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 My cat is 7 Years old. She was a stray that I found on a bridge on a highway. She has been spayed for about 4 years now. Over the last couple of months she has begun to urinate on things such as clothes, my bed, shoes or whatever. What has caused this and is there anything that I can do? My cat will also eat a large amount of food then vomit it up. I have tried limiting how much I feed her but there is another cat in the house and she will eat that food. Is this just overeating you think or something else? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Answer Hi Jennifer. Both of these symptoms warrant a vet visit. Up to 90% of litter box problems are caused by a physical illness, such as a urinary tract infection or kidney or bladder stones, kidney failure, and diabetes. Once she's cleared of those, I'd say to reevaluate your litter box situation.
I'm not sure how many boxes you have. 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, 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! I suggest placing them in different rooms so that she's close to a box whenever the urge arises.
You might also try boxes of different sizes and depths, with different litters. Most cats prefer 3-4” of unscented clumping litter in a large, uncovered box. There are so many options on the market now, most cats can be pleased one way or another. Be sure to scoop the boxes at least once daily.
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.
Because you say she is peeing on your belongings specifically, separation anxiety comes to mind. Urinating on the owner's bed and clothes is the number one complaint about cats suffering separation anxiety. Generally, the cat acts up when the owner is out of the house, sleeping, or otherwise engaged. If it turns out to be an anxiety disorder, there are many treatment options there, too. Up to 97% of litter box problems due to behavioral issues can be solved with a little work.
The reason cats urinate outside the box when feeling anxious is because urine is full of pheromones, a hormone shown to reduce stress. When a cat is feeling anxious, she 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 to all. It's a bit pricey, but worth it. It's available in a spray or plug-in diffuser. I recommend the diffuser because it's easiest to use. You can order at www.felineway.com, or buy it at pet stores and vet offices.
Finally, any cases that don't respond to Feliway will usually respond to antidepression medications. There are several choices - amitriptyline, buspirone, Valium, clomipramine, and fluoxetine (Prozac) are most commonly used. Prozac is the newest and seems most promising. In some studies, it has been shown to be successful in treating over 90% of cases that have not responded to non-medical treatments, and about 70% of cases that have not responded to other antidepression meds. It also is an excellent choice because it has no side effects. It does tend to be a little on the expensive side - around $45 a month. However, very often, it can be tapered off and discontinued after a few months of use, when the cat's behavior has been corrected. I have used it in two of my cats and highly recommend it when needed.
This kitty doesn't happen to be declawed, does she? Inappropriate elimination is the most common complaint about cats who are declawed, next to aggression. Declawing may cause pain on the feet starting immediately after the surgery, or years down the road. It is also responsible for arthritis, which can cause pain getting in and out of the litter box, or pain as the cat's feet sink into the litter. In these cases, pain relievers and supplements like Cosequin, to help arthritis, may be useful. Also, switching from regular litter to shredded newspaper or a ground cedar litter may help. You should also use a shallow box and make the litter no deeper than 1”.
For cleaning up accidents, you'll need to use an enzymatic cleaner (a cleaner that uses natural enzymes and bacteria to decompose the stain). 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 them, 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.
The vomiting and overeating could be caused by a number of things, too. Cats suffering anxiety may overeat to comfort themselves, the same as people do. But overeating and vomitng can also be due to conditions like hyperthyroidism, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and parasitic worm infestations.
If those are ruled out, your cat may have developed a food intolerance, which is usually treated by feeding an easy to digest, low allergen food. Most cat foods contain corn and/or beef, which are common allergens. Vets have prescription foods available for food-allergic cats.
If the food is not digested at all, then regurgitation may be the problem as opposed to true vomiting. Some regurgitation is caused by medical problems like a warped esophagus or weak muscles in the esophagus. Often, though, it's caused by eating too fast. If the gobbling isn't caused by some underlying medical condition, feeding the cat a sensitive stomach food, feeding the cat in an elevated position (the bowl several inches off the floor, so the cat's neck stretches upward), or putting a ping-pong bowl in the food, so she has to slow down and eat around it, may help.
