Expert: Jessica - 3/5/2007

Question
i've had my cat for 4 years now and she has all of a sudden quit using the litter box, my husband wants to get rid of her but i'm trying to find another solution...
we had added an extra litter box, have not changed the litter and tried giving her extra attention, please help

Answer
Definitely get her to the vet.  The main reason for this is a urinary tract infection or stones/crystals.  Infections are cleared with antibiotics, and stones or crystals are prevented with diet.  If large stones are found, surgery may be needed to remove them.  Bladder cysts, polyps and tumors are possibilities, too.  There is also a disease called idiopathic cystitis.  This is an unexplained inflammation of the bladder that causes pain and sometimes blood in the urine.  This is difficult to treat, but a special diet and sometimes steroids can be useful.  Good part is, most cats only have periodic bouts of this and return to normal most of the time.

If she's given a clean bill of health, I would recommend you try a litter called Cat Attract.  It's designed with herbs to draw cats who have not been using the box consistently back to the box.  They also sell the herbs only now, so you can add it to your own litter if you prefer.  Their site is www.preciouscat.com  There is a retailer locator on the site, but many smaller pet stores who sell it are not on there, so call around.

If all else fails, consider putting her on an anti-anxiety medication.  For litter box issues, Prozac proves most effective, followed by Clomicalm.  These can usually be discontinued without a relapse after 4-6 months.  There are some less expensive drugs too, but they can have side effects that should be monitored, and they are more prone to result in a relapse when discontinued.