Expert: Ali - 9/14/2008

Question
Hello,
I have a pure Persian cat that is 5 years old.  I have recently found out from a
vet that he has colitis, although I do not yet know the cause as this vet was
not helpful in the least.  My cat (Beppe) usually uses his litter box, but
sometimes he poops on the sofa now.  I am wondering if this could somehow
be because of his fear of going to the bathroom.  When he needs to go to the
bathroom he walks around the house crying and I put him in his box.  He will
go.  Sometimes though he will cry for a little while afterwards too.  
Sometimes the cycle will repeat 20 min. later.  Does this meowing before
having to go mean he is afraid because of pain?  Is that why he decides to go
on the couch if I am not around to put him in his box?  Any other thoughts or
ideas?

Thanks for your help.
Paige

Answer
Paige,

Since I haven't personally dealt with any cats who have colitis my recommendation would be to see about checking with another vet. Sometimes a second opinion can spot something that was missed the first time. If you have the choice a holistic vet may be a good idea because they are trained in conventional medicine as well as alternative therapies including homeopathy, acupuncture and herbal medicine. It's possible that an alternative therapy or combination of conventional medicine and one or more alternative therapies might help reduce your cat's obvious discomfort. As for the pooping outside of the box I am inclined to suspect that he is most likely getting minimal warning about when he needs to use the toilet and he may be experiencing significant discomfort as a result of the colitis. In cases where going to the toilet causes discomfort for one reason or another cats can sometimes associate their litter box with the pain so you may need a behaviorist to come in and help you sort this out after your kitty is medically stable. For now, I would recommend that you clean any accidents up with an enzymatic cleaner and work towards getting this little guy stable. I did happen to find a web site that might be worth checking out - it may help to give you some answers and give you the information that you need to make the best decisions for your cat now and in the future. The web site is www.petplace.com/cats/colitis-in-cats/page1.aspx. Right now the main thing to consider is what the best way to get this kitty stable is, the longer that he is in pain and is pooping outside of the box the harder it will be to convince him to go back to using the litter box because cats are very smart and they learn fairly quickly when it comes to associating the pain they are experiencing whenever they try to eliminate in the litter box....This issue is currently one that requires medical intervention, the only current solution I can offer is to make sure that you have a litter box in every room except the room that this kitty eats in so that a toilet is never far away.