Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)/my cat's being stubborn

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Expert: Dear Tabbi - 12/26/2008


Question
Well i have had my cat daisy for 11 years .. When she was younger she would always use the litter box .. and i noticed when she was about 7 she would start peeing around my parents house .. for the longest time i thought she was just spraying because we had other cats and they always used the litter ..or it was because they weren't always cleaned to her liking .. but then i moved out and it was just her now .. She will go poop in her litter box but pisses in the hallway all around her litter box .. and when i catch her and rub her nose in it she will piss in my bathtub once and then goes back to pissing in the hallway .. her litter box is always clean .. i just don't know what to do anymore .. please help

Answer
Kelsey,

Don't ever rub her nose in it! That WON'T help, and it can even make it worse, especially if she can't help it.

At 11 years old your cat is approximately 60 years old in human years. At that age things start to slowly go wrong. I would guess that she either has a urinary tract infection, urinary crystals, or kidney problems. All are painful when she pees, so a cat will associate that pain with the litterbox and go elsewhere.

Don't get upset with her. Take her to a vet that specializes in geriatric cat care and conditions (not all vets do). She needs to have an 'older cat checkup' to check the function of her thyroid, kidneys, and liver. If she has a urinary tract infection she can be given antibiotics for it. As a cat ages this checkup should be done about every 6-8 months. In doing that, a lot of age related problems can be caught early. They can be given treatment or medication that can continue their quality of life and ease any pain, and give you more time together.

Being prepared and knowledgeable about elderly cats will make things easier for the cat and for you. I am including some very good links about elderly cats. Copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar:

http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html

http://www.messybeast.com/towards-end.htm

http://www.2ndchance.info/oldcat.htm

I hope this helps...and Merry Christmas!

Tabbi  

Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)

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Dear Tabbi

Expertise

My expertise is in helping people understand their cat (or cats) and their behavior. Questions are welcome even if you don't have a cat....just a question about them. Hopefully my experience, suggestions, and comments will be of help to you...and your cat (or cats). Looking through my past responses to questions will give you additional information and/or answers too. Domestic Cats = cats (no matter what breed) who are tame or not wild, or abandoned cats who were pets that became wild, but can be tamed again. Ferals = cats who are born with one or more parents who were wild stray cats. They usually have had no interactions with people. They have an inbred distrust of humans and are difficult to socialize. They are skittish, hide, and are afraid of people. They take a lot of time and patience to work with them. A lot of kittens from shelters had a feral parent.

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Since I was a child, over 45 years, I have been owned by a LOT of cats and kittens of almost every temperament, behavior, and personality. I have had experience with neurotic, disabled (including blind), stray, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats and research has taught me. I also have experience in feral cat behavior (which is different from domestic cats), and some experience with feral colonies that includes colony feeding and feral cat TNR (trap/neuter/release).

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