Cat problems...

[mezon]

Maybe someone has a solution to my problem. My 5 year old cat has decided not to use the litter box anymore. I keep the box clean and use fresh litter. She is an indoor cat and very friendly, but she is ruining my house! Does anyone know how to cure this problem?

Nikki

 

[Dagna]

First, take her to the vet to have her checked for a UTI. Most cats stop using the litterbox when they get sick, so it could be any sort of illness, but UTI's are the most common culprit.
A few questions though, have you moved, is there a new animal in the house, have you changed litter recently, how much water is she intaking daily, what kind of food do you use (some foods can cause UTI's to occur), have you moved the litterbox to a new place, what is she peeing on most often (carpet, tile, counter tops etc), is she spayed?

If there turns out to be no illnesses, then the best way is to go about retraining your cat. First, put kitty in a bathroom with a litterbox and her food and water. She will be very unhappy about the situation, but this is the best way to retrain a cat. Leave her in the bathroom until she is using the litterbox frequently. You may also want to pick up a product called Feliway. It's a plug-in that helps ease stress in cats. When she begins using the litterbox again, let her out for periods during the day when you are home. When you aren't home, back in the bathroom. Continue to give her more and more time out of the bathroom and eventually she should be just fine again. Like I said, your cat may not like it, and there may be some people here that don't agree with doing it, or that it sounds mean, but in my opinion, it's a better option than getting rid of her or just letting her run around outside where she could potentially be killed or continuing to let her ruin the house

Also, while she's in the bathroom, get a really good cleaning product called Nature's Miracle. You can find it at most Petstores. It gets rid of the smell so animals are less likely to begin peeing on the same spots.

 

[mezon]

Thanks for your reply. Ok, here goes. I have not recently moved, she drinks a fair amount of water each day, I feed her Friskies canned and Cat Chow dry food, she is spayed, still has her claws, the litter box has not moved. I do have another cat who is not showing any problems at all. She is however pooping (excuse the term) on the carpet either beside the box or to the front of it. Almost like she does it to spite me. Do you think that the bathroom treatment would work for this?

Thanks so much!

Nikki

 

[Dagna]

Bathroom treatment would work for that as well, however I definately encourage you to run to the vet. The problem with UTI's is that very often, you don't know your cat has it. Not using the litterbox is the most common sign because the cat begins to associate the litterbox with the pain they experience with urinating and then begins to stop using it. If there is a UTI involved, then you will still have to basically retrain the cat to use the litterbox because they will be hesitant to use it again. Good luck with your cat

 

[mezon]

Thank you. I guess its off to the vet I go....

 

[duhfur]

One of my cats does the same thing! She was pooping right outside the litterbox. I qaurintined her in the computer room (tile floor) and she is fine. I also found I have to clean her box 2 times a day.

How many cats do you have? I read you should have 1 more box than you have cats

 

[Didymus]

I had a cat who would go beside her box for spite. she prefered to be outdoors and when she got left in for too long she would use the box but if she was mad at us forget it. she lived to be 16

 

[PottersClay]

Thank you. I guess its off to the vet I go....

Yes, and dont put it off. My little Gracie started going outside of her box as just a kitten. I took her in thinking it was UTI, but it ended up being much more serious. She ended up having surgery to remove part of her bladder.

She's fine (the little monster!) but we have to keep an eye on her.