Expert: Norman Auspitz - 12/13/2011

Question
Hello-

I'm kind of at my wits end here with my daughter's cat.  She has a four year old female domestic short hair, that was fixed and front declawed.  We adopted her at about 7 weeks.  We initially had some issues with her litter box training, but have had NO issues there in 3.5 years.  We recently moved into a new home, then adopted a dog.  We are in the process of training the dog (8 yrs) and I know at first Nala the cat was livid the dog was there.  She was raised in out home with one other senior cat and an older dog, but both animals were gone a year ago.

We've tried to make sure Nala has a safe place where the dog is not allowed, she is fed away from the dog, and her litter was placed in the laundry room, with a cat door so she had privacy and quiet.

About three months ago, she began urinating in one corner in my living room.  Then she began defecating there.  I thought it was about the dog, so I stepped up efforts on controlling the dog and giving the cat her time and space.  I eventually realized that this behavior is NOT normal for Nala.  She's very laid back and easy going, and is meticulous about her litter box.  I took her to the vet where they found a pretty bad UTI.  We put her on antibiotics, and for five days we had no incidents of her urinating in the corner.

The Christmas tree went up, and it started again.  Constantly.  I am treating the spots with Nature's Miracle, and I wound up moving her litter box upstairs, in the hallway, around the corner from where she's going.  I continue to treat with the Nature's Miracle, but I am at a loss.

What now?  I've called the vet back, and they haven't returned my calls.  Is there a more homeopathic method for ridding the carpet of the scent so she doesn't return there?  I know the carpet will have to be pulled, I just don't have the money right now.  Any other thoughts on what I can do to help alleviate the issue?  She's typically a great cat, but I'm done with this.

Thanks-

Holly

Answer
Holly,

You are correct, this is not normal behavior. I believe there are a couple of things going on. I am not sure 5 days of antibiotics is enough to treat a UTI, but I am not a vet. It also depends on how strong the antibiotic is. In addition, her condition is exacerbated by all the changes to the household involving Christmas decorations, including the tree.

Have you changed type or brand of litter, lately?

I believe that another vet checkup will be in order and a return to normalcy of the household after Christmas will help.

I would go back to either a pet supermarket or a farm store and see if there is another product for getting rid of pet stains and pet odors.  In the past, we have used vinegar (cats tend to not like the odor). You can also tape some aluminum foil to some of the areas she likes to visit that she should not. You can add some Cat Attract to her litter pan. You might also confine her until you know she is over the UTI. Like human bladder infections, they can be a bit hard to get rid of.

Please let me know how you make out.

Seasonal regards... Norm.