Expert: Jessica - 7/13/2010

Question
QUESTION: hello my name is Ashley and i have a 9 year old cat. She is very stubbron!
my problem with her is that she isnt pooping iv been cleaning out her litter box for the last 3 days and have discovered no poop.....lots of pee but no poop iv surched around the house and nothing .....and to my knowledge there has been no cries of trying to poop im really confused and i dont want to go to the vets just yet. anything at home i can do to help?

ANSWER: Hi Ashley.  You can try giving the cat a product called Laxatone or Petromalt.  You can buy them at most any pet store.  They're gels that come in a tube and are labeled as treatments for hairballs, but they will help with mild constipation, too.  An adult cat who's constipated should usually have 5 cc's (that's equal to 5 ml's or one teaspoon), given by mouth.  Most cats won't lick it voluntarily, so you will have to feed it with a syringe.  

However, if it doesn't produce a bowel movement within a few hours, I would strongly recommend getting her to the vet.  Severe constipation can start to become toxic in just 4 days.  If you get her to the vet and the vet tells you her bowels are empty, you know she is hiding it on you somewhere!  But there is also the possibility something is very dangerously wrong.

Good luck!

Jessica



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: just this past week or so my cat is being a scardy cat, and loosing her fur. I see clumps of fur every where but she doesnt have any buld spots.
also she likes to stay in the basement and when i bring her upstairs she gets mad and bults like crazy to get down stairs this is not like her. i feel like she has done something bad upstairs just the way she has been acting. is this normal?.....this is the first summer upstairs.

ANSWER: Losing a lot of fur can be a sign of stress or fear, and given her behavior, I would say that's what her fur loss is related to.  

Because cats don't understand the difference between "good" and "bad", they don't have a sense of guilt.  But they will associate an area with punishment.  If you happen to be scolding her for any behavior she is engaging in upstairs, stop doing this immediately.  This could be the reason she prefers to be down in the basement so strongly and the reason why she fears being upstairs so much.  If there is something she's not allowed to do upstairs that's frustrating you, better to just let her stay downstairs where she's happier.  If you'd like help trying to train her out of the behavior, I'll see if I can give you any pointers if you send me details in a follow up.

Sometimes cats will just be so used to one territory, like the basement, that they’ll be opposed to exploring another, like the upstairs.  If she had initially seemed happy to be upstairs but now seems stressed out about it, it’s likely that she had a negative experience.  Perhaps the area is too busy or noisy.  Are there other pets she may have had a run-in with?  Maybe she sees neighborhood animals out the windows that startle her.  Even everyday things like a running dishwasher, vacuum, automatic air freshener or sirens that go by on a busy street can alarm a sensitive cat and cause her to seek refuge in the basement.

Try to encourage her to spend more time upstairs by adding in some really positive experiences.  Feed her extra special treats such as small helpings of chicken or turkey baby food or boiled chicken breast, or delicious canned food.  If she enjoys brushing, use a gentle brush to have grooming sessions in a quiet room upstairs each day.  Catnip is a treat enjoyed by most cats that is safe, but to be sure it doesn’t lose its effect, reserve it for use just a few times a week.  A pot of cat grass might also encourage her to visit upstairs.  Just make sure she doesn’t over-indulge, as this can cause vomiting.  Some play with a laser pointer or a ribbon or feather wand is another time your cat can look forward to upstairs.  Play is so appreciated by cats that a recent study suggested that it may be the most compelling reason for cats to continue to visit an environment.

Good luck!

Jessica



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you jessica for all your help the last 2 days iv been trying to get my cat upstairs and she has been comming up a bit more. the only time i have ever gotten her in trouble upstairs is when she pees on my carpet but she has been doing that since we moved upstairs and since i got an area rug in the living room .....now i have cleaned it and scrubbed it and she was still peeing there but i put babypowder on the spot and i check it everyday and there has been no pee at all ......so do you think she is mad that she cant pee on my carpet and being mad at that?

Answer
She is probably more afraid of the fact that she was scolded, and she doesn't realize what for.  Rather than associating the scolding with bad behavior, she associates the scolding with being upstairs.  It's also possible that the inappropriate bathroom behavior itself was brought on by something she feared upstairs.

But now that the bathroom behavior seems like it's under control, and now that you're aware that scolding doesn't correct behavior in cats, hopefully you can move on.  Negative experiences can be left behind if you start creating positive experiences in their place.  

I definitely don't think she's upset that she's not allowed to pee on the carpet, just afraid she's going to be scolded.  So just reassure her she's not going to be scolded - even if she DOES have an accident, don't raise your voice.  Just clean up the accident, and be absolutely sure she has a quiet, convenient place to potty, where she doesn't feel threatened by household traffic or noises.  And just as importantly, make the upstairs a place where pleasant things happen.  Delicious meals and playtime should make happy memories that will have her spending more time with you upstairs.