Expert: Norman Auspitz - 1/4/2010

Question
Hello,

I've had my cat for maybe 12-13 years, ever since I was 6-7 years old. I am currently 19. Her name is Angel and she is a mixed Maine Coon breed with a fairly nasty attitude, somewhat like her mother (myself :3) Well several years ago I moved out to live with my "father" and I had to leave her behind. I'd come and visit her on the weekends and spend as much time with her as I could. My mother told me that she started peeing on clothes and the rugs on the floor. Especially towels and blankets. For a while we thought it was just a phase. I ended up moving back in a few months later and quickly found out that no matter how many times we squirted her with a water bottle on the butt, she won't stop going potty on the clothes. After a while we started trying to make sure anything fabric was not on the floor but then she started getting in baskets and on the couch, peeing on those as well.

Well, she got an ear infection due to wax build up but we never thought about asking about the potty issue. My cat was under enough stress as it is and we couldn't/can't afford it if anything else is wrong with her. The issue stretches a bit. She now has a litter box downstairs and upstairs in my room, along with a water bowl in my room for when we go to bed at night. Recently she started to lose a lot of weight, really quickly. She used to weigh a good 13 lbs and now she weighs 7-8 lbs. She isn't really thin but the weight fell off really quickly and her sides shrank in a bit instead of being bulged out like a fat kitty's stomach should look. She is now somewhat bold about peeing on clothes and we've found out she only pees on things that have my scent on it. (As of the last few months that is) A few weeks ago she peed on my jacket that was on the floor and even though I was right beside her, telling her to NOT do it, she did it anyways and walked off like it was no big issue.

She has also become very verbal when you touch her, almost as if you are hurting her and we're (me and my mom) are starting to worry something may be really wrong with her. When she was a kitten she wasn't very verbal. It took a lot to get her to talk but now, she just chats it up. But when you pick her up, it's different. She sounds like you are stepping on her tail or paw and it makes you feel like you did something really bad, because of the "way" it sounds. She has also been having these really weird dreams, where she wakes up snarling and hissing. Sometimes we have to wake her up because we think something is wrong, she will even scratch the couch and kick in her sleep, as if she is attacking something or fighting. On several occasions, she will wake up and cry, then come and sit in someone's lap and snuggle with you, mainly myself but sometimes my mom. It's really starting to worry us.

So I'm wondering.. is something really wrong with her, does she need to go to the vet or is it she is just getting old?

Thank you~

Answer
Rayne,

Yes, Angel sounds quite ill.  It may be because of her advanced age. It sounds to me as if she is waking up in pain.  It could also be all of her bad litter pan habits are due to urinary tract infections.  So, I would take her to your vet to see what may be going on.

Please let me know what you find out.

Best regards... Norm.