Expert: Jessica - 11/24/2010

Question
Hello.  I have a 17 year old female house cat.  She was diagnosed about a year ago as being hyperthyrodial.  My concern is that lately she has been urinating on everything.  She does still use the litter box, but if there are clothes or rugs on the floor she will urinate on them.  Today she stopped and defecated on a shirt I had on the floor!  This behavior is HIGHLY unusual for her as she has always been meticulous about her bathroom habits and has never, not even when we were on vacation, gone outside the litter box.  My litter boxes are clean, I clean them daily to every other day.  Nothing in her routine or care has changed, no upheavals, no new additions, nothing.

I am sort of at a loss with her now and am wondering if we need to consider euthanizing her.  She is deaf ass well and is losing weight.

What are your thoughts on this new behavior?  It seems to be getting worse as the days go by.  I thank you for any information you might give.

Holly

Answer
Hi Holly,

It's possible that this is a behavioral issue, but it's also possible it could be caused by some health problems.  I would encourage you to talk to the vet about it.  Some cats won't use the litter box if arthritis is making it hard for them to get in and out of it.  Pain medications and glucosamine supplements can help with that, as can providing a shallower box.

Since your cat is still losing weight, it would be a good idea to have her thyroid levels checked again, and also to see how her kidney values look.  Sometimes correcting thyroid disease can unveil kidney failure that was artificially controlled by an overactive thyroid.  Kidney problems can cause weight loss as well as excessive urination, which can lead to incontinence.  This wouldn't explain her inappropriate defecation, though.

Another problem she may be suffering from is Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, which is similar to human Alzheimer's.  Litter box problems are a major complaint.  Cats can also be depressed, neglect grooming, cry at night, fail to recognize familiar people, become disoriented, and have unprovoked aggression.  There are treatments, such as Anipryl and NoviSAMe.  Many cats respond favorably to these.

She may just be developing anxiety in her old age, due to her deafness and other old age changes such as diminishing sight.  If the vet feels it's strictly behavioral, I would recommend considering an antidepressant.  There are many to choose from, and if she's bad with pills, they can generally be compounded into a transdermal gel (your thyroid medication might come this way).  This is a cream that gets rubbed into the tip of her ear.

Good luck!

Jessica