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Subject: Cat Question
Help me out here. I've got an old cat (20 years) who has just started to, um, do number two on the floor instead of the box. She never does number one outside the box, though.
Should I get another box or what? Picking her logs up from under the dining room table every morning is getting old.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Either you are not keeping the box clean enough for her...or you need to take a trip to the vet....if she started just doing it in old age.....there might be a problem
Subject: Re: Cat Question
I agree with SS, Steve
20 years is a good stretch for a cat
In my experience they are capable of showing the same signs of senility as aged persons....
I think a trip to the vet to get another opinion would be a good idea if the other options are ruled out
FB
Subject: Re: Cat Question
My cat's only 17 and already starting to show signs of senility. :(
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
Either you are not keeping the box clean enough for her...
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http://www.click-smilie.de/sammlung/fragend/fragend013.gif
No less clean than usual... :-http://www.click-smilie.de/sammlung/spezial/rags/kackepieksen.gif
Subject: Re: Cat Question
We tried getting a bigger litter tray,ended up with a huge great thing meant for use in a greenhouse! As it turned out poor Benjie's eyesight was failing hence her putting her bottom over the edge most of the time.Once she did go completely blind she adapted pretty well.I to would suggest a visit to the vet though as it may be a sign of something more serious.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
If you're certain the litter box is clean enough, I would have to say take Kitty to see the vet. My mother's elderly cat came down with a minor virus which caused "misbehavior" with regards to the litter box.
Keep in mind though, that Kitty's sensibilities may be changing with age. What was "clean enough" in the past may not be clean enough for her now.
At age 20 though, my guess would be that the "need to go" is hitting her suddenly and she just plain doesn't have time to get to her box. In that case a second box in the other end of the house may help.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Steve I agree w/everyone - it has something to do w/her age. That's quite old, I'm afraid. I hope things go well for you and her.
BTW is she going just outside the box, or far away? Maybe, just to tide over, you can either put the box where she goes, or at least have a sheet of something (plastic, paper, etc) there so you can just pull it out easily and it won't hurt the floor.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
At age 20 though, my guess would be that the "need to go" is hitting her suddenly and she just plain doesn't have time to get to her box.
End Quote
I agree with XenaKat. I know that from what I heard (I was living elsewhere at the time) my cat was doing the same thing in her old age. She was going to the bathroom everywhere but where she was supposed to. From what my parents said, she just couldn't control herself anymore. She'd always gone outside when she had to go, but as she got on in her years, she couldn't make it. :(
I would say take her to the vet--hopefully they'll have good news for you...just remember how old she is, and that she most likely can't help it.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Our cat here is known to poo on the floor if the box isn't clean enough for her liking but she seems to be doing it more often even though I change and clean the litter box more often than I used to.
One problem I have is with my cat back in America. She started urinating on everything after she had a litter (the animal shelter gave me a pregnant cat and told me she wasn't and even when I brought her back a couple of weeks later to ask what was wrong with her they still told me she was fine, anwyay..) She would go on anything, couches, her cat bed, my pile of laundry that was just folded and washed. I never remembered her doing that before she had the kittens. My mother is looking after her now and she says she's really bad with it now, so I'm at a loss on that one!
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
Our cat here is known to poo on the floor if the box isn't clean enough for her liking but she seems to be doing it more often even though I change and clean the litter box more often than I used to.
One problem I have is with my cat back in America. She started urinating on everything after she had a litter (the animal shelter gave me a pregnant cat and told me she wasn't and even when I brought her back a couple of weeks later to ask what was wrong with her they still told me she was fine, anwyay..) She would go on anything, couches, her cat bed, my pile of laundry that was just folded and washed. I never remembered her doing that before she had the kittens. My mother is looking after her now and she says she's really bad with it now, so I'm at a loss on that one!
End Quote
That is a good sign of bladder stones that she could have developed while preggers. A trip to the vet is needed for this kitty too
Subject: Re: Cat Question
I have a friend who has a cat that is eighteen or so. She has always used her box, until recently. Now when she has been left alone for a while, she waits until my friend and his wife return home and then gets under the dining room table, even on top of it sometimes, and relieves herself. The only thing they can figure is that she is doing it for spite from being left alone. Cats, it seems, have feelings too. :P
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Our family adopted a Siamese cat. The cat would do her business underneath my sister's bedcovers. One day my sister came home from school and found the cat did her business underneath the bedcovers. Goodbye cat…
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
I have a friend who has a cat that is eighteen or so. She has always used her box, until recently. Now when she has been left alone for a while, she waits until my friend and his wife return home and then gets under the dining room table, even on top of it sometimes, and relieves herself. The only thing they can figure is that she is doing it for spite from being left alone. Cats, it seems, have feelings too. :P
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I think that is true..our two cats are little brats. If we go out for the night and decided to stay over a friend's house, usually I discover that one has puked on our bed and the other has done her business on the bathroom floor. It's like they team up and plan it that way. 'That'll teach them for leaving us for the night!'
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
Our family adopted a Siamese cat. The cat would do her business underneath my sister's bedcovers. One day my sister came home from school and found the cat did her business underneath the bedcovers. Goodbye cat…
End Quote
I thought for the longest time that the kittens were urinating on all my stuff because I had seen Elsa using the litter box but I hadn't seen the kittens do so very often , but after the kittens were gone I noticed that things were still being soiled. My mother doesn't seem overly upset about it, which I'm glad, because I doubt many folks would want to take in a cat with problems like that, but with the bladder stone suggestion Southernspitfire said , I will ask my mom to take her to the vets to see if that is what's causing it. I'd hate to think she was suffering all this time :(
Subject: Re: Cat Question
She was at the vet about 5 weeks ago, and she checked out okay (cept for a bladder infection that we cleared up with medication). I moved into this place last August, and her box is now in a closet. She's been pinching loaves in the closet for the most part, but not right over the edge. I think she's turned into a two box cat in her dotage. I've read somewhere that you should count on having one more box than you have cat, because some cats like to do number one in one box and number two in a different box. I got a new box when I moved here, if that matters. And, she won't do it in the box even when it's freshly changed.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Twenty is indeed quite old for a cat. I agree with what others have said about senility. I don't know about the "not making it in time" theory, as you said that your cat will go #1 in the box.... :-/
Subject: Re: Cat Question
My cat doesn't make #1 on my clothes like he did when he was a little younger. I'm just worried about him going in the neighbor's yard and meowing for no reason. Or the time he slept under my sister's car as she was pulling out of our garage and hitting his head, fracturing his skull and jaws. That's why we keep him in the house and not let him run around outside. :-/
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
My cat doesn't make #1 on my clothes like he did when he was a little younger. I'm just worried about him going in the neighbor's yard and meowing for no reason. Or the time he slept under my sister's car as she was pulling out of our garage and hitting his head, fracturing his skull and jaws. That's why we keep him in the house and not let him run around outside. :-/
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Hey, I had once had a cat that would pee all over my husband's hockey gear! You think he was trying to say something?! ;D ::)
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
Or the time he slept under my sister's car as she was pulling out of our garage and hitting his head, fracturing his skull and jaws. That's why we keep him in the house and not let him run around outside. :-/
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Wow, he survived that? Tough cat.
Steve,
My cat was 15 when she died. She started having the same problem about a year or so before she died. My suggestion would be to take her back to the vet and give him the specifics. I hope your cat is ok.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Yes, believe it or not, Dagwood. I thank God for his healing, even though it required his head and jaws to be wired together and for him to be fed and liquided by a syringe. And I paid $500 less than the $1,200 I was quoted for the surgery and wiring. I guess we're doubly blessed.
Quoting:
Wow, he survived that? Tough cat.
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Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
Hey, I had once had a cat that would pee all over my husband's hockey gear! You think he was trying to say something?! ;D ::)
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Yes!!! Urine is a universal language. A guy at work moved in with his girlfriend and her two cats started to pee on his chair and his spot on the sofa. Terry, the girlfriend, has a veternary degree and even she wasn't able to change their behavior. Goodbye two cats...
(btw, I suggested he pi$$ in the cats' food dish months before the cats got the needle.)
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
...I got a new box when I moved here, if that matters. And, she won't do it in the box even when it's freshly changed.
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A-HA!!!
You moved, and bought a new "commode" for the cat at the same time. You have confused her, and possibly insulted her too.
Moving to a new home is stressful for pets of any age, and it's more intense the older they get. She's likely mad at you.
Do you still have the old box around by any chance? If you do, try going back to using that for a while. Then gradually re-introduce the new one.
I once had a similar problem when I changed what brand of litter I use. I went back to the old brand, and gradually mixed in the new (cheaper) brand each time I cleaned the box. They got used to the new stuff, pretty quick; and as aggrivating as it was, it sure beat picking up "accidents" from the three cats I had at the time.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
A-HA!!!
You moved, and bought a new "commode" for the cat at the same time. You have confused her, and possibly insulted her too.
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Hmmm.... twenty years ago I would have written a snippy "excuse me" reply, but you're probably right. You know, cats have an uncanny sense of what's insulting and what's not, what's proper behavior and what's not.
For instance, it's "wrong" to give her a sparkling new pee pot with a snap lid, but it's "right" to wake me up at three o'clock in the morning to fill the water dish. It's "wrong" to try to stop her going in and out of the covers for the seventeenth time when I'm trying to sleep, but it's "right" sharpen her claws on everything but that $40 scratching post I spent a week rubbing catnip onto.
Someone needs to write a serious cat etiquette book.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
A-HA!!!
You moved, and bought a new "commode" for the cat at the same time. You have confused her, and possibly insulted her too.
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I don't know if I buy that; Steve said he moved, etc, in August 2001 (not 2002), and indicated as if she's only recently started doing this. Of course, maybe he meant she started doing it in Sept 2001. Clarification?
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
I don't know if I buy that; Steve said he moved, etc, in August 2001 (not 2002), and indicated as if she's only recently started doing this. Of course, maybe he meant she started doing it in Sept 2001. Clarification?
End Quote
Whoops, my bad. :-
EXCERPTS FROM A CAT'S DIARY
DAY 752 - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.
DAY 761 - Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded; must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair...must try this on their bed
Subject: Re: Cat Question
I like the diary excerpts, Xena.
She didn't start doing it immediately after the move. But, about 4 months ago the box didn't get changed in a timely fashion and it was a little rank. She pooped out of the box and pretty much has been doing it since. It's almost like she said to herself "Hey, I don't have to do nasty in that thing. What a fool I've been all these years."
Although I still think Xena's right -- she resents the new box something fierce.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
This is kinda out of left field, and if I'd been a bit more awake I'd have mentioned it sooner...
Have you tried taking the top off the box? Maybe she bumps her head when she's trying to use it? I just realized the box I have now is one of those odor-reducing covered thingys, which never worked that way 'cuz my rather large male cat couldn't fit comfortably inside. He'd use it for #1, but the "mess" was concentrated in one area.
After I took the top off, things gradually got back to normal.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
It's just an around-the-rim lid, Xena, not a hood. And she's only 3 pounds, so she fits into anything.
The last time I tested a new litter I got the crystals, which were awful. A lot more expensive and not what they're advertised to be. They were supposed to "evaporate" urine when stirred daily. When I changed it after three weeks (it advertised it lasted a month) I about fainted.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
I found this link and thought you might be interested.
http://www.feline-behavior.com/html/wizzin_.html
I did have a cat with the same problem years ago. He would actually try to use the litterbox but the problem was that he couldn't aim very well and usually would do his business just outside of the box. Very messy and :-X to clean up I must say. The only way I had solved the problem was allowing him to use the bathroom outside. No more litter boxes!!!!
Subject: Re: Cat Question
She won't poop outside in Minnesota in the wintertime, IslandGirl. I don't blame her... I wouldn't either.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
She won't poop outside in Minnesota in the wintertime, IslandGirl. I don't blame her... I wouldn't either.
End Quote
I forget that some people actually live in cooler climates. :-[ ;D
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
Our family adopted a Siamese cat. The cat would do her business underneath my sister's bedcovers. One day my sister came home from school and found the cat did her business underneath the bedcovers. Goodbye cat…
End Quote
...check out my pic and comment underneath. 'nuff said.
Phil
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Is your cat remembering how to poop inside the box yet?
Subject: Re: Cat Question
No, she's not, RiceCube. I think those days are long past.
She's been on a three day catnip binge, so her spirit is pretty high.
Does catnip make big cats, like lions and tigers, weird too?
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
Is your cat remembering how to poop inside the box yet?
End Quote
You should be proud to have a cat who thinks outside the box :D
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
You should be proud to have a cat who thinks outside the box :D
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Heeheehee..... well, as long as she thinks outside and tinkles inside the box, I guess I agree
Subject: Re: Cat Question
If I got a cat, what kind should I get? ???
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
If I got a cat, what kind should I get? ???
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Persian cats are awesome. Calicos are really great too and cool lookin'. :)
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
If I got a cat, what kind should I get? ???
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If I was doing it again, I'd get two cats from the same litter. I've always felt guilty that this one has spent so much time alone.
And, (just me and I know some people feel different), I would get them from a shelter and I would declaw them. You can get rescued adult cats, but if you haven't had cats before I wouldn't go that route. If you declaw, you almost have to keep them inside all the time.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Best place to get cats in out so some box in front of the grocery strore or a kitten from a shelter. You can get adults there too but I dont recommend over two years old and check out there behavior closely. Dogs you can kick in the teeth one minuet and the next they come crawlinig up to you begging for love and forgiveness, cats you can raise you voice at once for being on the counter and your shoes are never safe again. >:(
ALso, i had a cat that, I swear, had a bad trip on cat nip, who was a really cool 8) and mellow, but man, it was like he was doing a double hit of 4-way windowpane. :o
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
If I got a cat, what kind should I get? ???
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I agree with Hairspray. Calico cats are gorgeous. So are persians, but they also shed alot. Then again, if you really don't want to worry about fur then get one of those hairless cats. ;D
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Those hairless cats are great, the best time to get them is at aboout 6 months.
1st thing to do is feed them really well for at least 3 weeks, make sure there food isn't full of additives and preservatives.
Next step dont let them eat for 48 hours
Get a big broiling pot going with 4 cups water,1/2 chopped red onion and some fresh minced garlic,
Then..... h'mm hey wait, what board is this ??? :oI gotta go, bye.
Quoting:
I agree with Hairspray. Calico cats are gorgeous. So are persians, but they also shed alot. Then again, if you really don't want to worry about fur then get one of those hairless cats. ;D
End Quote
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
If I got a cat, what kind should I get? ???
End Quote
I got my two kitties from the animal shelter. Sometimes you can get purebreds there as well, but they may cost a bit more than a regular adoption. I feel good knowing I saved two homeless kitties lives and they seem to be forever greatful that I rescued them.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
...persians, but they also shed alot.End Quote
Not much if regularly brushed. ;) :)
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
If I got a cat, what kind should I get? ???
End Quote
Definitely go the route of adopting. Lots of the bigger pet stores do adoptions on the weekends. Or go to the shelter. I've always adopted or found my cats. If you can, make it an inside only cat. It's so much safer and healthier for them. We have no options in that department because of coyotes.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
I would advise against getting one from a pet shop and get one from the local animal shelter or look for ads for free kittens in your local paper. There was once a pet shop in the mall and it was later revealed that when people bought pets there, they died quickly because they were mistreated; and a lot of these pet shops get their animals from puppy and kitten mills, places where overworked females are kept pregnant so that their offspring would be sold at these pet shops; and if they survive, these animals would be hateful towards their owners!
Subject: Re: Cat Question
I agree with most everyone else, adopting at your local shelter is the best bet. They often have kittens, and purebreds.
I would avoid pet shops, not ony because they have been known to mistreat their larger animals (dogs & cats) but in my area at least, it is very common to find the animals have been inbred for several generations or have other hereditary problems.
Adopting at a shelter is cheaper than buying a purebred by several hundred dollars. Pet-quality purebreds, (not good enough to compete in a show, but nothing wrong with them) can go for $300+. I have yet to adopt a cat from the shelter that cost me more than $100, including spaying (most shelters will insist you spay or neuter).
Long-haired cats are really soft and cuddly to pet, but you MUST brush them every day.
As a teen, I had a mixed-breed long haired calico cat. She was the most beautiful cat in the neighborhood, but when I forgot to brush her, she got mats and clumps in her fur, which I had to cut off. Trust me, dreadlocks do not look good on cats. ;D ;D ;D
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
Those hairless cats are great, the best time to get them is at aboout 6 months.
1st thing to do is feed them really well for at least 3 weeks, make sure there food isn't full of additives and preservatives.
Next step dont let them eat for 48 hours
Get a big broiling pot going with 4 cups water,1/2 chopped red onion and some fresh minced garlic,
Then..... h'mm hey wait, what board is this ??? :oI gotta go, bye.
End Quote
BOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Subject: Re: Cat Question
We adopted our cat from a veterinary clinic when we first moved here. When I walked in I saw a cage in the front window that had two young cats in it. I immediately feel in love with one of them and did what I needed to do to be able to take her home (which was basically have the vet give her a physical exam and booster shots). She's now 8 years old, very healthy, and the most affectionate cat I've ever had! ;D
Subject: Re: Cat Question
My brother was the first in our family to adopt a pet from a shelter and I saw that his 3 pets turned out to be really good pets. Our local shelter made you sign a contract saying that you would spay or neuter your pet within a certain amount of time. Upon adoption, they'd give you a voucher for a free post-adoption exam so you could get shots and set up an appointment for the op. If you didn't comply, they had the right to take the pet back. I never heard of anyone actually having a pet reposessed for that though.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Methinks I'll wait till I get a bit more $$$ before I decide where to find a cat from. Many thanks for the suggestions :)
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
Long-haired cats are really soft and cuddly to pet, but you MUST brush them every day.
End Quote
If I was buying a cat for the first time, I'd keep in mind that long or short hair is a fairly major decision. Long-haired kittens are cuddly, long haired cats are shedding factories. Even brushing them daily isn't going to stop them from shedding. My sister has a Maine coon who has to be shaved every spring because of hair knots. The cat was one of three rescued adult cats.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Two of the cats I had as a child/teen were mixed-breed, with one of the parents being Maine Coon. They both had very long hair, but didn't shed as much as the pure-bred Maine Coon parent did.
The cat I have now is half-Siamese, and I can tell you that it is true what they say--Siamese are very, very "talkative". Lots of meows, yiks, omms, Meeees, and other assorted cat words. All at the loudest possible volume. :-/
Subject: Re: Cat Question
My cat doesn't shed that much. On the other hand, my sister's black cat sheds a good chunk year round.
(BTW, Steve, what's with the font?
Quoting:
If I was buying a cat for the first time, I'd keep in mind that long or short hair is a fairly major decision. Long-haired kittens are cuddly, long haired cats are shedding factories. Even brushing them daily isn't going to stop them from shedding. My sister has a Maine coon who has to be shaved every spring because of hair knots. The cat was one of three rescued adult cats.
End Quote
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Font was papyrus, IG.
I adopted a 30 adult male siamese years ago. The only cat I was physically alert to (not scared, but you know what I mean). He vocalized everything. That's another consideration, I guess. I'd rather not listen to a cat 24/7.
One other thing... My sister's Maine coon is deaf, which is less uncommon for that breed than some others. It's the nicest feeling cat in the world, and despite a rough childhood (rescued from a garbage house), just an affectionate rag doll.
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Is that similar to Persian?
Quoting:
Font was papyrus, IG.
End Quote
Subject: Re: Cat Question
Quoting:
Methinks I'll wait till I get a bit more $$$ before I decide where to find a cat from. Many thanks for the suggestions :)
End Quote
LOL, know what you mean. I bought Science Diet for my two..and that's quite expensive..Some weeks the cats ate better than I did!
Subject: Re: Cat Question
I know that sciece diet cost. I had two cats that were happy with whatever was on sale, then I aquired a temporary girlfriend who fed her cat sci-di, my cats quickly discovered the new food and WILL NOT EAT ANYTHING ELSE- EVER AGAIN! Seriously, I tried this other high cost food that was recommended and that didn't eat for 3 days, they would just look up and mew at me with pleading eyes. It's good food though, they are very healthy with beautiful coats and never a problem with "litter box" things. It's usually in low $30s for a 20 lb bag.
Quoting:
LOL, know what you mean. I bought Science Diet for my two..and that's quite expensive..Some weeks the cats ate better than I did!
End Quote
Subject: Re: Cat Question
This one is on Purina NF. It's for kidney failure, and I suppose they prescribed it for her because of her age if nothing else. It's about a buck a can. The good thing is that it rests easy on her stomach, which has always been a problem. It seems like you can only get it through a vet, though, which I don't understand.