Expert: Tina - 4/2/2004

Question
Hi Tina, My male cat (Ozzy)has been going potty in my home and he smells like urine too.  Ozzy just started doing this approx. two months ago, we do not keep a litter box in our home they go out side, (they being sissy ozzys mom,and cinny bear sissys brother). Cinnybear has been fixed, and sissy is going to be fixed as soon as she has her litter of kittens  we cannot seem to catch her in time to get spayed because she is always with babys and nursing.  Ozzy has been acting very sluggish lately, laying around more than usual and in my room only. A couple of weeks ago he came home with a terrible wound on his face, so we took him to the vet, and they fixed him up and sent him home with antibod. His wound has healed up and I stopped giving him the antibodi.. We had this stray kitten come around that we took in for a week, now the kitten has gone to another home. Ozzy has been meowing weird at me, and it just seems like he is very depressed or does not feel good. His nose is dry and warm also and he smells real bad (strong urine) I am going to have him fixed within the week. Is Ozzy sick or could it be behavioral? I am really concerned with him smelling like he peeed on himself..and the dry warm nose. Thank You, Sincerly Stephany  

Answer
Hi Stephany,

You need to bring Ozzy to a vet immediately. He probably has a bladder infection but he could also have a urinary blockage or kidney problems. Bladder infections and blockages are very painful and can make him very very sick if left alone. Kidney problems will get much worse and can kill him. He is trying to tell you something is wrong by urinating in the house he has no other way to tell you! Also un-neutered males will spray in your house to mark territory, but given his sluggish behavior, I am certain this is a urinary tract problem. Take him to the vet first thing in the  morning!

The vet will run a urinalysis to check for these problems. They may will find that she has a bladder infection and prescribe a course of antibiotics. Make sure you give her all the pills if they are prescribed - if you stop early the infection can come back even worse! Also if left untreated a bladder infection can spread to the kidneys and make him very ill and cause permanent damage to the kidneys.

The vet may also recommend a special food. If s/he doesn't give a
prescription diet then I recommend
Wellness (http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com)
Nutro Max cat (http://www.nutroproducts.com)
or Royal Canin Adult formula (www.felinenutrition.com)
for your cat. These foods are more expensive per bag than cheaper ones but
your cat doesn't need to eat as much of it since it's high quality meat
with less filler (that means less ends up in the litter box as waste
too!). These foods are shown to produce an acidic urine which reduces the
incidence or recurrence of bladder infections.

While your cat is recovering from the infection, make sure you clean all
the soiled areas thoroughly with Nature's Miracle - an enzyme cleaner
available at many pet stores which breaks down cat urine at the molecular
level so cats can't smell it (and neither can you!). That's important
because if she smells urine there at all she will go there again. You need
to soak carpet or furniture with Nature's Miracle and leave it to dry. If
you are not sure where all the smells are coming from, try using a black
light (available at many pet stores for this reason) with the light out
scan the area with the black light and contaminated spots will glow. Just
washing the cover won't be enough, the cats can still smell the
pheremones.

Also, you should always have a litterbox inside even if your cats go out, because they will hold on when they don't want to go out (like in the rain) and holding urine in can lead to problems like bladder infections.

If your cat is ever acting different or lethargic, you can bet he is sick, and taking him to the vet right away can save his life and also will cost you less than treating a more serious condition caused by letting things slide. Cats can't talk and tell you they don't feel well!

You should also have him neutered right away, and whoever adopted the stray kitten should also get him or her spayed/neutered ASAP - it can be done safely as young as 8 weeks. Spay and neuter costs can vary widely around the country and from vet clinic to clinic. To get certificates for low cost spay and neuter, visit http://www.spayusa.org By spaying and neutering the stray cats in your neighborhood you can help prevent the flood of sickly and unwanted kittens. there are many groups that trap, spay/neuter and release "feral" cats (cats living wild) all over the USA. You can read more about these programs at http://www.alleycat.org or http://catnet.stanford.edu - you may be interested in joining such a group in your area!

I also feel the need to warn you about the danger of letting your cat
outdoors, especially at night when he is in more danger from
cars and attacks from roaming cats, dogs and wildlife.  I grew up on a
farm miles from the closest road and we had 3 cats hit by cars, one
dragged himself home and died on the way to the vet on my lap - a memory
that will haunt me forever. Cats allowed outside are subjected to danger
from cars, wild animals, contagious diseases, poisoning from rat poison
and other materials, nasty cat-hating neighbours, and the list goes on and
on. Fights with other cats that can lead to diseases such as FIV, Feline
Leukemia, and abscesses from infected wounds.

You may want to consider building a cat enclosure. These things are great
because they give the cat fresh air and the feeling of being outside
without all the dangers! You could install the cat door where she'd have
access to the enclosure. It could be small and cheap or large and
elaborate whatever your budget and desire allow. If a cat enclosue is not
an option for you, you can convert your cats to indoors-only.  Millions of cats live lon healthy lives indoors. Following is some info:

More info on cat enclosures:

Build your own
http://www.just4cats.com
http://home.earthlink.net/~tonks3/pets_outside2.htm
http://www.catfancy.com/catfancy/enclosure.asp

Pre-Built
http://www.cdpets.com/enclosure.html
http://www.cde-animalcages.com

Also, articles about indoor-only cats, how to covert your indoor-outdoor
cat to an indoor-only cat:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/indoors.html

Good luck!

-Tina