Expert: Dear Tabbi - 3/27/2009

Question
I have an 11yr old male cat. We lived in the same house for 10 yrs. Then I moved 3 hrs away but during the moving process he stayed with a friend of mine who didn't care for him like I did. When I finally got settled and moved with them.. I have two, female is still doing fine and she's 9 1/2, he got really sick, Had tons of tests done and they couldn't find out what was wrong. Finally he got better but now they have both stopped covering their poop.
They cover their pee, but not their poop. I have 3 litter boxes for them and keep them pretty clean most of the time. I have tried leaving the lids off, no help, leaving them on, no help. Changed their litter several times thinking a new one might be better but nothing is working.
I am lost for what to do next.
I have looked up online what could be the problem and not having any luck what so ever.
HELP!!!!!


Answer
Kevin,

Your male is approximately 60 years old in human years and the female is almost 56. At that age there are a number of age-related problems that can start that are caused by stress, in your case the move, a new home, staying with someone else, etc. Older cats do not take stress and change like a younger cat can. It can affect them emotionally and physically (as you saw with the male). They get confused more easily by sudden changes or events, and it takes them longer to 'get back to normal' when something does occur.

Age and stress can also bring on kitty Alzheimer's. It makes the cats behave in a bizarre manner. It could be pain from arthritis too.

In the wild the dominant cat will not cover his feces. It is a show of dominance to the others. Only the secondary cats will cover their feces. The male may be sending the message that HE is the dominant cat in the family and, if that case, he will NOT cover it up. Doing so would be saying that he is not the dominant one anymore. But it  is unusual for the female to be doing it too unless she is copying him, or trying to be the dominant one in the new home.

I would suggest finding a vet that specializes in geriatric cat care and their conditions. Not all vets do, which can be detrimental to an elderly cat. The cats should have an "older cat checkup". They check the function of their kidneys, thyroid, liver, etc. These checkups should be done every six months when you have a geriatric cat. If caught early some conditions can be treated with medication, especially medication for arthritis or other pain, which will ease any discomfort, and extend their quality of life.

Being prepared and knowledgeable about elderly cats will make things easier for the cats and for you. For future reference 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

Don't get angry with them. They probably can't help their behavior and it is as confusing to them as it is to you. They need your reassurances and love now more than ever with everything topsy-turvey
in their life. Be patient and understanding with them, just like you would an elderly grandmother who behaved in a strange way. Someday you may wish they were still here not covering up their poop! When you have elderly cats sometimes you need to make concessions, and make allowances for their age and age-related ailments and behavior.

I hope this helps.

Tabbi