Expert: Dear Tabbi - 5/7/2008

Question
I have two cats.  One who is 10 and one who is 5.  The 10 year old cat has just recently begun pooping on the carpet.  This has happened twice in the last 3 days.  I'm at a complete loss of what to do.  He has never done this before.  I haven't changed any routines.  In fact, this is probably the most stable we have been in the last 5 years.  As we were moving around every year or so before that.  I do keep the litter box in the basement, but thats where it has been with every house.  Do you think it could just be old age?  My Dad seems to think its old age and its time to put him down.  Any ideas?

Answer
Lindsay,

"My Dad seems to think its old age and its time to put him down". Is your dad talking about himself or the cat? As long as they both have a quality of life and a will to live, even though they get old and arthritic, and things can go wrong, both should be given the right to live to a "ripe old age"!

Your cat is 56 years old in human years and probably has arthritis and is having a hard time getting up and down the stairs, or in and out of the litterbox. Please bring a litter box, preferably with short sides on it, upstairs to make it easier on him. If he has pain from something being wrong when he defecates in the litterbox he may go elsewhere because he would associate that pain with the litterbox. There are numerous causes for this behavior, many of them medical, so a cat who has inappropriate elimination should be examined by a vet.

The cat also needs to get "an elderly cat checkup" to check the function of his liver, kidneys, thyroid, etc. At his age things start going wrong. If he has arthritis he can be given pain medicine by the vet.

I am including some good links on the care of an elderly cat and what to expect. If you aren't going to put the cat to sleep for getting old then you may find these helpful for future reference:
(copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)

Older Cat Information:
http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1310&articleid=610

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/seniorcat.html

Don't be upset at him for getting old. Someday you may wish he were still here having accidents. He is most likely confused by his own actions...that he probably can't help...and is embarrased by them.
You need to give him lots of reassurance and love...while you still can.

Tabbi