sight. And she won't. Stop. Talking.

She got diagnosed with Renal Disease last April and the vet said that "the prognosis [was] not good", but that we could try switching her food to a renal diet, give her daily Azodyl and sub-q fluids. The meowing started when we swapped out her generic cat food for the renal food and it was pretty clear that her problem was with the switch (I don't blame her; the renal stuff smells like hell). She was mainly vocal around meal times.

But this past week she's been meowing all the time and only stops for a nap. When I try to sleep, she follows me to bed so she can sit next to me and meow. This week has also marked the beginning of her urinating everywhere but her litter box. I cleaned the litter box and changed the litter, but it goes unused. Instead She's been peeing on shoes, pillows, our bed, bagsā€¦ never the same spot twice, so it doesn't seem like marking. She does it right in front of us and if I catch her in the act and pick her up to make a run for her litter box, she stops. This, along with her habit of wandering all over the apartment looking for a new spot to pee in before she goes, makes me think that it's probably not a bladder control issue.

Other details: She's 17, an indoor cat, spayed. No other cats. Also, she's not yowling and peeing. I've made an appointment with the vet, but in the meanwhile any thoughts and/or anecdotes would be welcome.

Thanks!
posted by poppyseed to Pets & Animals (12 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I'm not sure any of us can answer this question without pictures of the cat in question.

My cat is on a prescription diet which he doesn't like and when my mother watched him for a few weeks she gave him fancy feast. Its been a month and he pees on everything but his litter box and does the constant crying in the night thing plus bonus ankle biting. I think he's just really pissed off with me.

So if everything checks out with the vet maybe your cat is just mad at you? Cats can be really weird. You might also ask the vet if there are any other brands/flavours of the renal food as there might be one your cat prefers.
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 9:21 AM on September 24, 2011


If the change that caused this was the food, try giving her some of her old food. Since you have a vet appointment in a few days, this would be temporary until a medical solution is offered by the vet.

The other possibility is that she is in minor to moderate physical pain and this is the only way she can get your attention.
posted by DoubleLune at 9:21 AM on September 24, 2011


That's why my youngest did when she had a UTI. It was painful as hell, so she told me all about it, and cats will frequently try to find a new place to pee when peeing in the old one hurt.
posted by restless_nomad at 9:23 AM on September 24, 2011


Seconding UTI.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:25 AM on September 24, 2011


Oh my cat was checked by his vet and diagnosed as stubborn.
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 9:26 AM on September 24, 2011


I don't have a cat and I'm not a vet, but what you describe sounds just like a cat with UTI, so nthing that.
posted by Senza Volto at 9:27 AM on September 24, 2011


Like others, I had a cat who did this when she had a UTI. I've heard the avoidance of the litter box is due to association with pain during urination (what can I say, cat logic is not so good, but it's all they've got, poor things).

As soon as she had antibiotics and it cleared up, no more peeing outside the box.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:55 AM on September 24, 2011


I'm going with UTI or some other form of painful illness also. Cats who randomly start urinating outside of the litterbox are usually sick. Add in the constant vocalization and I'm pretty sure she's trying to tell you that she feels like crap. Take her to see the doc. Her disease is probably progressing. I'm sorry.
posted by dchrssyr at 9:57 AM on September 24, 2011


Well, first IMO your vet did your cat a disservice by not talking to you about the other options for helping cats with renal failure (blood pressure management, calcitriol, OFA supplements, famotidine, etc.). We have come a long way since the days when prescription diets and subcutaneous fluids were our only options (that was the case when my cat had renal failure a decade ago). Your vet is a long way behind the cutting edge and is not even really in the mainstream. So I would seek a second opinion from a vet who has a good renal management program for starters. Start your own research here.

It sounds like your cat has something going on, either a UTI or a worsening of the renal failure, whatever the cause, you need a vet's help, and I would strongly suggest you seek out a vet who has a more current understanding of the thinking in renal failure nowadays.
posted by biscotti at 10:01 AM on September 24, 2011 [5 favorites]


Yeah, this is either pain, irritation (physical or mental) or pissed-offed-ness. It's yes, likely not a bladder control issue; it's more likely that peeing sucks for her right now. At least I think we likely all agree that your cat is sending you a very strong HEY HEY HEY message right now.

My cat (RIP!) never spoke for years; when he began having medical issues and was consequently pissed off or in pain, he spoke up. It was useful, actually! He was letting me know when I had to help out. (It's just the translation from Cat to English that's hard to do.)

I would use this as an opportunity to explore your options in renal failure treatment.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 10:14 AM on September 24, 2011


I'm sorry, but the fact that she's 17 and in renal failure makes it pretty clear to me that she's hurting and is asking you to do something about it. My last sweet cat was 15 when she began the same type of behavior - the peeing all over the house except in the litter box went on for a week or two while I tried to figure out what on earth was going on, and then she began growling and meowing a lot. She didn't seem to settle and really relax when I held her and loved her, either - she stayed tense all the time. She began to lose weight quickly and the vet told me she was simply at the end of her life and I, crying my eyes out, had her put to sleep.

It's so unbearably difficult when we love our critters so much, and I hope you're sweet kitty can be fixed up and have some more good time, but please don't delay getting a vet to check her out. Her symptoms are certainly those of a UTI and that in itself needs quick attention.

I'll be thinking of you and wishing you both well.
posted by aryma at 9:08 PM on September 24, 2011


I came in to say something similar to aryma - my sweet boy was not quite 12 when he began doing this very thing and a fact-finding visit to the vet revealed an undiagnosed issue that had taken him to his very limit. He left us that day.

Your girl may well have another situation going on, but I think I would have been better off if I'd been prepared for that eventuality, so I'm sharing that with you.

Hopefully your vet can see her very soon.
posted by batmonkey at 9:33 PM on September 24, 2011


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