Expert: Jessica - 11/5/2009

Question
I was looking at some of the responses for this.  I have already started my cat (not a specific breed) on a good food (no fillers, sensitive on stomach) and changed to distilled water, which has helped (very, very little throwing up now).  NOW he doesn't want to DRINK the distilled water - like he thinks it's something else.  He's getting in the sink and tub to lick it and trying to drink the dog's water.  I know he'll drink tap water if I give it to him, but I really don't want him to start vomiting again...  Any suggestions?

Additionally, he seems to 'forget' (he's 9) that he has a litter box.  He doesn't seem to be spraying (we dealt with that when he was younger), he just will sometimes urinate on the floor - NEVER defacates - and if I catch him scratching and yell his name, he runs for the litter box.  Help...  We only have one cat - keep his litter box pretty clean and it is private for him.  We have an English Mastiff, but he doesn't bother the cat.

I will add here that this cat and his 5 siblings were dropped off at our house in June, 2000 - at about 3 weeks old, so they were weaned from mommy way to early - not sure if that has any bearing on his behavior and/or stomach issues.

Thanks in advance!

Julie

Answer
Hi Julie.  Surprisingly, a study was recently performed to determine the drinking habits of cats.  Cats were offered bottled water and tap water, and every cat in the study consistently drank from the bowls of tap water!  Researchers aren't sure why, but the preference seems clear.  

Did you eliminate tap water before or after you changed his diet in order to control his IBD?  I wonder how much bearing the water actually has on his stomach issues.  You certainly don't want to set him back with his progress, but cats who don't drink enough are at risk for other health problems, like bladder infections, crystal formation and eventually kidney disease, as I'm sure you are aware.  Perhaps giving him water using a Brita filter would be a decent compromise.  Cats also tend to be more interested in moving water, so you may want to think about purchasing a Drinkwell pet fountain for him to use.

With his decreased water intake and his increased urinary accidents it would be a good idea to have him checked out by the vet.  A urinalysis will let you know if there is anything to worry about healthwise.  If so, treating the problem should solve the behavior.

You may want to try adding another litter box to the home, perhaps in a different location.  It's usually recommended that there be one box per cat, plus one extra, so two for your household.  You could try a different style of box and see if that would encourage him to use it any more than the other.  My cats generally prefer open litter boxes for urinating and hooded litter boxes for defecating.

There is also a litter on the market called Cat Attract, formulated with herbal attractants by a veterinarian to encourage problem cats to use the litter box.  100% litter box usage is guaranteed, or your money back.  There is also a Cat Attract additive that you can use with your own litter, but it must only be used with unscented clumping litter, since the product works by scent, and pine/wheat/cedar and scented litters interfere with this.  You can find a retailer at www.preciouscat.com  The products are also available at many places online, although the actual litter is prohibitively expensive to ship.

I think the fact that he was separated from mom so young could have to do with his litter box issues, but hopefully you will be able to address this with the Cat Attract, as this is also a good litter for kitten training.

Good luck!

Jessica