...I really don't know anymore

[fenrisulfr]

So I apologise - wasn't sure if I should put this in health or behavior.

In early May of this year, Otter (F, 11yo) started having accidents (pure liquid diarrhea) in the bathroom. Come to find out not only was she (eventually) diagnosed with IBD, but we had mold in the bathroom. We re-did the whole bathroom (and I mean whole)

Since she was older, my vet also suggested softer litter and lower boxes, along with being treated for her IBD. My problem is, now, Otter is still having accidents. But its only like 1/10 she has a bowel movement (and its only a bm accident). She doesn't really care which litter box she uses (she uses all litters and litter box types equally. For the soft litter I have light weight tidy cats and Feline Pine in a senior/low side litter box. The others are Arm&Hammer Clum and Seal). I had blocked off the bathroom after her first two accidents after the remodel, and she ended up going under a table in the laundry room. I put a box there (after cleaning of course) and she ended up going on my dads bed like 3 days later. Her bm's are fine now. I thought maybe it was like dementia/sun setting, but the accidents were at random times during the day. And like I said, 9/10 she uses the litterboxes anyways.

Thoughts?

This has been brought up to my vet. I also have had calming sprays and deffusers since the first accident in May.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Are her BMs normal with the accidents she is having now? It could be a hold-over behavior from when she was having diarrhea, or more likely it could be related to how her digestive system is feeling when this happens. Even if she isn't having diarrhea, her gut might feel similarly and prompts her to stay away from the litter boxes when it is happening to her. Most cats associate any discomfort they have with the box and not their body.

Is she on any kind of treatment for the IBD? Maybe ask the vet about something that would help settle her digestive tract down in case it is behind the reason for the accidents? Also, chart the food she is eating so you can tell if a specific brand/type/flavor might be tied to those times when she goes outside of the box.

 

[fenrisulfr]

Are her BMs normal with the accidents she is having now? It could be a hold-over behavior from when she was having diarrhea, or more likely it could be related to how her digestive system is feeling when this happens. Even if she isn't having diarrhea, her gut might feel similarly and prompts her to stay away from the litter boxes when it is happening to her. Most cats associate any discomfort they have with the box and not their body.

Is she on any kind of treatment for the IBD? Maybe ask the vet about something that would help settle her digestive tract down in case it is behind the reason for the accidents? Also, chart the food she is eating so you can tell if a specific brand/type/flavor might be tied to those times when she goes outside of the box.

She eats exclusively Hills Vet Gastro Biome wet and dry. She is also on prednisone 1x day. Her bm (both outside box and in) have been normal.

 

[cmshap]

Are her BMs normal with the accidents she is having now? It could be a hold-over behavior from when she was having diarrhea

This briefly happened with Willy when he was much younger (somewhere between 1-2 years old), shortly after being rescued.

He was having a lot of diarrhea in his early life, which was from food sensitivity. He would start going on his way to the box... always used the box 100% of the time, but wouldn't be able to time it right.

After fixing him up with dietary adjustments and probiotics, when his poop was normal, he was still starting to go before he got inside the box.

I honestly can't remember exactly what changed, but this phase only lasted a few months. I do know I moved the box to a different location during that time. This was like 8 years ago.

Just pointing out that the "hold-over" thing can actually happen.

 

[fenrisulfr]

This briefly happened with Willy when he was much younger (somewhere between 1-2 years old), shortly after being rescued.

He was having a lot of diarrhea in his early life, which was from food sensitivity. He would start going on his way to the box... always used the box 100% of the time, but wouldn't be able to time it right.

After fixing him up with dietary adjustments and probiotics, when his poop was normal, he was still starting to go before he got inside the box.

I honestly can't remember exactly what changed, but this phase only lasted a few months. I do know I moved the box to a different location during that time. This was like 8 years ago.

Just pointing out that the "hold-over" thing can actually happen.

That’s what I am hoping it is. It’s just so weird to me because it’s no where near a box. It’s like she doesn’t even try.

 

[Alldara]

You could try what people do for litter training kittens.... temporary boxes in each room. Maybe she can't make it to the box or, if it is feline dementia, out of sight, out of mind some of the time.

 

[stephanietx]

Soooo....my 13 yr old kitty recently had a traumatic flare up of pancreatitis and was pooping all over the house, and it was diarrhea and very loose in consistency. That was at the end of June. We did all the things...diffusers (run 24/7 for all his life in our house), change litter, add boxes, use Cat Attract, use enzymatic cleaner, calming drops. He also started peeing outside the box and we suspected a UTI from the stress of the situation. We took him back to the vet and she put him on an antibiotic for the UTI, another round of prednisolone, which he's finished, and Prozac for 2 months. He is on day 22 of the Prozac and just yesterday (day 21) he pooped IN the litterbox for the first time since this all started back at the end of June.

It has been a process and many times I was wondering if he'd ever poop normally and then if he'd ever poop IN the box again. He went from diarrhea to formed poop in various places around the house to consistently pooping on a piece of packing paper in one place to in the box. I totally understand your frustration and your desperation. It can be overwhelming.

 

[sunny578]

Hello!

Wondering how long the accidents without the diarrhea have been going on? Is the bathroom blocked off now, or is it open? It sounds like Otter has lots of litter boxes to choose from, which is great. Where are they all located? It sounds like she'll poop illegally in the bathroom, on your dad's bed, and under the laundry room table--anywhere else?

 

[fenrisulfr]

Hello!

Wondering how long the accidents without the diarrhea have been going on? Is the bathroom blocked off now, or is it open? It sounds like Otter has lots of litter boxes to choose from, which is great. Where are they all located? It sounds like she'll poop illegally in the bathroom, on your dad's bed, and under the laundry room table--anywhere else?

I think the diarrhea stopped like 3 weeks ago? Yes the bathroom is now blocked off. She has two litterboxes in the laundry room, and now one in dads room (but that's now blocked off too). When I am at work and before dad comes home, she is locked in our larger litter room and has not had any accidents in there (there are three boxes in there)

 

[stephanietx]

Have you tried calming agents or getting calming med from the vet?

 

[fenrisulfr]

Have you tried calming agents or getting calming med from the vet?

yes. We’ve had the plug ins since may and also spray. Also was given a med…forget what it was called tho. Gave up after a month because all the meds she was being given just made her agitated and did nothing for the accident a

 

[sunny578]

I think what you are doing sounds great and that she might just need a little more time to break this occasional habit. You might increase the cat factor in the areas where she has gone to the bathroom illegally (add something she can scratch, put a couple of her toys there, or maybe one of her beds or a blanket.) You could also try re-defining these areas too by feeding her some treats in the bathroom, putting a water dish under the table in the laundry room, or playing with her on your dad's bed. I think she just has some hold over behaviors from when her IBD was acting up, and that a little more time and a few extra steps will put her back on the right track. Please keep us posted!

 

[fenrisulfr]

So update: nothing has changed. I tried putting either a litter box in the accident area or toys, but she ended up just finding other places to have an accident.

 

[Alldara]

So update: nothing has changed. I tried putting either a litter box in the accident area or toys, but she ended up just finding other places to have an accident.

It sounds like litter box adversion from having felt unwell from IBD.

The litter box you used, was it new or old? Did it use the same litter or different?

Have you tried puppy pee pads or litter box with just sand or newspaper?

What did you try to encourage use of the new box?

 

[sunny578]

Wondering if you've tried keeping her in the larger litter room for an extended period of time? Is she still not having accidents when she's in that space?

I think the goal in these situations is to get your cat to get in a good habit of using their litter box, and sometimes confinement can help with this. The more a cat urinates etc outside the box, the more likely they are to urinate outside the box, and the more the cat urinates in the litter box, the more likely they are to urinate in the box.