Expert: Ali - 5/31/2009

Question
Hi. I have been a cat owner since I was 10 and I'm now in my 50's. I own 2 cats. One is a short haired silver tabby (6 years old) and the other is a long haired silver tabby (going on 20 years). The older one was born in our home and we kept him because he was slow to learn to eat from a bowl. (funnily enough as soon as we made that decision he ate on his own fine!) As you can imagine they are very much a part of our lives and would be sorely missed (I have even been given instructions by my 27 year old son who lives a thousand miles away that if the older one needs to be put down he wants to know so he can fly home) My problem is this. "Larry" (the older cat) has always been a fastidious cleaner. Never had a problem with him not using his litter box and when he went outside always used the same part of the garden. Every year they have had their shots and checkups. About 2 years ago Larry was diagnosed with a thyroid problem. He lost a lot of weight and is quite underweight. However he is on a medication that has kept him fairly stable. His vision is going and he is becoming quite deaf. He is slow to move  around and needs help sometimes to get up on the couch. He loves to be with me and whenever I sit down he has to be beside or on top of me. I have asked the vet several times if he thinks he is in pain but believes he is not.He does think however that I should put him down as he is older and his weight is low. I don't know if I can do this and I know my kids cannot (even my husband who "claims" he hates cats cannot). However for some reason, Larry will use the litter box to urinate and then will jump out and poop somewhere else in the house! We will find poop everywhere! The minute I walk in the house when I come home from work you can smell it. We've tried to "retrain" him and have even put down newspapers in parts of the house he seemed to favor. He now has no favorite spot and just seems to go anywhere. What we don't get is that he will make the trip to the litter box to pee and then purposely get out and poop either on the floor beside the litter box or just go somewhere else in the house. As much as I don't want to use this as a reason to put him down I might have to. My house is beginning to really smell and it's just not sanitary. We all love him dearly but the problem is escalating. Do you have any suggestions? Do you know why he would use the litter box for one thing but not the other? Any help would be greatly appreciated P.S. we keep the litter box clean so this cannot be the reason.

Answer
Loree,

I would like to start off by saying that I think the issues you're experiencing with your elderly cat can be fixed and I don't really feel that he should be euthanized simply because he's elderly and getting frail, if he's still living a good quality life and enjoying his time with you there's no need for euthanasia. I usually recommend euthanasia for cases where animals are terminally ill, seriously injured and finances come into the picture in terms of being able to afford treatment - in my opinion euthanasia is meant as an act of mercy not to do away with elderly animals who are still enjoying life.

At 20 years old your cat is roughly 96 years old, this can mean that he's got less control over his bowels than he did when he was younger, although I'm pretty sure it's not an issue of control but a need for more litter pans that's got this kitty pooping outside of the box. I suspect your older kitty is trying to tell you that he wants to use one litter box to urinate in and another to defecate in - it's not all that uncommon for cats to want that. You can try offering a second or third litter box - I normally suggest one litter box per cat plus one, if your house is large, has multiple levels I'd suggest one litter box per cat plus one. It's also best to stick with UNscented clumping kitty litter to avoid kitties having accidents because their noses are overloaded in the litter box. Lower dust formulas are good options as well.

An older cat can sometimes get constipated more frequently than younger animals, the house soiling may have originally been about painful BMs - you could try giving him a tsp of butter or a dose of commercially available hairball remedy or vaseline or you can give him about a tbsp of pure canned pumpkin daily which will help alleviate any constipation issues he may be experiencing. At his age I'd suggest that you consider modifying his environment if he must walk up/down stairs to get to the litter pan. He may require a larger litter pan with lower sides if he's arthritic or just feeling his age.

I would also recommend that you consider feeding your elderly kitty a diet of high quality canned food such as Wellness or Spot's Stew by Halo -these are both holistic foods made with human grade ingredients and after the Menu Foods recall (and subsequent ones) I only feel comfortable recommending those two foods or a properly balanced homemade diet such as the one described at catinfo.org. This will help to keep your little old man's kidneys functioning well and prevent dehydration, and canned foods are closer to what cats would naturally eat in terms of water content, consistency, etc. I do recommend gently heating canned/homemade diets by placing them into a ziploc bag and floating them in a cup of hot water, that allows the cat to eat more comfortably and doesn't destroy the nutrients in his food.

To remove the odor from accidents around the house I suggest using an enzymatic cleaner, it contains beneficial bacteria that digest stains and odors from urine, feces, vomit, etc. The one that I use is available at Petsmart, it's called Petzyme. I'd suggest buying it in the gallon sized jug found in the dog section because the last time I checked it was cheaper on a per milliliter basis that way. This cleaner works wonderfully to clean up hairballs, it's also great to clean up human accidents so I keep some on hand all of the time. If you can't find Petzyme you can go to just about any pet supply store and go into the puppy section, enzymatic cleaners are made under many different names and are often marketed to help clean up puppy messes during potty training. I'd suggest staying as far away from excessively perfumed products as possible as they can make the problem worse if your cat is sensitive to perfumes, and many are - their noses are so much more sensitive than ours.

Since I'm not sure I'll be in touch with you beforehand I also wanted to pass along a piece of writing that will hopefully offer some comfort when it's time for your kitty to leave this earth.

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.

There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Take good care of your cats and be sure to let me know if there's anything else that I can do to help you out.