The cat's gotta go...

[topless_mike]

My wife and I decided this morning, very reluctantly, that our cat has got to go. She's a beautiful 9 year old domestic long haired (looks just like a maine coon, only smaller).

She started this bad habit of peeing around the house back some time ago when we lived in the condo. We always thought it was because of the cat upstairs, and maybe our cat was marking her territory.

She's started to do this in our new house as well. Litter box is always clean. She did it once or twice, in different spots around the house. Over the past month or so she's been pooping in various spots. This morning, we caught her in the act of pissing in the baby's room (he's not in there).

So, we've decided and agreed that the cat must go. We are trying to decided if she goes to a NO-KILL shelter, or to somebody that wants her. The hardest part is figuring out how to break it to our 4 year old, who is in complete love with this cat.

I put this in the no-fun forum because it was a hard, but necessary decision that will surely hurt the kid and us for a while.


(oddly enough, we stayed at my moms house-with her dog-for 2 months between selling/buying the house and there was not once instance of this)

If anyone can offer some sort of advice / help / whatever, i would appreciate it.

[biggirl]

My wife and I decided this morning, very reluctantly, that our cat has got to go. She's a beautiful 9 year old domestic long haired (looks just like a maine coon, only smaller).

She started this bad habit of peeing around the house back some time ago when we lived in the condo. We always thought it was because of the cat upstairs, and maybe our cat was marking her territory.

She's started to do this in our new house as well. Litter box is always clean. She did it once or twice, in different spots around the house. Over the past month or so she's been pooping in various spots. This morning, we caught her in the act of pissing in the baby's room (he's not in there).

So, we've decided and agreed that the cat must go. We are trying to decided if she goes to a NO-KILL shelter, or to somebody that wants her. The hardest part is figuring out how to break it to our 4 year old, who is in complete love with this cat.

I put this in the no-fun forum because it was a hard, but necessary decision that will surely hurt the kid and us for a while.


(oddly enough, we stayed at my moms house-with her dog-for 2 months between selling/buying the house and there was not once instance of this)

If anyone can offer some sort of advice / help / whatever, i would appreciate it.

We had this happen with my childhood cat. She actually had something really wrong with her. I would call the vet and see if there is anything they recommend.

[RhinoinMN]

That really sucks.


My uncle had this problem and found that it was because they had the litter box in the utility room where the furnace was. When the furnace or ac would kick on, the litter box odor would come out all of the registers. The cat would piss or shit near all of the registers then.

[Misteriosa]

We had this happen with my childhood cat. She actually had something really wrong with her. I would call the vet and see if there is anything they recommend.

my cat started doing this too. he started peeing around the litter box, tho the litter box was clean. he would make the effort to get to the box and you could see the pee trail. after a while, he started not trying so hard. he picked out, what i can only describe as a nest area, under the kitchen table. he would hang out there all the time. he would pee and vomit there every day. since he wouldnt let us touch him, we couldnt take him to the vet and there were no house call vets willing to hoof it to the Bronx. we knew it was time to let him go when he let us pick him up. he mewed loudly all the way to the vet, but we knew it was the right thing to do.

take him to the vet before you do any thing else. sudden peeing like that is indicative of a larger problem.

[boosterp]

Wow, that's sad budday. The cat could have a medical problem causing this behavior or could be just getting old. if not to the vet than surely a no kill shelter.

[angrymissy]

PLEASE don't abandon a NINE YEAR OLD CAT.

No Kill shelters are NOT no kill. They often taken in animals and then just send them to kill shelters, especially an older cat with behavioral problems.

Take your cat to the vet - it could have a variety of medical problems causing this. If it is not a medical problem:

Clean all areas that the cat peed on with an enyzme cleaner like Natures Miracle or he will smell it even after it's clean and continue to go to the bathroom there.

Add an extra litter box, some cats need two.

Try changing the type of litter you are using.

Try changing the style of catbox you are using, the sides may be too steep, or the cat may want an uncovered box.

Try using a Feliway plug in:
http://www.feliway.com/us

So many things you should try before giving up on this cat. Please try them first.

[britneypablo]

PLEASE don't abandon a NINE YEAR OLD CAT.

No Kill shelters are NOT no kill. They often taken in animals and then just send them to kill shelters, especially an older cat with behavioral problems.

Take your cat to the vet - it could have a variety of medical problems causing this. If it is not a medical problem:

Clean all areas that the cat peed on with an enyzme cleaner like Natures Miracle or he will smell it even after it's clean and continue to go to the bathroom there.

Add an extra litter box, some cats need two.

Try changing the type of litter you are using.

Try changing the style of catbox you are using, the sides may be too steep, or the cat may want an uncovered box.

Try using a Feliway plug in:
http://www.feliway.com/us

So many things you should try before giving up on this cat. Please try them first.

<font color="deeppink"> i second this motion

[vjr97]

just like ole yeller-your gonna have to put that pussy to pasture

[TheMojoPin]

just like ole yeller-your gonna have to put that pussy to pasture

Not the forum for this.

[topless_mike]

just like ole yeller-your gonna have to put that pussy to pasture

go fuck yourself.

asshole.

[topless_mike]

scheduled a vet visit. (for checkup)

thanks guys. i'll update.

[RhinoinMN]

scheduled a vet visit. (for checkup)

thanks guys. i'll update.

godspeed, Mike. I hope for the best.

[~Katja~]

Mike, have you taken her to the vet and discussed the trouble you have been experiencing?
I could not imagine taking Lukas' cats away, he loves Charlie dearly and has claimed Eddie, so getting rid of them for any reason would break his heart. I can't see this being an easy decision on your part, so at least try whatever possible so you don't have to give her up.

[topless_mike]

Mike, have you taken her to the vet and discussed the trouble you have been experiencing?
I could not imagine taking Lukas' cats away, he loves Charlie dearly and has claimed Eddie, so getting rid of them for any reason would break his heart. I can't see this being an easy decision on your part, so at least try whatever possible so you don't have to give her up.

the cat's been to the vet previously for this. her health checked out and it was determined that it was a behavioral problem, nothing medical. we've made most of the changes we could, with no effect. the last change was moving, and we thought once we moved, that all of this would stop. it hasnt.

[angrymissy]

scheduled a vet visit. (for checkup)

thanks guys. i'll update.

It could be something as simple as a Urinary Tract infection. If it hurts when he goes to the bathroom, he will associate that pain with the litterbox and avoid it.

In the meantime, buy some Natures Miracle and saturate all the areas he's gone to the bathroom in - this will remove any underlying scent.

I had a lot of luck using this litterbox with one of my cats who started peeing in the bathroom:
http://www.petco.com/product/106008/Tidy-Cats-Breeze-Litter-Box.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

[topless_mike]

In the meantime, buy some Natures Miracle and saturate all the areas he's gone to the bathroom in - this will remove any underlying scent.


natures miracle didnt work for us.
we use "what odor"- it's the same principle, i guess, but for whatever reason, really gets the smell out as much as you can.

in the condo, it was in certain repeated spots; in the house, with the stuff we use, its never the same place twice.

[tanless1]

I had a similar problem w/ roy (the cat) rode all over the country w/ me for a number of years. Then it started. He would crap in the box, then get out of the box to pee on the bed. I invested in rolls of drop cloths just so id have a chance. This went on for almost a year and several vet visits before a made the decision to put him down. I left him at the kennel over night w/ a litter box in his cage and he still just peed where he sat.....he used to get in the drivers seat when id leave the vehicle and look out the window (just sitting straight ) I still see him there somtimes.

[tanless1]

He was a used cat, had spent his whole life in the shelter.I got him when he was 3. I wasn't looking for a pet....more of a roomate that never went to work, those cats that are up your butt all the time got on my nerves. He didn't want anything to do w/ me at the shelter so knew he was the one. Worked out great. Wed just talk at eachother.. no coaxing here cat cat. Then one day he broke the code and figured I might as well pet him ... you know the rest. Anways.... got a solid 5 years out of him and it wouldn't of been fair to him to discard him at a shelter....he was to invested. I'm a dog guy,but I sure miss that cat.

[KatPw]

He was a used cat, had spent his whole life in the shelter.I got him when he was 3. I wasn't looking for a pet....more of a roomate that never went to work, those cats that are up your butt all the time got on my nerves. He didn't want anything to do w/ me at the shelter so knew he was the one. Worked out great. Wed just talk at eachother.. no coaxing here cat cat. Then one day he broke the code and figured I might as well pet him ... you know the rest. Anways.... got a solid 5 years out of him and it wouldn't of been fair to him to discard him at a shelter....he was to invested. I'm a dog guy,but I sure miss that cat.

You gave Roy a good life. That is a wonderful thing.

[underdog]

My friend's cat was doing this, turned out she had separation anxiety. They put the cat on anti-depressants and it stopped.

[CYYYFYYY]

If this was happening to one of my cats and the Vet said there was nothing they could do, rather take it to a place where they would kill him, becuase lets face the facts no one is going to want a cat with this problem, I would just drop him off in a nice nbeighborhood and hope he can survive outside and hopefully the nice rich people will feed him.

[angrymissy]

If this was happening to one of my cats and the Vet said there was nothing they could do, rather take it to a place where they would kill him, becuase lets face the facts no one is going to want a cat with this problem, I would just drop him off in a nice nbeighborhood and hope he can survive outside and hopefully the nice rich people will feed him.

Please don't ever do that.

I have 5 cats outside that I take care of. There were more. They die off every year. The ones that were obviously indoor die quickly. My neighbors cat was outside for a month and when I finally caught her, she was emaciated and full of parasites and almost died.

There is someone down the street people have seen carrying cats in a trap around his property. I have no idea what he does with them and I don't want to know. I wouldn't be surprised if he poisoned them or drowned them.

There's someone a few towns over that I saw on the news who was shooting all cats that went on his property.

Indoor cats cannot survive outside. They will die a horrible death. If you would be willing to dump your cat somewhere, do it a favor and put it to sleep rather than putting it outside to suffer.

[topless_mike]

well, kitty went to the vet.
her health is good (except a lil gum cleaning that needs to been taken care of).
stool sample came back clean as well.

the new vet seems to think that this is a behavioral problem (as well as the old vet).
i've been given some instructions

a) never clean the box fully. always leave a turd or small section of piss-clump to retain the smell. if i am doing a complete box-dump, scoop the above into a plastic cup, clean box, and then place above sample back into box.
b) cats hate water. empty spray bottles in various place work wonders.
c) if using (which we do) the gravity food/water dishes, barely fill them up. this will keep the freshest food/water possible. this will also make me clean them more often.

seems like logical shit that we should have figured out on our own. but at least kitty's healthy.

[foodcourtdruide]

PLEASE don't abandon a NINE YEAR OLD CAT.

No Kill shelters are NOT no kill. They often taken in animals and then just send them to kill shelters, especially an older cat with behavioral problems.

Take your cat to the vet - it could have a variety of medical problems causing this. If it is not a medical problem:

Clean all areas that the cat peed on with an enyzme cleaner like Natures Miracle or he will smell it even after it's clean and continue to go to the bathroom there.

Add an extra litter box, some cats need two.

Try changing the type of litter you are using.

Try changing the style of catbox you are using, the sides may be too steep, or the cat may want an uncovered box.

Try using a Feliway plug in:
http://www.feliway.com/us

So many things you should try before giving up on this cat. Please try them first.

Third.

[CYYYFYYY]

Guess my letting them outside as a last resort was not a good answer. Sorry about that. HOpe all goes well. One of my cats never pees in the litter Box. He pees in the bathroom which is not horrible but a real pain.

[TooCute]

Just more info for you -
glad you took her to vet, assuming there really is no medical problem that was overlooked -

just some extra FYI - in studies, cats preferred litetrs are Everclean, World's Best, Swheat Scoop and Agway's Clumping.

Some cats don't like clumping, non clumping, clay, whatever, so try a lot of different stuff. Also try different boxes (covered, uncovered etc)

Does your cat have a preference for eliminating on a certain substrate (eg carpet, wood floor, houseplant, etc?)

Can you recall ANY reason that your cat would have aversion to litter box (eg was she ever sick/in pain in a box before? Has she ever had to use a box that was in a scary place (noise, etc)? Is the box easy for her to get to? Draw a mental map of her favorite places to hang out in the day and where the box is. is it accessible?

Have you tried putting out multiple, different boxes?

Is your cat an anxious cat? Does it need lots of attention from you?

Do you have other animals? New baby? New people?

Put food/catnip around the litterbox. Put stuff she doesn't like in the areas where she soils (eg aluminum foil, carpet runner with nubby side up, stuff she won't like to walk on)

Odor repellents don't really last long.

Feliway would be good if your cat is anxious, or if your cat is spraying (rather than urinating).

Also you mentioned she is long haired. Definitely pooping outside box, or is it just poops sticking to her fur and being tracked around? Had a persion that would leave turds all over the place, until realized shaving his butt fixed it.

Does she ever use the box at all?

[landarch]

my cat started doing this too. he started peeing around the litter box, tho the litter box was clean. he would make the effort to get to the box and you could see the pee trail. after a while, he started not trying so hard. he picked out, what i can only describe as a nest area, under the kitchen table. he would hang out there all the time. he would pee and vomit there every day. since he wouldnt let us touch him, we couldnt take him to the vet and there were no house call vets willing to hoof it to the Bronx. we knew it was time to let him go when he let us pick him up. he mewed loudly all the way to the vet, but we knew it was the right thing to do.

take him to the vet before you do any thing else. sudden peeing like that is indicative of a larger problem.

We just put a 13 yr old cat to sleep last month--we knew she was getting older and was losing weight but seemed otherwise healthy. Dr. diagnosed after testing that she had a hyperthyroid condition. Then came the refusal to use the litter box. Another trip to the vet allowed him to do further physical examinations which led him to feeling the abdominal tumor. We put her down that day, as she was pretty sick. When I mentioned to him that she had been going outside the box despite our best efforts, (including placing a fresh, new litterbox in her new area of choice) the vet said that that was the surest sign of a problem. He suggested that it was her way of letting us know something really wasn't right.

[grlNIN]

My boyfriend's parents have a 15 year old female cat that lives a miserable, pathetic life in the shadow of two young male kittens.

She has been urinating and defecating all over the house, including on my boyfriend's brother's bed. She growls at everything in sight, her back end and tail are practically chewed to the bone and she generally hates that she is being kept alive.

I could never dream of putting my cat to sleep but he is also just over 1 year old and has zero health problems. I can't understand why my boyfriend's parents won't put their cat down, and why they haven't even taken her to the vet to see if her bladder problems could be solved.

Every time someone brings it up my boyfriend's mom just says "I know what her problem is, she is probably diabetic...when dogs are diabetic they can't hold their pee.".....but she isn't a dog, she's a cat and she's at the end of her life.

How do you even suggest putting the cat down when all they do is ignore the problem?

[TheMojoPin]

She has been urinating and defecating all over the house, including on my boyfriend's brother's bed. She growls at everything in sight, her back end and tail are practically chewed to the bone and she generally hates that she is being kept alive.

I had roommates who had an old cat that just started losing control and basically ended up ruining two whole floors of our townhouse because cats apparently unleash the acid blood that the aliens from Aliens have from their behinds. I felt bad for them and the cat and I realize the decision to put down a beloved pet is awful (I had to go through it myself with my family as a child) but it was ridiculous. This cat lived as a barely-walking pissing and shitting machine for over a year and seemed as miserable as the cat you're describing.

[conman823]

How do you even suggest putting the cat down when all they do is ignore the problem?

My friends Father did the same thing with there old cat. When I went over the House one afternoon his Wife pointed out that now the cat was Feral and living under the sink, but her Husband wouldn't put her too sleep.

I went over too him and told him the Cat was suffering, and basically Dead already. I told him it was a hard decision but if he was going to Lie to himself and make the animal suffer then HE was Selfish and cruel to the Animal he claimed to love. I told him make his peace with it.

Two days later they put the cat to sleep.

I'm a Cat owner, always have been. I have a DNR and would hate someone keeping me alive for a slow Death so I give my Animals the same respect.