7 Yr Old Female

[Mercury12]

I have a 7 year old rescued cat I got from the pound as a kitten. She was clearly traumatized and it took 3 years for me to approach her without crawling on all fours. She was almost normal but is still terrified if someone knocks on the front door.
Then this happened. She got fleas. At first I thought if was dry skin because I had recently changed her diet, but it became obvious. I got her a high tech flea collar that worked, but....now she refuses to use the cat box and only stays in two places in the house. I think she associates the rest of the house(and cat box) with being miserable with flea bites. It has been three weeks since the flea collar was put on. I bought a new cat box and placed it in her "safe place", but no progress. She is ruining the carpet, and though I am willing to work through this with her, the person I live with is beside herself and wants to put the cat down. I can keep the cat in my tiny bedroom(with the cat box and food and water), but that would be like she is being held prisoner. I don't know what to do.

 

[Midnight33]

Have you tried litter attractant in the litter box or catnip? Is the litter box isolated from everyone so the cat has privacy? The cat may be reacting like you said to associating the bites with places in the home. it may be worth it to spray an all natural spray in the house that kills fleas on contact. They have some kinds that you can put on the cat. I have had good experiences with “natural care.” And it smells nice too. fleas take awhile to get rid of; the life cycle of a flea is several weeks, so once you clean the entire house and wash all bedding in hot water, you must do the same about 3 weeks later to kill any who have hatched since the new cycle. Is the cat scratching? Anything in the environment that may be bringing your kitty back to a traumatic time?

 

[Mercury12]

Have you tried litter attractant in the litter box or catnip? Is the litter box isolated from everyone so the cat has privacy? The cat may be reacting like you said to associating the bites with places in the home. it may be worth it to spray an all natural spray in the house that kills fleas on contact. They have some kinds that you can put on the cat. I have had good experiences with “natural care.” And it smells nice too. fleas take awhile to get rid of; the life cycle of a flea is several weeks, so once you clean the entire house and wash all bedding in hot water, you must do the same about 3 weeks later to kill any who have hatched since the new cycle. Is the cat scratching? Anything in the environment that may be bringing your kitty back to a traumatic time?

Thank you for responding Midnight. Yes, the cat box is in an isolated nook. We only have one carpeted room that I have vacuumed three times but I will look into a spray. I vacuumed the couches too, and watch closely for fleas. A big problem is this cat is hyper skittish. I am the only person she is comfortable with. I think I am going to have to keep the cat in my bedroom along with her cat box, food and water, and hope she returns to using her box. She knows what to do in the box, but the fleas really messed her up, mentally. She doesn't really scratch now.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Sorry, though, it's a flea/litter box avoidance issue that brought you here.

Has she been to the vet since the flea problem started? Not peeing in the litter box can be caused by an UTI, and UTI's can be caused by stress. So, if you can, it might be good to get her checked out at the vet to ensure there isn't a health issue.

Is she using the litter box at all? Have you been using an enzyme cleaner to clean where she's been going outside the litter box? That's the only way to ensure the smell is totally gone.

Here's some TCS articles with more info that might be helpful. Good luck.

How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide | TheCatSite
Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet | TheCatSite
Inappropriate Peeing, Spraying, Toy Obsession And Leg And Hand Nipping | TheCatSite
Spraying: When Your Cat Uses Urine To Mark Territory | TheCatSite

Combat Cat Urine | TheCatSite
How To Remove Cat Urine Odor From Your Home | TheCatSite
How Get Cat Urine Smell Out Of Carpet: Effective, Non-toxic Solutions | TheCatSite

Is Your Cat Stressed Out? | TheCatSite
You, Your Cat And Stress | TheCatSiteate Checklist | TheCatSite

 

[Kflowers]

Since she is hiding it maybe the collar that's bothering her. She won't know that it's what got rid of the fleas. You might try taking it off of her for a few days and seeing if she goes back to using the box and moving around a bit. If so you might consider another method of getting rid of the fleas. A topical would freak her out while it's still wet and probably for the next day until the smell goes away, but then it would be gone.

If you use a topical consider your choice carefully and research the reviews and complaints about them. Also take care to pick out the one for cats as most companies make one for cats and one for dogs (the ones for dogs will probably kill your cat). When you put it on her, do it early in the morning on a day the vet is open in case she has a bad reaction to it so you can take her in. This is
just to be safe. We use Advantage and haven't had a bad reaction, but I still put it on cat about 30 minutes before the vet opens - It's a 20 minute drive - and watch her through the day.

As always every cat is an individual and your experience may vary.

 

[1 bruce 1]

If she is somewhat comfortable in your room I'd keep her there. Even if your room mate is frustrated (that is a frustrating problem, I agree) and not being mean to anyone, cats have the unique ability to know when someone is upset with them. It's not your room mates fault for this, but this way she'd be confined into a safe place she's familiar with until the problem is resolved and the carpets can be washed and everyone is happy.
I'd use the attractant. Maybe put some more boxes spaced around the room, make sure they're big enough for her and in quiet locations.