Expert: Ali - 10/7/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

About 2 months ago I adopted 2 adult cats from an animal shelter, and I have
been having a huge problem with one of them - she keeps peeing on my
bed. I have tried just about everything - citrus scented sprays, changing litter
(not abruptly) to wheat litter, feliway spray, moving the litter box (I have 3
boxes for the 2 cats), cleaning the litter box after every use, placing her in
the litter box, rewarding her with treats when she uses it... the litter boxes
are not covered and there is one in each room of my condo... feeding her on
the bed, playing with her on the bed.
I have an inkling that this may be due to the fact that she is declawed. I have
never adopted a declawed cat in my life (nor would I ever have that procedure
done). I believe that this was done when she was spayed (as a kitten?). She is
3.5 years old now.
When I brought her home, she was very sick (terrible ear mites that went
untreated for 1+ years, URI due to both chlamydia and herpesvirus, etc.)
and is still being treated for URI (L-Lysine and Doxycycline, including a
tetracycline eye ointment). However, now that she is feeling better, she
seems to be peeing on my bed more often! Often meaning every other day, if
not daily. However, her nose is still a little stuffy. The fact that it has already
been two months since I brought them home, makes me think it isn't the
stress from that. It breaks my heart, because I know I will not be able to keep
up with this long and do not want to have to put her down in the next couple
of years - especially since she is healthy and happy. Any suggestions? Does
this sound like anything in particular? Some more criteria follow. Thank you!

1. She only pees on the bed
2. It is a lot of urine, so it seems to not be spraying (and it really doesn't
smell as bad as when a cat is actually spraying)
3. She pees in different spots on the bed, and has done it when I am home,
not home, when I am sleeping (never on me)
4. The other cat gets playful, but doesn't bother her hardly at all.
5. There is a litter box next to the bed
6. I have cleaned each area thoroughly (with enzyme cleaner) after each time.
7. She does still use the litter box (including urination)
8. I am a graduate student so my routine stays relatively constant, and I am
home working often
9. litter is unscented, and I use unscented, dye free laundry detergent/dryer
sheets
10. "her room" is my bedroom. It remains calm, and again, she is hardly, if
ever, bothered by the other cat (who I adopted at the same time)

I am stuck and getting very tired of washing laundry daily.
Thank you so much again for any input you can give!

ANSWER: Sarah,

This kitty does have a legitimate medical issue going on here. It's reasonable to assume that she is used to having some degree of discomfort when she urinates due to the fact that her UTI was allowed to get so severe. It's quite possible that your cat has come to associate the litter box with pain which could partly explain why she is using your bed as a litter box. It may be well worth it to consider picking up a large plastic tarp to place on the bed when you aren't there to watch this little girl. Sometimes partially crumpled tin foil works well to deter cats from house soiling. It may be well worth it to try other designs of litter box or litters that contain attractants in them just to see if that makes any difference. If at all possible a trip to a holistic vet would be a good plan. Holistic vets are trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more forms of alternative medicine such as homeopathy, acupuncture, or even massage. I can tell you from experience that a holistic veterinarian looks at the whole animal and their habits and behaviors rather than just medicating to treat symptoms that can be explained medically. Cats are sentient beings with thoughts, emotions and individual personalities so a purely medical approach isn't necessarily the most effective way to treat a cat - at least in my opinion. You could certainly try adding a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences designed to calm and reassure. Rescue Remedy is a very safe and useful tool - in fact it's used worldwide by some veterinarians and pet parents to treat varying types and degrees of anxiety and fear. A holistic vet may very well suggest a number of specific homeopathic remedies or treatments that would be helpful in your cat's situation. In the meantime a trip to your local home health care or medical supply store would probably be a good idea. I would recommend that you consider investing in reusable or disposable pads designed to protect bedding and furniture from accidents related to incontinence. Washing one or more incontinence pads would certainly be less trying than washing your bedding daily. It's also a good idea to try and keep up with the enzymatic cleaner so that your kitty doesn't make mistakes based solely on being able to smell remnants of her last accident. I use an enzymatic cleaner called Petzyme which is well priced, has so far been safe to use on my carpets and upholstery, is very effective and comes complete with instructions as to how much you would need to add to a load of laundry. I found Petzyme at Petsmart, it does come in gallon sized jugs which cost around $25 CAN. It's also important to consider the possibility that it may be in your best interests to confine this kitty to a room that's easily cleaned like the bathroom when you aren't able to supervise her. If you do decide to confine this cat to your bathroom it's important to be sure that each time she is in the room she has all of the usual kitty necessities (food, water, toys, attention, a litter box, a cozy place to sleep). Another important option that you can look into is the possibility that your vet may be able to provide your cat with a medication that may be helpful when it comes to reducing the accidental peeing outside of the box. Have you discussed the fact that this kitty is still having issues with urinating outside of the litter box with your family vet? It seems to me like you are doing all of the right things and that you have done your research on the issue at hand. I think that it may be a worthwhile option to speak with your veterinarian about the possibility of re-testing the cat's urine to see how things are progressing. If the urine test comes back normal or close to it I would recommend that you ask your vet about the risks and benefits of anti-anxiety medications for your cat. These medications are often tiny doses of human anti-depressant/anti-anxiety drugs. These drugs are quite effective for the most part. I do think that it would be wise to do your research and make sure to ask your vet about any possible risks or side effects associated with using these medications, as they are psychotropic drugs. I would be very interested to hear updates on how things progress, what works, and of course how this little girl is doing...

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: That is great advice, thank you so much. I do not know if this makes a
difference, but she had an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) not a Urinary
Tract Infection (UTI), does this make a difference with anything you
suggested? I do plan on taking her back to the vet for a urine test (she tested
negative the first time) if this doesn't get any better, but a holistic vet sounds
like it would be worth a shot, too. Thank you!

Answer
Sarah,

Sorry about the confusion...It can be a bit hard to type accurately when there's a cat who insists on inserting herself between me and the keyboard! It's quite possible that your kitty has abandonment issues - especially since life in a shelter environment is often a very stressful experience for a cat. This type of issue may respond quite well to Rescue Remedy or one or more other Bach Flower Remedies. You can often find Rescue Remedy in health food/natural health stores and retailers that carry Bach remedies often have a wheel or booklet that matches symptoms to the appropriate remedy. I have had great success with Bach Remedies for the most part and in my opinion it's not a bad idea to try them prior to considering the use of psychotropic drugs to deal with a cat who urinates in less than appropriate places. I am wondering about a couple of things and they may make a difference in how to best deal with this kitty and her issues. Do you know whether or not your little girl came into the shelter as an owner surrender or a stray? If this kitty came into the shelter as an owner surrender, were you able to get any history at all as to why she was being surrendered? Have you had this kitty's blood and urine tested to see that everything is functioning normally and that there is no medical reason for this issue? Sometimes low grade chronic bladder infections can develop and not be really all that obvious to a human caregiver because cats are well known for not showing signs of physical illness or pain unless things are already quite serious. If your cat was fed a poor diet prior to coming to live with you it's also quite possible that she has crystals in her bladder and/or urinary tract which is quite a painful condition that often requires sedation and inserting a catheter into the bladder to flush the stones out using sterile saline. I always recommend that medical reasons for behavioral issues be ruled out prior to making the assumption that the issue is purely behavioral. As for all other suggestions that I provided in the previous answer everything remains the same. Sometimes litter box design does make a difference - you may want to consider adding one or two litter boxes of different designs to the open ones that you currently have. I usually recommend that there be one litter box per cat plus one, that's just in case you have a more dominant cat who is bullying the other cat or the cats simply like to urinate in one box and defecate in the other. I would think that having one extra litter box for a total of four in all is worth trying - just to see if that makes any difference in the issue you are having with inappropriate elimination. My philosophy when it comes to a cat that's going outside the box is to try and get things back on track as soon as possible so that everyone in the household is happier - whatever the species. If you try having four litter boxes and that does work you may have to consider keeping all four, even if the cats only use two or three.