Expert: Jessica - 7/12/2010

Question
I have an 11 year old male cat that is completely grey, I just noticed that his gums are turning black. He has also been drinking a lot of water and not eating as much as before so he's been losing some weight. For more than 6 years he seems to do his business outside of the box and my vet told me to have 3 litter boxes and to use unscented litter. Even when it's clean he still goes somewhere else. A while ago my vet put him on antidepressants and said it was physiological. Would you have any ideas or suggestions. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Chantall,

Your cat definitely needs to see the vet.  Eating and drinking less, as well as weight loss, are sure signs of illness.  In an older cat, kidney failure is a common cause.  But a long-standing infection could be a possibility, too.  Another possible concern is cancer.  Cats can get melanoma that starts in their mouth, which is characterized by black areas on their gums or palate.  Melanoma then spreads to other organs such as the lungs and brain, where it causes bigger problems.  This is when you will see the cat losing appetite and weight.  However, not all black spots in the mouth are caused by melanoma, and some are just normal pigment.  Be sure to have it checked out right away, but don’t think the worst just yet.

As for his bathroom problems, I would consider trying a different medication.  It’s possible that his medication is causing some nausea, which may be the underlying cause of his appetite loss and weight loss.  I recommend having some blood work done to see if any other causes of nausea are found, such as kidney or liver disease or very severe hyperthyroidism.  If nothing is found, perhaps a change in medication will help, and it may help his litter habits, too.  Fluoxetine (Prozac in the U.S.) is the most successful and tends to have the fewest side effects, but this isn’t true with every cat.  You can also choose from buspirone, clomipramine and amitriptyline (this one seems to cause the most stomach upset, in my experience).

You may also want to try using a product called Cat Attract.  This is an herbal attractant that was created by a vet to encourage problem cats to use the litter box 100% of the time.  It’s money back guaranteed.  See www.preciouscat.com to learn more.  You can either use the litter, or if you can’t find it, you should be able to find the litter additive on a website to have shipped to you.  It’s to be used with unscented clumping litter.

Best wishes!

Jessica