Cat not using litter box

[coloratura]

Hello!

I noticed on Friday when I cleaned Olive's box that there was no urine but she did have some poop. I spoke to the vet who said not to worry unless it was still a problem by Monday. We visited my boyfriend's parents for the weekend and when we got back she had peed on the carpet right behind her box. However, she did pee in her box before bed last night and it was pretty big so I'm not sure if she has a UTI. She is otherwise acting totally normal. She is drinking water, eating all her food and running around, playing and being her normal goofy self. Could she just be upset that she was left alone for the weekend? She's been on her own for a weekend before and we had no problems. 

Also, what is the best way to get the smell out of the carpet?

 

[tsukiyomi]

 
Hello!

I noticed on Friday when I cleaned Olive's box that there was no urine but she did have some poop. I spoke to the vet who said not to worry unless it was still a problem by Monday. We visited my boyfriend's parents for the weekend and when we got back she had peed on the carpet right behind her box. However, she did pee in her box before bed last night and it was pretty big so I'm not sure if she has a UTI. She is otherwise acting totally normal. She is drinking water, eating all her food and running around, playing and being her normal goofy self. Could she just be upset that she was left alone for the weekend? She's been on her own for a weekend before and we had no problems. 

Also, what is the best way to get the smell out of the carpet?

Enzyme cleaner I use natures miracle but there are others. It's always good to have one on hand though.

 

[jinxybean]

One of my cats does this when she gets diarrhea.  She doesn't want to dirty the litter and by shooting it off the side of the pan, she keeps the litterbox clean.  Thanks, cat.  

• It might not be a UTI if her litterbox visits are normal, meaning she's not frequenting the box more often and hanging out, waiting for something to happen.  Keep an eye on her to see if she's straining or acting differently at her pan.
• There might have been too much waste in the pan she didn't want to step in, so she found a different spot to squat in and missed the pan.  This falls under "dirty pan" issues and it can happen with cats who are used to clean pans and have to deal with missed cleanings.
• She was frustrated at being alone.  Past behavior doesn't always guarantee how she'll behave again.

I use Nature's Miracle products and they work well at odor removal.  You need to soak the carpet, all the way down to the pad.  Blot out excess after 10 minutes or so.   Her pan will need to be away from the damp area to allow the pad and carpet to dry out.

You can try putting puppy pads down around her pan to catch messes if she does this again.  I don't think a domed litter box is the answer, yet.  Domed pans tend to concentrate waste odors and some cats don't like being in all that funk.  So what might have been a genuine "oops" could become a repeated behavioral problem as a result of making her litter pan unpleasant.

 

[coloratura]

Looks like we are off to the vet tomorrow. I scrubbed the area with Nature's Miracle last night (like, literally dumped out the whole bottle and scrubbed). I thought everything was fine because she peed in her box. However, this morning I heard her scratching around by her box and when I looked over the railing she had peed on the towel I put underneath her box.

 

[Columbine]

Litterbox issues can occur for all kinds of reasons - both physical and behavioural. It's great that you're getting her checked out today, as it's really important to identify and treat physical causes. This article explains the issues in more detail  [article="32366"]How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats The Ultimate Guide​[/article]  

 

[jinxybean]

Yep!  It's time to pay the vet a visit!  Give them a call and ask for a specimen cup and plastic beads, so you can collect her urine ahead of time for the appointment.  It'll save you time or the cost of the vet getting it themselves.  I find it easiest to feed my cat a full wet meal and then isolate her in a bathroom with a brand-new 'small' cat pan + beads and a bowl of water for extra hydration until she makes a sample.  Samples are best refrigerated after collection and good for ~12 hours.  

If she doesn't produce a sample for you, the vet will send you home with a kit for you to bring back.  They may also opt to take a sample themselves via syringe or by waiting it out in a kennel.   If this is the case, give her a wet meal and isolate her in the bathroom without a pan for 2-3 hours before the appointment so her bladder can fill up.

*crosses fingers for you*  

 

[Columbine]

 
Yep!  It's time to pay the vet a visit!  Give them a call and ask for a specimen cup and plastic beads, so you can collect her urine ahead of time for the appointment.  It'll save you time or the cost of the vet getting it themselves.  I find it easiest to feed my cat a full wet meal and then isolate her in a bathroom with a brand-new 'small' cat pan + beads and a bowl of water for extra hydration until she makes a sample.  Samples are best refrigerated after collection and good for ~12 hours.  

If she doesn't produce a sample for you, the vet will send you home with a kit for you to bring back.  They may also opt to take a sample themselves via syringe or by waiting it out in a kennel.   If this is the case, give her a wet meal and isolate her in the bathroom without a pan for 2-3 hours before the appointment so her bladder can fill up.

*crosses fingers for you*  

Vets often prefer to express the urine themselves, as crystals can start forming very soon after a sample is taken. Normal practice is to try to express during the exam, and only send you home with a kit if that is unsuccessful. The only time this isn't true is if crystals are not a concern to start with.

 

[jinxybean]

Thanks!  That's good to know.  I haven't had that experience with my current and past vets as I've always had to get the sample myself.  Having them do it makes it much easier! 

 

[coloratura]

Thanks! The vet didn't mention anything about taking samples when I called so I figure I'll just let them do their thing. She hasn't had any other symptoms of a UTI so I'm hoping this is an easy fix! 

 

[coloratura]

Are UTIs usually very treatable? I'm starting to get worried and I'm letting my imagination and google searches get the best of me. My boyfriend is at home now and said it looks like she used her box but she is being very vocal and needy. I'm just terrified of something awful being wrong with her.

 

[Columbine]

 Don't panic. UTIs are straightforward to treat - antibiotics and ensuring good hydration is usually all it takes. Crystals are slightly tougher (sometimes requiring cathaterisation in bad cases), but are far more common in boys than girls. Really don't stress though. My boy had a really bad bout of crystals as a three year old - we didn't realise until he was totally blocked and he had to spend a few days in hospital. He made a full recovery, and has never had a problem since - and he's now thirteen! So, you see - really nothing to freak over. Hang in there. I'm sure everything will be fine 

 

[coloratura]

She's at the vet now but apparently they haven't been able to do anything since she hasn't produced a sample. What will they do if she doesn't urinate for them?

 

[Columbine]

They'll either send you home with a sample kit and ask you to collect urine when she pees and take it in, or they'll keep her for a few hours/book you back in and try again.

Sample kits are dead easy - you get a plastic litter that looks like beanbag stuffing, a pipette and a sample jar. You get a clean box, put in the litter, remove access to other boxes and wait. When she performs, take a sample and bin the litter. I found it easiest to use a litterbox liner bag, as it made cleanup really quick afterwards

 

[coloratura]

Alright, no signs of a UTI (yay!) and the vet thinks that is stress related. Said to keep an eye on her and make sure she stays super hydrated. 

 

[jinxybean]

That's good news - no UTI!  If it is stress-related, you can try using a calming collar to see if that improves her behavior.  I've tried Sentry and NurtureCALM on my cat when she was behaving improperly due to discomfort (IBD pain), and both work, though I feel Sentry was a little more effective (she was less jumpy on Sentry).  Also, she was friendlier toward us and didn't *completely* avoid the other cat while she wore the collar.  Now that I've found a diet that helps her IBD, her pain is gone and she no longer needs the collar, but my experience with the product was positive enough to recommend them.  

sentry calming collar.jpg

• jinxybean
• Jul 30, 2015

nuturecalm.jpg

• jinxybean
• Jul 30, 2015

 

[Columbine]

for not UTI

Just a word of warning with calming collars - a (very) few cats HATE the scent. If you get one, let her sniff it before putting it on - just in case she's one of the few

 

[wasabipea]

I'm a bit late on replying, since I'm searching this forum for something else and came across this thread I thought I'd post a quick suggestion regarding collecting urine samples and treating UTIs.

My late CKD girl Roni had MANY UTIs over the years, she was getting Baytril resistant since that was the most efffective AB that my former vet would give (she was lazy with diagnosis and treatment, and didn't respect my cat since she was a senior and "past" the vet's age expiration date, lousy person/vet that she was).

Anyhoo, my new vet (YAY love him) would aspirate urine directly from her bladder via needle (sterile collection) and put the urine in a petri dish. If bacteria was present, it would be cultured/grown and different antibiotics would be tested against the bacteria to determine the most effective AB to kill the specific strain of bacteria. It's called a urine culture/analysis. More costly, but definitely the most effective way to go rather than the "poke and hope" method of AB prescribing.

It sounds like a traumatic way to collect the urine from the cat, but it really wasn't traumatizing for her.

Just my $0.02.

Good luck and glad no UTI for your kitty

 

[Columbine]

@Coloratura  How's Olive doing today?

 

[coloratura]

She was doing great when I left for work this morning! No peeing outside the box (knock on wood). I saw her checking out the area behind the box last night but after that she walked into and used her box. We have her set up with a kitty water fountain and will be getting her a second litter box over the weekend once we figure out where to put it. 

The vet is pretty sure it's stress. We moved about a month ago and she's been fine. The only thing that was more recent was us going out of town for the weekend. We were supposed to visit a friend on Saturday night but canceled since we finally got things under control and don't want to risk going through this again! She's definitely being her crazy and goofy self, though!

Olive being cute.jpeg

• coloratura
• Jul 31, 2015

 

[Columbine]

 So far so good is the best possible news at this stage. Hopefully she's getting back to her usual self now...she certainly LOOKS wonderfully relaxed in that picture!