Depressed owner needs help with peeing cat
Richard
I adopted a male neutered Balinese/Siamese mix a year ago. He is now
about 3 years old. The reason he was given up was because "the
boyfriend didn't like cats."
When I brought him home, I placed him on my bed and he began to urinate
on the bed. I stopped him at that time. I brought him to the vet and
he had crystals. I was told to put him on Science Diet for crystals
(cannot remember the formula name). Eventually, he went off it and a
few months past when he didn't pee. Of course now I believe that was
the case since I kept foil on all the furniture and especially where he
liked to pee the most. Soon he began peeing on couches, rugs and beds.
Some time would pass and he would not do it and then he started up
again.
The vet suggested it was behavioral and suggested some medication to
"calm him." When first giving him the medicine, he started to pee alot
again. All peeing is done horizontally, not vertically.
Going back to the vet, crystals were found again. The vet suggested
that I should isolate him for 2-3 weeks and feed him only the Science
Diet food. In the future, she said I would have to isolate him every
month for a week with the special diet.
I now have him in a bedroom with a bed covered with plastic to
accomplish two goals: 1) to have him learn to use the litter box and 2)
to have him eat the Science Diet food. He eats the food fine and I let
him out to visit every day for an hour or so. In the past few days, he
has gone back to where he peed and peed again as well as peeing on a
towel on the floor.
During his time in the room, he pees a little in different spots on the
plastic as well as using the litter box for both pee and poop. He has
used the litter box throughout the year with me for poop and pee also.
I have four other cats who are all healthy, neutered/spayed and have
never had a peeing issue (3 males: 8, 4 and 3 years old and one female
15 years old). He seems to play/chase with one or two of them, but no
real fights. I used to feed all the cats Science Diet but have
switched about 3 months ago to Wellness.
Since I think texture is important to cats, he seems to associate a
soft feel (mattress, towel, couch) with a place to pee. Of course, I
cannot eliminate all soft surfaces from my home.
There have been no changes to the household and he was the last cat in
the house. I kept him in a room for a week before introducing him to
the other cats when he first arrived.
At this point, I am very depressed since I don't know what to do. I
cannot continue living with him peeing in previously marked and new
places. I also don't feel it is right to keep him in the room the rest
of his life. I could return him to the rescue organization but do not
see how he would be any different in another home. I'm afraid he
learned the peeing early on and don't know what to do.
In thinking about responses to this post, you might say:
1) Crystals take longer to clear up!
That is true, but it has been 2 weeks on the special diet and remember
that he peed outside the box in the past when I believe he did not have
crystals.
2) Just give him back to the rescue organization!
But I love him and more importantly I don't think he would be any
different in another home and would be unadoptable. He is a very
affectionate cat with a great personality.
3) Keep him in a room for the rest of his life.
I don't feel that is a good thing for him especially since he continues
to pee on the plastic in the room.
Suggestions welcome!
Postscript
I love cats and know they have brought me much joy during my life. I
don't want to come across as insensitive and uncaring. I just feel
like I am at the end of my rope and I feel badly
about the situation.
Also, I had a phone consult with Sonya Fitzpatrick (the Pet Psyhic from
Animal Planet) about this cat. I asked her to ask him to stop peeing.
She said she did and that he told her there were not medical issues at
the time (this was in 1/05). She told me to put some of my urine in
the litter boxes, which I did as well. But of course, the peeing
continued.
Thanks for your comments.
Reply
Noon Cat Nick
non-cat-loving boyfriend) and this is the result. He's expressing anger,
frustration and stress.
Three things you might try:
1) Try Feliway Spray. Its scent mimics the facial pheremones generated
by a cat's scent glands to mark territory and to communicate
olfactorally (i.e., through the sense of smell). That scent represents
security and comfort to a cat, and so will mark it with his own facial
pheremones rather than his urine.
2) He might feel there's no place around the home that he can call his
own, so he's marking all over the house. During the times when he's
settling down to sleep, place him in a particular room and shut the
door. Leave him in there for a few hours; don't let him out no matter
how much he complains. Do this day after day. Eventually he'll come to
realize that that room is his safe place, and will stay there
willingly--especially since his fur and dander will accumulate in that
area and so will mark it as his own. I've done this before with a cat
that had the same problem, and it worked.
3) Notice his other behaviors. If he's eating less, sleeping more,
losing weight, etc., he might have a more serious problem, such as
diabetes or a kidney disorder. If those other symptoms are present, have
him checked by the vet.
BTW, never use bleach or ammonia to clean up cat urine. Those scents
actually increase urinating by the animal in those places. If there's an
area you want him to avoid, use a product that smells of citrus, a scent
which repels cats. Otherwise use a mild detergent mixed with vinegar to
remove the odor.
HTH.
P.S. I too am a cat owner who suffers from depression. Feel free to
e-mail me to discuss either your pet or your medical condition. Just
remove SPAMBEGONE from the address to reply.
Karen
> When I brought him home, I placed him on my bed and he began to
> urinate on the bed. I stopped him at that time. I brought him to
> the vet and he had crystals. I was told to put him on Science Diet
> for crystals (cannot remember the formula name).
No antibiotics? The diet alone was supposed to be effective? If you
haven't tried antibiotics yet to clear up the UTI that might be a good
next step.
Karen R.
Adam Helberg
"Richard" <richar...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1111606943.9...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
My Oreo had a soiling problem which I solved after a few months. My solution was to
add another box placed in an area she used to soil (actually in the "dining room" of
my apartment). Also I changed to CatAttract Litter, which is supposed to be more
appealing to cats.
With that many cats it may be a problem with not enough litter boxes or the litter
box may be not in a "safe" area for him.
Adam
Shadow Walker
2) Confine him to a bathroom with no carpet or get a large plastic dog crate
not a wire one. Place a letterbox in it. His food and water should be as far
from the litter as you can get it in there.
3) Do not putt anything soft in there.
I know this sounds drastic but your baby is in pain. He can not control his
peeing. This is not something he wants to do. Crystals hurt and block them
up.
He could have large bladder stones in his bladder and can not urinate like
he
should. Even if crystals do not show up in his urine does not mean they are
gone.
Special food to prevent UTI's and Crystals are not supposed to be given
every now and then. They are maintenance..
Shadow walker
aqua...@my-deja.com
Diet food."
When my cat was recently diagnoised with crystals, the vet said 6 weeks
on hill's S/D, and then hill's C/D forever more. 2 weeks seems kind of
short. I agree with the other poster, seek a different vet for a second
opinion.
Also wondering if changing litter to carefresh (for small animals)
might not help. Its very soft. I don't know how well it would work, but
it might be worth a shot.