AboutDear Tabbi Expertise I try to help people understand their cats and their cat's behavior.
I do not answer questions about pedigreed cats as mine are, and always have been, from questionable parentage. Please remember I am NOT a veterinarian.
Experience At the current time I have 13 cats. All are spayed and neutered!
Since I was a child I have been owned by lots of cats and kittens of almost every temperment, behavior, and personality. I have experience with neurotic, disabled, stray, feral, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats has taught me that I want to share.
Question Hello, I’m really hope you can give me some advice. I have a 6 year old, male, DSH cat, with all claws, completely indoor. He’s started having UTI issues at 1 ½ years old. He has been a medical nightmare with it and has had the surgery to widen his urethra. After messing with diets and such we’ve got his PH under control, he gets 3 ammonil (dl-methionine tablets, 200mg) a day. ANYWAY. Since he’s started with the problem he’s would miss the litter box a few times. I never worried about it, it wasn’t his fault that he’s got such a screwed up bladder. But now that we’re completely in control of his PH he’s still missing the box. It seems like he’s marking. He’ll go anywhere, but his favorite spots are my dog’s bed and toy box, and my husbands cloths, and his side of the bed. We’ve been ‘crating’ him since November 2007, he only comes out when we are watching him. Even when he’s locked in his crate he would go in his own bed. Now my vet has got him on Amitriptyline and it’s helped very little. My vet keeps upping his dose but it doesn’t seem to help. I do that the feliway plug ins. Some people say they work, some say they don’t, but I figure it can’t hurt. I’m desperate. Please any advice? (Getting rid of his is not an option for me.) Thanks!
Answer Janine,
I'm sorry for taking so long to get back to you. Since I do not answer cat health questions, due to the fact I am not a vet and I do not want go give any incorrect information, I wanted to put your question to a friend that has worked with a vet for 17 years and is very knowledgable. She also has a cat and dog health website (www.Dogandcathealth.info). I was waiting for her response before I replied to your question. She was kind enough to take time to send a reply to forward to you:
"A cat that has been crated for that long likely has has some severe behavioral problems do to stress. If she is not and has not cleaned with a feline odor eliminator, and that includes mattress and pad the the cat can still smell his urine and will continue to use the same places.. Thats pretty likely since most people don't clean adequately. They clean to the point they can't smell the urine but only feline odor eliminators work for cat urine and they are specific and have to be used exactly..
If the cat is still urinating off the side of the litter box..that is not behavioral..medical more then likely and related to chronic condition. She said this cat was male but did not say if it was neutered . The objects of his urinary soiling seem to be other objects of her affection and I think cats are capable of that. so there appears to be both a medical and behavioral issue and both need to be treated. And both have to be correctly treated and cleaning incompletely is part of the behavioral one. A water gun, balls of tin foil to keep the cat off of the thing he is urinating on. Load noises when he approaches them..all these things have worked..The cat has no quality of life crated when he soils his cage as well..she needs to consider euthanasia if she has no other options she find acceptable. She can seek the help of a board certified veterinary behaviorist and get a second opinion on her cats urinary treatment..those are the things I would recommend since crating the cat for so long will have made more behavior problems and upped his stress level. The most important aspect of long term treatment for chronic urinary cats is lowering the stress..not increasing it."
I hope you find her answer helpful and informative.
I personally, would take the cat to a different vet for a 'second opinion'. Different vets have different training and experience in certain health issues, and another vet may have a different opinion on your cat's condition, or have a different method of treatment. I would 'shop around' for a vet that specializes in cat urinary problems.
The kitty is not 'marking'. It is common behavior for a cat that has, or had, urinary tract infections to avoid the litterbox. Urinary tract infections are very painful and the cat associates the litterbox with that pain and goes other places. Give him an alternative. You may want to try a puppy pee-pad. Sometimes that will work out for cats who avoid the litterbox.
When he pees on things, instead of in places, he is telling you he is very stressed and upset. That is the only way he knows to tell you. Don't ever scold him for it! That will only confuse and stress him more. If you love your cat as much as it comes across that you do, you will make concessions and allowances for his condition. It may be more work for you, but would you do any less for your grandmother or a child who had mental or physical problems? Would you lock them in a room because of it? Your cat is a much a member of your family as your two legged members and deserves the same love, patience, understanding and compassion.
Crating the cat is not good for his emotional well-being. His behavior is not his fault. He may think he is being punished and he has no idea why. It is confusing, stressful, and depressing to him. Peeing in his own bed is proof of that. Since he has previously been allowed his freedom, spending most of his time in a crate, which would cause behavior and emotional issues by itself, will intensify the issues he already has. A cat is an animal, he is not meant to live in a cage. Putting him outside would be preferable to his living in a plastic 'tomb'. Don't take offense but that is my personal opinion.
Suggestion: keep your bedroom door closed so he can't pee on the bed. Keep clothes off the floor. Put the toybox up, or use a different kind of container. You did't say, is the cat neutered? I would think that he is, but if not, get it done right away!! If he is not neutered then that would definitely be part of the problem.
There is an herbal product that is commonly used for stress reduction, called Bach's Rescue Remedy. It is available at many health food stores. You add several drops of the liquid to the cat's drinking water. Here is a link about it: http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm
Also there is Feliway spray and Feliway plug in defusers. The scent has calming properties and reduces stress in cats by copying the relaxing pheronomes that cats produce from rubbing their faces on things. You can get it at PetSmart/Petco, etc., a vet's office (they use it too), or on-line.
You may want to talk to your vet getting a prescription for 'kitty Prozac'. It is a popular treatment for calming cats and relieving stress related emotional problems.
For further information here are some links to articles about improper elimination:
(copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)
Until you can get a professional cat urine neutralizer, I am including a 'home remedy' cat urine cleaner and odor remover which I hope will be helpful.
HOMEMADE CAT URINE REMOVER
1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon of liquid soap
Gently mix all ingredients in a non-metal container. Do not mix or shake vigorously! The mixture is best used when fresh but can be stored. DO NOT keep mixture in an airtight container as baking soda and hydrogen peroxide when mixed together release a lot of oxygen and can cause an explosion.
The recipe is effective because the reaction from mixing hydrogen peroxide and baking soda produces large amount of oxygen. The oxygen molecules bond to the thiols, breaking them up into carbon dioxide and ammonia which evaporates quickly thereby effectively neutralizing the thoils and their foul-smelling odor.
Always check for color fastness as hydrogen peroxide can be a bleaching agent. If you don't know where an odor is coming from you might need to use a small battery operated blacklight called a 'Stink Finder' (PetSmart, Petco, etc.) at night to find the soiled areas.
HOW TO REMOVE CAT URINE ODOR FROM CARPETS
FOR INDIVIDUAL URINE SPOTS ON CARPET:
If fresh, sop up as much cat urine as you can with a paper towel first. Use a spray bottle to saturate the spot completely with the recipe - do not blot. The recipe must penerate the padding and possibly the floor boards underneath, where the urine has penerated for it to work. Wait 24-48 hours until dry then vacuum. If the urine odor is still present - repeat the procedure. It usually takes 2-3 applications to completely neutralize the cat urine odor.
FOR LARGE AREAS OF CARPET:
You can use a carpet cleaning machine using the recipe instead of the shampoo. You will need to make several gallons of the recipe depending on the size of the carpet. Don't use the vacuum part of the machine - you will want to let the solution soak and dry for 24-48 hours before vacuuming. Most carpet cleaning machines are not made for this use and baking soda can clog the nozzles of the machine.
A 1 gallon garden bug sprayer (Home Dept., etc.) works great too. Rinse the nozzle out frequently by filling the tank with hot water and spraying it in the bathtub. If using the sprayer, saturate the entire carpet with the recipe, let dry for about 24-48 hours, and vacuum. You will have to probably repeat the procedure again. Areas heavily saturated with old urine may take 3 applications over a week.
If the cat urine is old and dried, the smell will probably be worse a day or two later. This is because you are rehydrating the uric acid crystals in the urine to neutralize them. The smell will get better with each application!
MATTRESSES:
You must saturate the spot throughly to get deep down into the padding and springs to neutralize the urine. If the cat has urinated alot in one spot, the mattress can be soiled all the way to the other side! Let the area dry for 24-48 hours without bedding then reapply if necessary.
SOFAS:
The same directions as above but always check for color-fastness in a hidden area before using. Cotton is used in alot of upholstery fabrics and is easily bleached. If your sofa pillow cushion covers can be unzipped and taken off (must be color-fast and washable) you can put them in the washing machine using the instructions for clothing and bedding.
CLOTHING, COMFORTERS, AND BEDDING:
Put the items in the washing machine and pour in enough of the recipe to cover throughly. This might take a few gallons depending on the size of the load. Soak for at least 24 hours. Rinse and rewash using normal washing detergent. If any of the odor is still present, soak again for 24 hours, rinse and rewash.
A small area on a comforter can be spot treated by saturating the area throughly, letting it dry for 24 hours, then washing the comforter normally in the washer with detergent. Always check for color-fastness before using.
AREA RUGS:
They can be spot treated with a sprayer or put in the washer. Test for color-fastness before treatment.
HARD SURFACES:
Spray or mop the area soiled with the cat urine. Saturate it completely and let the area dry for 2-3 days.
I hope this reply to your question was helpful. Good luck with your kitty and I hope his condition and behavior improves soon. Keep me posted on how he is doing.
