Cat urination problem.

[paul mc]

First off, I am new here and I have never had an issue with my cat in the 15 years I have had her. She is approximately 18 or 19 years old.

I got her when she was about 3 or 4 years old from a friend who had to give her away as she was leaving for the army. At the time I had a very timid and loving dog and things were great. They would sleep together, play together, eat together, etc...

I met my boyfriend and moved in with him, and of course Aspen hid for a long time before feeling secure to come out - but still no issues. Then about 4 years ago my dog (Ajia) passed away and Aspen became noticeably upset. I gave her lots of attention despite the fact that most of the time she did not seem to want it (she would run off, lol...). Then about 2 months later we got another dog that was the exact opposite of my old Ajia - Lily is very mouthy and outgoing. That's when it started.

Aspen began urinating in my work-out area in the basement, just a few times and nothing special. I figured it was because Lily came into the household and we were keeping them separated for a while until Lily calmed down and accepted the cat as being part of the household. Then I left for school in Costa Rica and Aspen ruined my work-out equipment and matting with urination. When I returned it continued for months. I guess she was really mad.

About a year ago we got another dog who is still a bit wild and does not like cats. We are working with him, but it's taking a lot of time. Currently, Aspen can come into the room where he's at but we have to be there to ensure he won't snap at her.

The urination has never stopped though, and we have lost a leather coach, several chairs, my work-out equipment and mats and even the bedding and bed in the guest room where she sleeps. I don't get that part. I would think if she's going to urinate, she wouldn't do it where on the bed which she sleeps on.

We've been to the doctor several times and she is completely in good health - nothing. We're on our last leg. It's getting to be more expense to keep her than it would be to give her to the APA. I don't want to do this - I love Aspen to death! But I feel she's not happy and we're not happy despite our best efforts to help her.

Please give me ideas so I don't have to do what I'm dreading! We feel we've done everything and still no results. I'm hoping we're wrong!

 

[otto]

Hello and Welcome to the forum! I'm sorry your kitty is having these problems. Aspen needs to be taken another vet. It's highly likely that a UTI started way back when the symptoms first started, and she has been carrying this pain and infection all these years. She may now have kidney problems, in addition, as urinary tract problems left untreated do begin to affect the kidneys

Aspen was there before either dog, it is inconceivable to me that you would consider taking her to a pound because of this problem.

Aspen should have a urine sample taken for a culture, and blood work done to check her organ function and blood count. Once illness has been treated or ruled out, behavior modification can be implemented. She may need medication to help her cope with the stress of these new dogs. She may need retraining. If no vet has suggested these things, find another vet. But nothing will help, if she is sick.

When a cat avoids the litter box it is because she is trying to communicate something to you. Either "I am sick" or "I am unhappy". Sickness should be investigated first. Then evaluating what is making her unhappy and fixing it comes next.

Please keep us posted on your senior girl.

 

[paul mc]

Thank you so much for your response! Your thoughts about Aspen being there first is exactly what I'm thinking - and I don't feel it's fair to her to take her away from her home of many years just because she may be unhappy with the new roommates.

Our vet has told us that the number one reason cats are taken out of their homes and/or put down is because of urination issues. They said they would do everything in their power to ensure this would not happen.

We've used pheremone sprays and collars, changed the litter pan to a new one, added new liter pans throughout the house, changed the liter we use, and I've been a lot more deligent about keeping the liter fresh as opposed to leaving the old in for very long.

I've taken Aspen in twice in the past 4 years, about 2 years apart. They did test for urinary track infections and did a full screen but came up empty handed. Do you think it's still a possibility after 4 years that it was undetected? She is still going into the vet again for another full screen and to see what else they can offer. I will ask for some medication, although the last two times they refused to give me anything because they said they didn't think it was a serious issue. (I think it's because the medication they would have given me is known for having street value to be honest).

 

[otto]

Yes UT problems can go undetected. A urine culture should be done, this is a procedure that takes several days and the urine is investigated in great depth. Even if it has been done before, another culture would not be out of order.

An x ray to check for stones should be done, too.

Also, if nothing is found, it could be "idiopathic cystitis", the bladder or urethra is inflamed, causing pain and irritation, even if the urine seems clear and healthy. She blames the box for this pain and irritation, so avoids it.

The most common medication for this problem is amitriptyline. I am not a vet, but belong to many pet forums and have seen many success stories with this med. It reduces anxiety and stress, which helps kitty relax and may help the inflammation in the bladder go down, with the stress reduction.

Another, not medicine, but supplement, that can be tried is cosequin for cats. Some insist cosequin has no benefit to bladder health but I am not one of them. I believe it CAN help, is not expensive, is completely safe, and is worth a try. At her age she may have some arthritis anyway, so it can only help her feel better, no matter what.

Multiple litter boxes are good, and yes they need to be kept scrupulously clean. You might try using Dr Elsey's cat attract litter in a few of them, I have read many success stories with that litter, too.

Equally important is to remove all traces of urine odor in the household. I understand this will be a very large task as Aspen has been doing this for several years. But using a black light to find stains, and an enzymatic cleaner especially designed for pet odors is the only way to eliminate the odor so she can't smell it and want to repeat using the spot.

Keep the feliway plug in diffusers going, they may be helping her more than you realize.

 

[just mike]

Always good to see new faces here! Welcome!

Great advice from otto. Rule out the UTI first. If nothing physical comes from the vet visit then you'll probably need to address a behavioral issue. New animals introduced into the household might possibly have triggered the problem. That and the stress of missing the other pooch.

 

[paul mc]

Thanks everyone!

 

[aswient]

If it definitely is not a health issue then they do have medication for behavorial problems. I have a very high strung cat when he sees another cat outside. He has been marking his territory in my house for years. He is 13 years old and is the alpha cat in this multi-cat household. I am not a big advocate on medicating cats but he did need something to calm him down, he was even going after my other cats when he'd see one outside the window. Ever since I've been giving him his pills he has been like a kitten, wanting to play more and is so much more relaxed. Good luck.

 

[paul mc]

Well, today is V-day - and oh how she's going to hate me! She urinates, throws up and has diarhea everytime she gets in the crate and then it's always bath time when we get home! And of course, they would not give me anything to help calm her down on the drive in. Everyone please pray that we can find a way to get this issue resolved!

BTW, she has urinated on the middle bed (her bed) every day this week! And this morning I can smell it in the room but I can't find it which means she's found another place to start doing it. Agh!

 

[aswient]

Many many Prayers and that this problem is resolved, please keep us posted.

 

[otto]

Poor little girl. Many vibes for Aspen.

If you haven't, write down all your questions and the things you want to go over, especially the things you've learned here. If this is stress related I hope your vet will be willing to prescribe medication, amitriptyline can really help in this situation.

Aspen

 

[Draco]

In addition to what everyone suggested here.. please remember.. if you take Aspen to the shelter.. at her age, she may never be adopted. I'd like her to stay with you. I second taking her to another vet for second opinions.

Good luck, I hope you can find the issue and solve it.

 

[momofmany]

I've never adopted a new dog without at least 1 of my cats acting out by urinating on things, and it is usually soft things like beds and sofa's. The older the cat is, the higher likelihood that they will act out. Cats love routine and a new family member will throw off that routine.

If you had not mentioned the fact that she may be acting out because of a new dog, then I would think that this may have something to do with her age. Senior cats can have a number of health issues that will show itself through inappropriate urination. It could be a UTI, or it could be other geriatric problems such as arthritis, kidney disease, cancer, etc. One of mine started pooping outside the litter box when he developed stomatitis. It's their way of telling you that something is wrong.

A cat is considered a senior at around age 8. By age 10, the first senior blood panel should be drawn to establish a baseline as they get older. By the time they are around 12, that blood panel should be done every 6 months to monitor for any changes in health. I know you haven't done this up to this point, but your girl really needs a full blood work up right now to detect potential problems outside of a UTI. Don't stop looking if the UTI test comes out negative.

You've got a double whammy going on in your household right now - a geriatric cat with a new dog. At her age, I would guess is that she has some physical ailment and she is having difficulty changing her routine with your new dog. You may need a number of adjustments in your household.

 

[paul mc]

I would like to clarify that Thai (the new dog relatively speaking) has been around now for almost 2 years and while Aspen takes her time to recover from moves and other such shocks, she usually does so in a few months. Her issue is not confined to just the bed or soft things, she also goes on the concrete in the basement in my workout area and in the basement "greenhouse" set up.

Now, I'd like to give an update. Last time I took her in they found blood in her urine but they dismissed it as being from the needle tip. They again found blood in her urine this time around. Now they know it's not just an accident with the needle. The good (and the bad I guess as it's not an easy medical fix) news is that x-rays did not uncover any stones. There was some swelling in her lymph nodes as the base of her neck, but her bladder felt very small and not swollen.

The vet believes that she probably does have some sort of inflamation going on in the urinary track so he gave us some opiate based pain killer to give her for one week to see how she reacts. He's asked us to switch her food out with canned food and add water to it to (and stay on this diet) to help lessen the intensity of the urine. His thought is that the lining in her bladder and track may be wearing thin and when she urinates (which cat urine is generally very concentrated as we all know) that it's burning. As a result, sometimes when she's got to go the pain is so great she just goes right where she's at (thus urinating right on the spot where I saw her sleeping just moments before).

The vet's concerns are these. First, medical urinary issues are very hard to solve with cats. They are not like dogs and humans where you can just give them a general pill and get it cleared up. Instead, it may take several different things and attempts to find what works for Aspen's situation. However, since it's been going on so long he's concerned that if it is medical and does get resolved that she may continue the pattern behaviorally in which case we would have to do different things. However, we are committed to eleminating the medical and working with the behavioral before we let my poor old girl go.

On a side note, we did find a cat rescue that takes unwanted and unadoptable cats to keep them for the rest of their lives. While we don't know if they have any openings, we at least did find a no-kill option which makes me a bit more happy. I just don't want to part with her! (ok, I'm crying...)

 

[otto]

I'm glad to hear my suggestions were on track. Once her pain is resolved, she should be feeling much better. Was blood work taken? You need to know what's going on with her kidneys, and if she has diabetes.

I am sorry you are still considering "getting rid of her". I don't understand why. At her age it would be kinder to have her euthanized than to remove her from her home and family and force her to live out her life with strangers in a cage some where.

If the problem persists when she is feeling better we can help you retrain her. The first step is removing all traces of urine odor with a good enzymatic cleaner. You will need a black light to find them all.

 

[paul mc]

It's an option but believe me I'm working hard to not consider either giving her away or putting her down! I simply don't want to do either.

Her blood work came back normal with no signs of anything.

Thank you for being willing to help me if this turns behavioral. Let's all pray that it doesn't!

Black light is on the list for the trip to Home Depot today. We already have a few cat urine/enzyme removers (big bottles, lol...) due to the issues we've faced for the past 4 years.

 

[paul mc]

I realize it's still early yet, but she has literally urinated on the bed everyday since the vet. While I will say she has been using her litter box that's about 10 feet away from the bed with more frequency, she's still doing it.

However, she also seems to be a bit more relaxed and is a lot more friendly these days.

I'm guessing that the vet will want us to go another week on the pain killers since the situation has gone from being every few days to every day now.

 

[herekittykitty8]

Poor Aspen.
any news? is she still urinating every day inappropriately?

 

[paul mc]

Well, up until yesterday I would have said yes, but yesterday she did not. In fact, she used the litter box by the bed many times throughout the day. I'm hoping that this just means it took a while for things to shape up with her.

She does appear to be liking her canned food mixed with a good amount of water, but I forgot to get dried food and she's out and not happy. I will have to go and get some today as the vet said not to force her to eat the canned. I will say though that she drank all the liquid before she even began eating the food chunks which I think might be rather telling.

So, I guess we will see what she does today. Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by Paul Mc

Well, up until yesterday I would have said yes, but yesterday she did not. In fact, she used the litter box by the bed many times throughout the day. I'm hoping that this just means it took a while for things to shape up with her.

She does appear to be liking her canned food mixed with a good amount of water, but I forgot to get dried food and she's out and not happy. I will have to go and get some today as the vet said not to force her to eat the canned. I will say though that she drank all the liquid before she even began eating the food chunks which I think might be rather telling.

So, I guess we will see what she does today. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Many times throughout the day? That is not normal. An adult cat should not pee more than two or three times a day. Did she have urine taken for an analysis and culture?

(I just realized you said she'd had blood work done, but if it's not CRF or diabetes then something else is wrong. She either has crystals, bacteria, or some kind of inflammation going on in her urinary tract)

 

[paul mc]

They did take a urine sample as well and found blood in it which was a strong indicator that something was wrong. Last year when they did it they also found blood but thought it was a testing fault so threw the results out.

She appears to be urinating about 3 to 5 times throughout the day. I understand that this is not normal, but we are also giving her canned food with a great quantity of water added to it. She laps up the water before eating the food and I have to refill it several times a day. I also know this is not normal and might be telling of something else.

She urinated on the bed again yesterday, but fortunately I did not smell it or even see it until I was petting her and noticed a spot that looked a either wet or like she had been laying there. I put my hand on it and WOW! There was a lot of urine all over - more than I had realized!

I'm calling the vet back today to update him on what's going on. I will be telling him about how much water she's drinking now AND how many times she's urinating in a day.