AboutJessica Expertise I have bred Siamese cats and have years of experience caring for homeless, feral, orphaned, and terminally ill cats. I am knowledgeable in cat behavior, health, history, troubleshooting, breeds, coat patterns and colors, and trivia.
Experience I have extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to at-home medical care to rescuing homeless cats and placing them in homes. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning. I have given supportive care to cats suffering from diabetes, terminal cancer, feline leukemia, feline infectious peritonits, and kidney, liver, and heart failure. I have been through chemotherapy with two of my cats who had lymphoma and have also been through many cutting edge surgeries with my special needs cats.
Question We have two Siamese mixed-breed females, sisters, who we got from the local Humane Society. They are mostly nice, well-behaved little cats. One of them, however, is either retarded or at least a little slow. :-) After moving her bowels in the litter pan, she does not cover the stools up, but instead paws at the sides of the pan, the wall, the floor, etc. It's almost like she knows that she's supposed to do something with her paws after she finishes, but she's not sure just what it might be. Also, she will sporadically urinate outside the litter pan. It's always right in the vicinity of the pan, but not in it. Most times she does go in the pan. If you can shed any light on what her problem is, and maybe a solution, we would be most grateful. Thanks.
Answer The scratching around the box and failing to cover her stool is perfectly normal. My cats did it to the point that they ruined the wall near the litter box from scratching it! We had to replace the dry wall, and then we switched to enclosed litter boxes. Now they just scratch the inside of the box, although they still don't cover their stools.
As far as her urinating, I'd suggest to add another litter box. Ideally, you should have one box per cat, plus one. Three would be best for your household. This cuts down on some of the reasons cats fail to use the litter box consistently - they don't like to share boxes with other cats; they prefer to have a "pee box" and a "poop box" (very common); the box is too dirty for their taste. Some cats will not even use a box if there is one bowel movement in there! Be sure to scoop the boxes at least once daily.
Do you suppose she may be standing in the litter box but not crouching down low enough, and the urine is spraying out of the box? This is common, too, and it's best solved by using a covered litter box, or at least a deep litter box. I really praise the covered litter boxes because they prevent litter from being thrown out, prevent damage to the floors and walls from scratching, and contain waste that may have fallen out of an uncovered box.
These problems can also be due to stress. Urine is full of pheromones, a hormone shown to reduce stress. When a cat is feeling anxious, he may urinate outside the box to benefit from those hormones. There's a product called Feliway that simulates these pheromones and reduces the cat's urge to urinate outside the box. I use and recommend it. It's a bit pricy, but worth it, and it's available in a spray or plug-in diffuser. You can order at www.catcontrol.com, or buy it at pet stores and vet offices.
You also may want to try a new litter called Cat Attract. It is designed to draw back cats who don't use the box consistently, using herbs. Their site is www.preciouscat.com.
You also should clean the accidents up with an enzymatic cleaner. Cat urine is full of fat, which is very sticky. This is why cat urine stains are so hard to remove. Enzymes break down fat molecules to allow for complete removal of the stain. The two enzymatic cleaners I recommend are Nature's Miracle, available at pet stores, and Greased Lightning Orange Blast, available at grocery stores. Unless you remove the stains completely, the cat will still be able to smell it, even if you can't. You may also want to use a florescent black light to detect unseen urine stains. Any urine stains will glow yellow-green.
There are health problems that can cause urinating outside the box, even if sporadically. One of them is called feline urologic syndrome (FUS), or feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD). This is inflammation of the urinary tract, whether it be the kidneys, the bladder, or the urethra. A lot of times, there is no detectable cause. The bladder lining simply swells, is painful, and bleeds. These cases are usually treated with a pain reliever and an anti-inflammatory. Other cases may be due to infection, treated with antibiotics, or urinary tract crystals/stones, treated with a special diet, usually. With FLUTD, there are usually periods of normalcy. Cats will urinate outside the box, or strain in the litter box, or produce bloody urine, during flare ups. You should ask your vet about this. I have three cats with FLUTD, and with a proper diet, they have all gone more than 3 years now without a flare up.
There is a lot to chew on here. I'd suggest a physical at the vet first, just to be sure. And then be sure to remove all stains, and add another litter box. I think your problem will probably be solved.
