cat herder needs help!
June 17, 2007 by thinking girl
so, as some of you may know, I am a cat mom. My baby-girl is very pretty and sometimes quite lovable, but she is extremely ill behaved. And I am thisclose to losing my patience, opening the door, and letting her go outside, forever.
My cat is not very nice in general, doesn’t like to be handled etc. But lately, she seems to be pissed off that her mom needs to work for a living, and has been taking it to the floor, so to speak. I don’t think she’s used her litterbox once this week, perhaps week and a half.
I can’t live like this. I have taken her to the vet for bloodwork and she is perfectly healthy, so there is no physical reason for my living room, bathroom, and entryway to have become a giant (well, not so giant, rather tiny, but you know what I mean) cat urinal/poop deck. I have changed her food to one for sensitive digestion, given her lots of attention, given her an homeopathic remedy for anxiety in her water, and keep her litterbox clean as a whistle. I do not punish her, unless I catch her in the act, and then only by spraying her with water - I don’t even yell at her. She’s getting old, it’s true, but she’s perfectly healthy, so I really can’t justify putting her down for a problem like this one.
So, peeps, what can I do about this problem? I simply cannot live with it anymore. Please help!
Cats will keep spraying in places where they have sprayed before, even after you clean the area and can’t smell is anymore (they can). Lots of pet supply places sell cleansers with special enzymes. I’ve also heard that putting mint in the area, or spraying it with mint-scented liquid helps because cats really don’t like the smell. If your cat sprays on fabric, you’ll probably need to have it dry cleaned (one of my cats really enjoyed spraying on my curtains).
Thanks debbie - mint, good to know! cleansers with special enzymes - excellent!
I had a female cat that would spray while she or her sister was in heat. Spaying completely solved the problem, but before then, my vet recommended Feliway.. I don’t think it’s one of the cleansers-with-enzymes that debbie mentioned, but it’s a pheromone spray that will supposedly keep her from spraying specific areas. Other than that, I don’t know… my mom has a male cat that acts out like that when he is trapped in the house for long periods of time - he likes to roam. Maybe your girl could be an outdoor cat by day, and come in at night?
We used to spray cat repellant on the couch where our old cat used to pee. Worked like a charm. Although, if there’s more than one place the cat pees… well, I can see how that might not work so well!
On that note, I will be following these comments closely, as we have a pooping cat over here. We have two cats and are not quite sure which one is pooping although we have theories. And like you, we took both our cats to the vet to get a full work up and there is NOTHING medically wrong with them!
Do you have a covered litter box? My grandmother’s cat wouldn’t do it in the litterbox if you paid him until they got him a covered one. Mind you, he’d done it in the litter box perfectly fine hundreds of times before.
It could be the type of litter you use. Is it too hard? Try finding a litter called Yesterday’s News, it’s made of newspaper and is very gentle, we used that for years without a problem. Now we’ve switched to a sand-like type that also seems to work (save for the pooping on the floor issue, they don’t poop exclusively on the floor though).
Cats and their peculiarities is probably who we learned to protest from, noone is better at protesting and winning than a cat!
Good luck!
PS: Sorry for the long rambling comment!
My brother got married to this lass from aussie land. Hes moving there in a few months. Anyway he needs to work in london (i stay in scotland) to get money to move there so he asked me to look after his cat for 2 weeks and then he’d get her off me. That was 2 months ago, and this cat likes to pee all over the house no matter how often i clean her tray. I went out with a few friends from university and i got a whiff of my clothes and realised that the cat had peed all over them, and i spent the entire night trying to keep at least 10 feet distance away from everybody else. It was most embarressing and i just had to own up to the fact that my clothes were stinking of cat pee.
I like cats, but im not fond of my brothers one.
tanglethis - yes, Feliway - they use this at my vet’s place in all the exam rooms, and when I took my little pisser in a couple weeks ago, she curled right up next to it. She seemed to really like it a lot, and it did certainly calm her down. Only problem is, it’s bloody expensive! The plug ins cost about $95, and then it’s $55 for refills. However, if this continues, she’s getting one, because I can’t stand the rotten little brat doing this anymore.
She is spayed. I’m hesitant to make her an outdoor cat at all, b/c she used to be one and seemed to like cars - she got hit by a car years ago! little girl survived, but had extensive surgery.
Ali - sorry to hear about your pooper. I almost wouldn’t care if she pooped every day, so long as she never peed. But she’s doing both. It’s the pee that really gets me riled.
Yesterday’s News… I’ll have to look for that. She LOVES newspaper, so that might work out well. I don’t have a covered box, but she used to have a cover, so maybe I’ll take a look around for it and reattach it. It might just help matters.
I did try one litter type that was eco-friendly and flushable, but she didn’t like the smell or something. *sigh* they are so fickle and difficult sometimes! I’m getting a dog as soon as this cat dies. At least you can train a dog. (not that I”m waiting on her to die, that sounds mean, but still.)
don’t worry, that wasn’t even CLOSE to being a rambling long comment!
stixzz - ah, that really sucks, man. sorry for your woes with the cat! hopefully it won’t be too much longer. I think sometimes cats have separation anxiety, and tend to act out when their favourite people aren’t around them anymore.
I dated a girl once who had a similar problem, and as far as we could tell, it was sort out of spite or anger. Her schedule changed, and she moved to a new apartment right around the same time, and the cat was very unhappy about this, and took to pooping on the floor. Eventually, after he got more comfortable at the new digs, he stopped. So, with any luck, maybe it’s just a phase he’ll get out of?
I was going to say something really smartypants and suggest that you give her to the White House as a special present for Baby Doc and Laura Bush; with any luck, she’ll fertilize the Oval Office and reveal its REAL state of affairs!
Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.
On a more serious note: she might be quite lonely. If she’s used to you hanging around, it may be a *very* serious trial for you. Maybe get her a kitten? Don’t know if that’s the right thing to do…maybe talk to the vet about it. When I had two cats, my older Siamese got diabetes and had to (sadly) be put down two years later; she was survived by her mate Pesty the longhair, who got *very* mopey and even started wasting away. He perked RIGHT up, though, when I got a new kitten. He quit wasting away and got healthy again. Just a thought…this may or may not work, but it might be worth a try.
stixzz: red vinegar! Wash your clothes in RED (preferably apple cider) vinegar. Takes the smell right out!
People:
red apple cider vinegar is excellent for taking out smells, but be aware that you have to SOAK the carpet and pull it out, getting underneath it to the hard flooring, because the cat urine **will** penetrate and continue to leave a scent until you take it away. Also, try the cleansers with enzymes–they are also highly effective. Truthfully, I recommend hitting the area with red apple cider vinegar *first* and then in the next cleaning hit it with the cleansers with enzymes. (Nothing succeeds like excess.:))
Are you still moving to TO? She might just be sensing some big change in the air; in that case, anxiolytics won’t be enough. My guess is that it’ll pass with the help of some sort of routine that involves pampering her more than usual.
In the mean time, I’ll go with the cleansers…
Hi, I’m delurking for a few minutes to comment.
When I first got my cat I came across the aspca’s website where they list 20 reasons why a cat “lapses” in using it’s litter box and it’s helped me:
1. The cat is suffering from a medical problem involving the urinary tract.
2. The cat experiences a bout of geriatric constipation.
3. The caretaker does not keep the box as clean as the cat wants it to be.
4. The owner changes the brand or type of litter.
5. The owner changes the location of the litterbox.
6. The owner switches to deodorized or perfumed litter.
7. The owner buys a new box and throws out the old one.
8. The owner cleans the litterbox with too harsh a cleaning product.
9. The location of the litterbox is too busy or not private enough for the cat.
10. The home is too large for just one litterbox.
11. The cat inadvertently gets locked out of reach of the litterbox.
12. The cat is kept from using the litterbox by another animal in the house.
13. There are too many cats and not enough litterboxes.
14. There are too many cats and not enough territory.
15. Stray cats can be seen/smelled near the cat’s territory.
16. The unneutered male cat has come of age and is marking his territory.
17. The unspayed female is in heat and advertising for suitors.
18. Over time, the cat has developed an aversion to the texture of the litter.
19. The cat was never properly trained to use the litterbox in the first place.
20. The cat is stressed by a change in routine or environment, including a new baby, new furniture, work schedule changes, vacations, overnight guests or a move.
I hope that helps a little in figuring out what the problem could be.
Hi all,
thanks for the advice and for thinking this through with me! This morning I picked my kitty up and physically put her in the box, and then she went. And the clouds parted, and the light shone down, and the angels sang.
Let’s hope tomorrow proves to make a pattern!
Such a small thing to add, but here goes.
I’d been having trouble with my cat-beast too, same way, and the vet recommended some sort of feline-pheromone plug-in or spray, that basically puts the same stuff that they get when they rub their cheek pads (like kitty endorphins) so that they’re happier kitties.
I didn’t try them, unfortunately, but I thought I might pass that along to you.
I also took the lid off the formerly covered litter pan, and that helped.
I hope things are going better in that department for you and kitty.