At wits' end w/r/t peeing cat
May 2, 2017 2:11 PM Subscribe
My cat is peeing in the corner of the living room. This is an on and off pattern that's been going on for more than a year. I've managed to get it to stop several times, but it seems like each time he stops for a shorter period of time. I feel like I'm doing all the stuff I'm supposed to. Help!
We've got two cats. About three years ago, we moved somewhere far away which necessitated putting them in the hold of a plane to get them there (legally, it was the only way to bring them). I expect that was a somewhat traumatic event. At some unidentified amount of time after getting here, one of them decided to start peeing around the house (i.e. not in the box). The other one is totally fine. After trying various things, getting another litter box seems to have fixed the problem (I recognize we probably should have had more than one the whole time, but we've had them for ~10 years and this has never been a problem). It fixed the problem for maybe 8 months, then he started doing it again. So I got another litter box, and a feliway plugin, and I clean all the boxes every day. But just this week, he started doing it again!
He shows no signs of stress or ill health. He's generally very friendly and affectionate.
When I've caught him at it (rarely), he's not spraying, he's squatting down.
When I've caught him at it, he tends to run away very quickly.
He only seems to do this when we are home. (i.e. never while gone)
I have 3 litter boxes, which I clean every day.
I got one of those feliway plugins (mostly on the recommendation of other AskMes).
I have cleaned the ever-living shit out the spot he seems to prefer using enzyme cleaner.
What the hell is going on here? I feel like I'm losing my mind. What do I do?
We've got two cats. About three years ago, we moved somewhere far away which necessitated putting them in the hold of a plane to get them there (legally, it was the only way to bring them). I expect that was a somewhat traumatic event. At some unidentified amount of time after getting here, one of them decided to start peeing around the house (i.e. not in the box). The other one is totally fine. After trying various things, getting another litter box seems to have fixed the problem (I recognize we probably should have had more than one the whole time, but we've had them for ~10 years and this has never been a problem). It fixed the problem for maybe 8 months, then he started doing it again. So I got another litter box, and a feliway plugin, and I clean all the boxes every day. But just this week, he started doing it again!
He shows no signs of stress or ill health. He's generally very friendly and affectionate.
When I've caught him at it (rarely), he's not spraying, he's squatting down.
When I've caught him at it, he tends to run away very quickly.
He only seems to do this when we are home. (i.e. never while gone)
I have 3 litter boxes, which I clean every day.
I got one of those feliway plugins (mostly on the recommendation of other AskMes).
I have cleaned the ever-living shit out the spot he seems to prefer using enzyme cleaner.
What the hell is going on here? I feel like I'm losing my mind. What do I do?
Can you get a SSSScccccat motion activated Spraying thing? You just put it near the spot that the cat is peeing in and every time the cat goes near the area, the SSCat will hiss air which should send your cat running.
I saw Jackson Galaxy do this once with a cat who was peeing all around a couch and they set up 4 separate Sscat things and the cat stopped peeing there immediately.
It sounds like you are doing everything else right so I wish you luck!
posted by JenThePro at 2:16 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
I saw Jackson Galaxy do this once with a cat who was peeing all around a couch and they set up 4 separate Sscat things and the cat stopped peeing there immediately.
It sounds like you are doing everything else right so I wish you luck!
posted by JenThePro at 2:16 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
When my cat was doing this, we took him to the vet to rule out a bladder infection. He was cleared for that. The vet told us to lock him in the bathroom with his litter box (and food lol) for a month. We did that, if your bathroom is big enough, you should try the same thing. At the end of the month we let him back into the rest of the house, with the spot in the mud room where he was peeing covered with a heavy box, and he seems to have forgotten about it. We cleaned the "ever living shit" (hah) out of the spot in the mud room, but it did break up his routine of peeing there.
TLDR: I've been there, felt your pain, this too shall pass, but he must forget his habits and make new ones in the meantime. Good luck!
posted by timpanogos at 2:17 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
TLDR: I've been there, felt your pain, this too shall pass, but he must forget his habits and make new ones in the meantime. Good luck!
posted by timpanogos at 2:17 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think you've done much of what you can do, and a trip to the vet is in order. My cat has Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). He had a urinary blockage and surgery. In the year post-surgery, he would still get urinary tract infections. Now, he eats a special diet and has a pet fountain to ensure that he doesn't get crystals in his urine. When he was sick, he would pee outside the box, and usually that was my only clue that something was wrong with him.
Here's the thing: cats don't understand cause and effect the way we do. When they have pain during urination, they can be afraid of their litter box and seek out someplace soft and familiar to pee. Most cats don't want to go outside their box, but sometimes they have a bad experience in there that makes them reluctant to go back in.
Do you have an open box? My cat much prefers an open box to a hooded one, even though it's much messier with litter tracking.
posted by gladly at 2:20 PM on May 2, 2017 [12 favorites]
Here's the thing: cats don't understand cause and effect the way we do. When they have pain during urination, they can be afraid of their litter box and seek out someplace soft and familiar to pee. Most cats don't want to go outside their box, but sometimes they have a bad experience in there that makes them reluctant to go back in.
Do you have an open box? My cat much prefers an open box to a hooded one, even though it's much messier with litter tracking.
posted by gladly at 2:20 PM on May 2, 2017 [12 favorites]
When I was growing up we had a cat we found outside, who probably belonged to someone at some point because she was spayed and her ear was not clipped. She was a great cat, just a wonderful personality. Only problem was this cat wouldn't poop in the box. She would poop next to it, regardless where one put the box itself. Nothing worked. Not a second litter box, not cleaning said boxes, not moving them, etc. When she got really old she started peeing next to it as well. My mother, who adored that cat, was nonetheless not one to tolerate a cat peeing on her nice upstairs carpets and rugs. She finally dealt with it by banishing the cat to the basement at night. This taught the cat that this was where her box was and that that was where she was to do her business, and she always did it there from then on out, even when free to roam the house during the day. The basement had a concrete floor, so the cat could pee and poop at leisure without damaging anything and right next to the box as she preferred. It was a mess to clean up, but much easier than having to deal with it or smell it upstairs. This solution worked fine for both the cat and my mother right up until the cat crossed the rainbow bridge at the end of a very long life. She just had a problem with the litter box. We never did figure out why. The important thing was that there was a solution we could all live with.
posted by Crystal Fox at 2:32 PM on May 2, 2017
posted by Crystal Fox at 2:32 PM on May 2, 2017
Try putting a litter box in that spot and slowly moving it to the approved place over 2 weeks or so. When our younger cat gets upset and starts peeing elsewhere, we rule out bladder issues with a visit to the vet first, then do the slowly-moving-box trick.
You can also try putting a bowl of water or food there--cats don't like to eliminate in the same spot they eat.
posted by telophase at 3:07 PM on May 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
You can also try putting a bowl of water or food there--cats don't like to eliminate in the same spot they eat.
posted by telophase at 3:07 PM on May 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
It sounds like he might be almost a senior cat-- definitely take him to the vet.
posted by kapers at 3:08 PM on May 2, 2017
posted by kapers at 3:08 PM on May 2, 2017
I feel your pain. Our older kitty used to pee on the bathroom floor in the same damn spot for years. We used to put pee pads down because at least that was easier to clean up than a big puddle of piss. BUT! Then our friend told us about the miracle that is "Cat Attract" cat litter. We switched to that brand about two years ago and she IMMEDIATELY stopped peeing on the floor and started using the litter box again.
posted by GoldenEel at 3:09 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by GoldenEel at 3:09 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
I would really check in with the vet if you haven't, in addition to all the great answers about Cat Attract and litter box finessing. This can be a UTI, or a symptom of new and uncontrolled diabetes (it was in my 12 year-old cat, who otherwise did not show signs of bad health) or a host of other things.
posted by charmedimsure at 3:50 PM on May 2, 2017
posted by charmedimsure at 3:50 PM on May 2, 2017
What Gladly said. My dearly departed senior cat had crystals, but did not have symptoms of blockage or UTIs. He would pee outside of the box in places he felt safe and warm to try and stop the pain. The key was really getting lots of fluids in him and using wet food. I'd have a vet check it out.
posted by frumiousb at 3:54 PM on May 2, 2017
posted by frumiousb at 3:54 PM on May 2, 2017
My (neutered male) cat had a similar problem. Turned out to be crystals in the urine. Changed his food to a type appropriate for that and it never happened again. He never showed any signs of ill health except for the peeing. I thought he was just being an asshole.
posted by AFABulous at 4:19 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by AFABulous at 4:19 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
clarification - go to the vet to make sure it actually is crystals. Don't just change up the food.
posted by AFABulous at 4:20 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by AFABulous at 4:20 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also be proactive. If you are not going to be able to stop him from peeing in that corner of the living room what can you do to make sure he only pees in that corner of the living room and nowhere else random in the house and it does not wreck the floor? You will save yourself very much stress if you do this. You might, for example find that a rubber backed indoor-outdoor mat fits in the corner and does not let the cat pee go through onto the floor, and that the mat can be taken outdoors and washed with the hose and some dish detergent.
When I had a cat that peed on the floor I encouraged him to always pee in the same spot. I never discouraged him from peeing there and I went after that spot vigilantly several times a day, checking almost every time I went past it and anytime he had puddled, cleaning with paper towel, detergent and enzyme that took pee scent out. I knew it wasn't the cat's fault. The poor little guy eventually died of kidney failure and not giving him a hard time for his peeing issues was the least I could do to help him through his health woes. The floor is painted hardwood and it doesn't smell at all, although the paint job is wrecked I'll be able to re-paint it without a problem. It's wrecked because I cleaned it so diligently that the paint is worn right off.
In my experience a cat peeing out of his or her litter box is a cat that needs help. The first cat I ever had that peed anywhere other than the litter box got up on the counter one day, squatted down in the dish drainer and peed in that. I rose up in wrath... and found that there were drops of blood in the urine. I am so glad she peed there! It was the warning signal that told me I needed to get her to the vet.
You might be able to encourage your cat to pee somewhere warm and damp or somewhere very soft, such as in a soft towel in the bottom of your bathtub, if he is having peeing problems such as crystals. If you can do that - absolutely encourage him. The running water or the damp makes it easier for him to pee the same way it does for humans, and of course cleaning up pee in the bottom of the bathtub will make it much easier for you.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:10 PM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
When I had a cat that peed on the floor I encouraged him to always pee in the same spot. I never discouraged him from peeing there and I went after that spot vigilantly several times a day, checking almost every time I went past it and anytime he had puddled, cleaning with paper towel, detergent and enzyme that took pee scent out. I knew it wasn't the cat's fault. The poor little guy eventually died of kidney failure and not giving him a hard time for his peeing issues was the least I could do to help him through his health woes. The floor is painted hardwood and it doesn't smell at all, although the paint job is wrecked I'll be able to re-paint it without a problem. It's wrecked because I cleaned it so diligently that the paint is worn right off.
In my experience a cat peeing out of his or her litter box is a cat that needs help. The first cat I ever had that peed anywhere other than the litter box got up on the counter one day, squatted down in the dish drainer and peed in that. I rose up in wrath... and found that there were drops of blood in the urine. I am so glad she peed there! It was the warning signal that told me I needed to get her to the vet.
You might be able to encourage your cat to pee somewhere warm and damp or somewhere very soft, such as in a soft towel in the bottom of your bathtub, if he is having peeing problems such as crystals. If you can do that - absolutely encourage him. The running water or the damp makes it easier for him to pee the same way it does for humans, and of course cleaning up pee in the bottom of the bathtub will make it much easier for you.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:10 PM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Get him off dry food. Get him off cat food that has any kind of grain or legumes in it. Mix extra water in with his wet food before you give it to him. Make sure he has lots and lots of easy to reach clean drinking water. This can help if he has kidney problems and would be good for him in any case. And if your eyesight is up to the small print on the cat food labels, try to get him onto cat food that has a very low ash content. The more water you get into him and the less cereal he eats the less likely he will have problems with his urinary system or his kidneys.
Animal by-products are fine for him as a cat food ingredient as his natural diet would involve a lot of small bones, sinew, skin, gristle, feathers etc. But the grain content in his diet would only be what was found in the digestive systems of the rodents and birds he ate, so it should be a minuscule percentage.
If he is not an only cat, can you arrange a litter box that only he can use, and that the other cat(s) cannot access? Sometimes the alpha cat will beat up the less alpha cats if it smells their pee in the box, so they start peeing somewhere else.
If a cat gets a bladder infection it may start refusing to pee in the box or the location it used to use because it associates that box and that location with pain even after the bladder infection or crystals are better and don't hurt any more. Some people have had success therefore with moving the cat pans out of the bathroom and putting a dresser where they used to be, and putting brand new cat pans in the basement, and such like changes.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:20 PM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Animal by-products are fine for him as a cat food ingredient as his natural diet would involve a lot of small bones, sinew, skin, gristle, feathers etc. But the grain content in his diet would only be what was found in the digestive systems of the rodents and birds he ate, so it should be a minuscule percentage.
If he is not an only cat, can you arrange a litter box that only he can use, and that the other cat(s) cannot access? Sometimes the alpha cat will beat up the less alpha cats if it smells their pee in the box, so they start peeing somewhere else.
If a cat gets a bladder infection it may start refusing to pee in the box or the location it used to use because it associates that box and that location with pain even after the bladder infection or crystals are better and don't hurt any more. Some people have had success therefore with moving the cat pans out of the bathroom and putting a dresser where they used to be, and putting brand new cat pans in the basement, and such like changes.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:20 PM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
I would:
a) take kitty to the vet to get his wee analysed by science;
b) put down another litter tray for a total of cats +1 or +2 litter trays;
c) clean litter trays completely every approx. 2 days (scoop solids out as usual, but empty everything completely every two days, and give the tray a wash with warm soapy water);
d) put down cats +1 water bowls/glasses and empty, rinse, and fill with fresh water every day;
e) investigate different food options - there are a lot of specially formulated dry and wet foods for bladder problems and improving bladder health.
Peeing outside the litter tray, when a litter tray has historically been acceptable, means either ill health, or the litter tray is dirty beyond kitty's threshold of acceptability. In my experience the litter itself makes no difference.
I hope he's ok! Please keep us updated.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:17 PM on May 2, 2017
a) take kitty to the vet to get his wee analysed by science;
b) put down another litter tray for a total of cats +1 or +2 litter trays;
c) clean litter trays completely every approx. 2 days (scoop solids out as usual, but empty everything completely every two days, and give the tray a wash with warm soapy water);
d) put down cats +1 water bowls/glasses and empty, rinse, and fill with fresh water every day;
e) investigate different food options - there are a lot of specially formulated dry and wet foods for bladder problems and improving bladder health.
Peeing outside the litter tray, when a litter tray has historically been acceptable, means either ill health, or the litter tray is dirty beyond kitty's threshold of acceptability. In my experience the litter itself makes no difference.
I hope he's ok! Please keep us updated.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:17 PM on May 2, 2017
Vet, like everyone else says. Start there. UTI, crystals, kidney issues... so many things are possibilities than can only be ruled out by a vet. Cats are absolute masters at hiding when they're not feeling well.
Have you tried putting down a litter box in the corner kitty is peeing? I know, you don't want a litter box there. But you dont want pee either, and a box is better than the floor. If he's peeing in the same place all the time, you can use that to your advantage. Put a box there. It's temporary. Hopefully he'll start using the box there. After a week or so of peeing in the box, you slowly (slllooowwwwwllllly... like 2 inches a day, max) start to move the box to a more acceptable (to you) place. Any regressions, the box goes back where he's peeing.
Good luck to both you and kitty. He's not peeing there to piss you off, trust me. There's an underlying reason. Hopefully you & your vet can figure it out sooner rather than later!
posted by cgg at 6:50 PM on May 2, 2017
Have you tried putting down a litter box in the corner kitty is peeing? I know, you don't want a litter box there. But you dont want pee either, and a box is better than the floor. If he's peeing in the same place all the time, you can use that to your advantage. Put a box there. It's temporary. Hopefully he'll start using the box there. After a week or so of peeing in the box, you slowly (slllooowwwwwllllly... like 2 inches a day, max) start to move the box to a more acceptable (to you) place. Any regressions, the box goes back where he's peeing.
Good luck to both you and kitty. He's not peeing there to piss you off, trust me. There's an underlying reason. Hopefully you & your vet can figure it out sooner rather than later!
posted by cgg at 6:50 PM on May 2, 2017
Our cat did this for a long time and seemed to target my spouse's belongings specifically. The only things that worked were providing her with more accessible, highly-placed horizontal surfaces for hiding/surveying the room, and Prozac. A low, consistent daily dose stopped the behavior immediately. And honestly, she seems much happier.
posted by lieber hair at 6:51 PM on May 2, 2017
posted by lieber hair at 6:51 PM on May 2, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks all, some good stuff in here. The vet looked him over about a year ago, but he was a mobile vet who didn't do much more than look at him. He did mention Prozac being a potential option. I'll start by taking him back in to a vet with an office. I guess I underestimated how stoic a cat can be. I (wrongly) assumed significant health problems might manifest in more obvious ways.
posted by deadbilly at 7:33 PM on May 2, 2017
posted by deadbilly at 7:33 PM on May 2, 2017
Is the corner-peeing cat being ambushed at the litter box by the other kitty?
I ask this only because a friend of mine had brother-sister cats and went through the same thing with the brother. Having multiple litter boxes (2 on each floor of the house) didn't help, and the vet said Brother Cat's health was OK.
After Sister Cat's death, when the siblings were about 15, Brother Cat lived for another three years and never had outside-the-box peeing issues again.
Sister Cat was definitely the dominant personality of the pair, and was quite capable of ambushing Brother Cat, my friend and her vet surmised.
posted by virago at 7:39 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I ask this only because a friend of mine had brother-sister cats and went through the same thing with the brother. Having multiple litter boxes (2 on each floor of the house) didn't help, and the vet said Brother Cat's health was OK.
After Sister Cat's death, when the siblings were about 15, Brother Cat lived for another three years and never had outside-the-box peeing issues again.
Sister Cat was definitely the dominant personality of the pair, and was quite capable of ambushing Brother Cat, my friend and her vet surmised.
posted by virago at 7:39 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
On preview: A thorough veterinary checkup is absolutely the right way to go. Good luck to you and your kitty!
posted by virago at 7:43 PM on May 2, 2017
posted by virago at 7:43 PM on May 2, 2017
We tried everything with a previous cat that started doing that. Nothing worked. After some years that cat died and its legacy is the thousands of dollars I'm going to have to pay to fix the hardwood floor in that house (currently getting estimates). We should have put that cat to sleep when the problem started, the start of that cat's decline in happiness and health.
posted by w0mbat at 8:53 PM on May 2, 2017
posted by w0mbat at 8:53 PM on May 2, 2017
My cat pees occasionally in a box and will only poop next to the cat box. I've tried EVERYTHING mentioned above and nothing has changed his behavior permanently. (As an aside, six years ago he did get a blockage so I'm sure the behavior developed in response to that but now I cannot undo it as he eventually goes back to peeing in multiple corners of various rooms).
So my husband and I were left with the problem of what to do. So I put down puppy pee pads in the corners of the catbox room and the empty formal living room (the areas he pees) and every day I pick up soiled puppy pee pads that have cat urine on them.
It's gross and very unpleasant but we love our cat, don't want to lock him away or put him down and we also don't have people over (and on the VERY rare occasion that we do I can easily pick up the unsoiled pee pads and put him in the kitty room).
I hope you can find a solution. I'm following this thread in case something pops up that we haven't tried (actually we haven't tried Prozac but I don't know if he'd be a candidate for it).
posted by rainygrl716 at 8:56 PM on May 2, 2017
So my husband and I were left with the problem of what to do. So I put down puppy pee pads in the corners of the catbox room and the empty formal living room (the areas he pees) and every day I pick up soiled puppy pee pads that have cat urine on them.
It's gross and very unpleasant but we love our cat, don't want to lock him away or put him down and we also don't have people over (and on the VERY rare occasion that we do I can easily pick up the unsoiled pee pads and put him in the kitty room).
I hope you can find a solution. I'm following this thread in case something pops up that we haven't tried (actually we haven't tried Prozac but I don't know if he'd be a candidate for it).
posted by rainygrl716 at 8:56 PM on May 2, 2017
We had to pull up the carpet in one location, paint the sub-floor with killz primer, and replace the pad to get one cat to stop peeing there. It appeared to be a location where previous owners pets had also done their business and I'm guessing the scent would re-emerge every few months and cause re-occurrences.
You may want to be very thorough in checking for other accident locations. When my cat had a living room spot, she also had a hidden spot in a rarely-visited unfinished part of the basement that caused a lot of damage to items we were storing.
posted by galvanized unicorn at 8:14 AM on May 3, 2017
You may want to be very thorough in checking for other accident locations. When my cat had a living room spot, she also had a hidden spot in a rarely-visited unfinished part of the basement that caused a lot of damage to items we were storing.
posted by galvanized unicorn at 8:14 AM on May 3, 2017
Multi-cat household & FLUTD cat owner here.
The thing we've learned over the years is that some cat's stress levels seem to be quite intertwined with urinary health, more so than others. We've had two types of cats:
1) Easy Diagnosis Cat: Cat has high blood sugar levels (pre-diabetes or diabetes), which are easily tested for and treated. Or Cat has elevated BUN and/or Creatinine, which are also easily tested for, and indicate kidney trouble. Alternatively and much more likely, Cat has managed to pick up UTI through environment or bad luck, which causes them pain that they then associate with the litterbox. Nobody wants to hurt (!) so they pee somewhere else hoping the pain goes away. It won't, not without a course of antibiotics. After a couple of days on amoxicillin the pain subsides and the cat uses the litterbox again. Unless the UTI isn't treated for a long time (in which case the bacteria can move into the kidneys where infection is much more stubborn), these cats are generally back to normal quickly & stay normal after those all important antibiotics.
2) Challenge Cat: This cat is prone to stress. Stress can be over changes in daily routine (different food? litter? travel? human working late?), household (strange human visitors, vacuums), territory (a multi-pet house, or new baby), outdoor kitties peeking in the window, etc. In some cats, stress seems to cause a higher urine pH. (6.5 or lower is healthy; stressed cats typically have a urine pH of 8+.) As you can imagine, chronic stress eventually causes the pH to rise so high that it begins to cause discomfort: struvite crystals form in this basic urine. These crystals scratch the bladder lining and urethra like teeny tiny shards of glass - ouch! Not only is this painful, it also opens up the urinary tract to bacterial invasion. The pain causes more stress, and the cycle starts to feed back on itself. In these cats, antibiotics may help with the symptoms (killing off an infection), but they never address the root cause itself - a constantly irritated bladder from stress.
If your cat doesn't respond to antibiotics, you or your vet need to collect a fresh urine sample and (a) test the pH, then (b) look for the presence of struvite crystals under a microscope. If you want to avoid a trip to the vet, you can actually purchase pH testing strips on Amazon and test it yourself at home - just make sure the urine you're testing is fresh and uncontaminated. Get a fresh puddle on a clean dry floor, or set out a litterbox with aquarium gravel or hydrophobic sand (also available on Amazon).
If it crystals are found or if the pH is high, you'll need to lower the pH. There are a few ways you can do this:
- changing diet: NO dry food and instead feeding a urinary prescription canned food
- changing diet: feeding a plain canned food, ideally grain-free, with a TEENY TINY AMOUNT of L-methionine powder mixed in. If you do this it is *very important* to work under your vet's supervision and *give kittie NO MORE than an 1/8 tsp (that's a teaspoon) per day to start*. You must also monitor urine pH to make sure it doesn't dip below 6, at which point oxalate crystals can form. (These crystals cannot be dissolved, they can only be removed via expensive surgery, so start small and monitor, monitor, monitor.)
- changing diet: stop filling your cat's water bowl with tap water - some tap waters are high in calcium and other minerals, which raise urine pH. Use reverse osmosis drinking water from the supermarket. You may have to experiment with brands to get one your cat likes the taste of.
- reducing stress: Feliway plug-ins help a little, but are not miracle cure-alls
- reducing stress: adding 75mg of Alpha-S1 tryptic casein (available over the counter as Zylkene) to each meal - this is a very safe natural product made from milk that lowers cortisol levels in cats and can be given long term without worry of side effects.
- reducing stress: getting your vet to write your kittie a prescription for transdermal prozac - this is a tiny dose of prozac that is compounded into a gel that is applied to the inside of kittie's ear, typically once a day. It sounds like helicopter-cat-parenting, but it stops inappropriate peeing almost immediately in most cats and is very safe to give long term. Our Prozac kitty did not have any personality changes, she just started acting like a happy normal cat again. Note: crushed Prozac apparently are very gross tasting to cats - make sure to ask for the transdermal gel and save yourself the hassle. If they can't give it to you locally, online compounding pharmacies can.
- reducing pain: talk to your vet about adding a Cosequin supplement to your cat's diet. This will help condition and rebuild the bladder lining.
- reducing pain: if your cat's pain seems severe, talk to your vet about trying a small dose of temporary anti-spasmodic/pain reliever like Torb syrup, to see if it gives your cat any relief. (Note: Torb is an opioid, so expect your cat to act stoned.)
As for the stink/stain, don't bother with anything but a product called "Kennel Odor Eliminator". It's what our vet uses to clean their clinic with and it completely eliminates (obliterates) any smell. It comes in a concentrate that you dilute and use as a laundry detergent (for pee soaked blankets, towels, clothes, whatever), floor mopping solution, or in the case of a stubborn spot, a 100% concentration spot treatment that you let soak in & air dry. It's apparently made with 24K gold (kidding but seriously, it's not cheap), but one application does the trick, and you can buy it on Amazon in a small container or a gallon. It smells great - natural, and not overwhelming.
Hope that helps. MeMail me if you have any questions or just need to vent. We've been there, we've so, SO been there.
posted by muirne81 at 2:06 PM on May 4, 2017
The thing we've learned over the years is that some cat's stress levels seem to be quite intertwined with urinary health, more so than others. We've had two types of cats:
1) Easy Diagnosis Cat: Cat has high blood sugar levels (pre-diabetes or diabetes), which are easily tested for and treated. Or Cat has elevated BUN and/or Creatinine, which are also easily tested for, and indicate kidney trouble. Alternatively and much more likely, Cat has managed to pick up UTI through environment or bad luck, which causes them pain that they then associate with the litterbox. Nobody wants to hurt (!) so they pee somewhere else hoping the pain goes away. It won't, not without a course of antibiotics. After a couple of days on amoxicillin the pain subsides and the cat uses the litterbox again. Unless the UTI isn't treated for a long time (in which case the bacteria can move into the kidneys where infection is much more stubborn), these cats are generally back to normal quickly & stay normal after those all important antibiotics.
2) Challenge Cat: This cat is prone to stress. Stress can be over changes in daily routine (different food? litter? travel? human working late?), household (strange human visitors, vacuums), territory (a multi-pet house, or new baby), outdoor kitties peeking in the window, etc. In some cats, stress seems to cause a higher urine pH. (6.5 or lower is healthy; stressed cats typically have a urine pH of 8+.) As you can imagine, chronic stress eventually causes the pH to rise so high that it begins to cause discomfort: struvite crystals form in this basic urine. These crystals scratch the bladder lining and urethra like teeny tiny shards of glass - ouch! Not only is this painful, it also opens up the urinary tract to bacterial invasion. The pain causes more stress, and the cycle starts to feed back on itself. In these cats, antibiotics may help with the symptoms (killing off an infection), but they never address the root cause itself - a constantly irritated bladder from stress.
If your cat doesn't respond to antibiotics, you or your vet need to collect a fresh urine sample and (a) test the pH, then (b) look for the presence of struvite crystals under a microscope. If you want to avoid a trip to the vet, you can actually purchase pH testing strips on Amazon and test it yourself at home - just make sure the urine you're testing is fresh and uncontaminated. Get a fresh puddle on a clean dry floor, or set out a litterbox with aquarium gravel or hydrophobic sand (also available on Amazon).
If it crystals are found or if the pH is high, you'll need to lower the pH. There are a few ways you can do this:
- changing diet: NO dry food and instead feeding a urinary prescription canned food
- changing diet: feeding a plain canned food, ideally grain-free, with a TEENY TINY AMOUNT of L-methionine powder mixed in. If you do this it is *very important* to work under your vet's supervision and *give kittie NO MORE than an 1/8 tsp (that's a teaspoon) per day to start*. You must also monitor urine pH to make sure it doesn't dip below 6, at which point oxalate crystals can form. (These crystals cannot be dissolved, they can only be removed via expensive surgery, so start small and monitor, monitor, monitor.)
- changing diet: stop filling your cat's water bowl with tap water - some tap waters are high in calcium and other minerals, which raise urine pH. Use reverse osmosis drinking water from the supermarket. You may have to experiment with brands to get one your cat likes the taste of.
- reducing stress: Feliway plug-ins help a little, but are not miracle cure-alls
- reducing stress: adding 75mg of Alpha-S1 tryptic casein (available over the counter as Zylkene) to each meal - this is a very safe natural product made from milk that lowers cortisol levels in cats and can be given long term without worry of side effects.
- reducing stress: getting your vet to write your kittie a prescription for transdermal prozac - this is a tiny dose of prozac that is compounded into a gel that is applied to the inside of kittie's ear, typically once a day. It sounds like helicopter-cat-parenting, but it stops inappropriate peeing almost immediately in most cats and is very safe to give long term. Our Prozac kitty did not have any personality changes, she just started acting like a happy normal cat again. Note: crushed Prozac apparently are very gross tasting to cats - make sure to ask for the transdermal gel and save yourself the hassle. If they can't give it to you locally, online compounding pharmacies can.
- reducing pain: talk to your vet about adding a Cosequin supplement to your cat's diet. This will help condition and rebuild the bladder lining.
- reducing pain: if your cat's pain seems severe, talk to your vet about trying a small dose of temporary anti-spasmodic/pain reliever like Torb syrup, to see if it gives your cat any relief. (Note: Torb is an opioid, so expect your cat to act stoned.)
As for the stink/stain, don't bother with anything but a product called "Kennel Odor Eliminator". It's what our vet uses to clean their clinic with and it completely eliminates (obliterates) any smell. It comes in a concentrate that you dilute and use as a laundry detergent (for pee soaked blankets, towels, clothes, whatever), floor mopping solution, or in the case of a stubborn spot, a 100% concentration spot treatment that you let soak in & air dry. It's apparently made with 24K gold (kidding but seriously, it's not cheap), but one application does the trick, and you can buy it on Amazon in a small container or a gallon. It smells great - natural, and not overwhelming.
Hope that helps. MeMail me if you have any questions or just need to vent. We've been there, we've so, SO been there.
posted by muirne81 at 2:06 PM on May 4, 2017
« Older greatcall actually pretty terrible | Fashion Industry 101: How do visionaries make... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by deadbilly at 2:15 PM on May 2, 2017