I'm 16 and need help with my cat :(

[abbi1229]

Dear Cat Lovers,

   I am 16 and i live in my parents house, as most 16 year old's should, and i need your help! I'll start by giving you as much background as i think you'll need to help me with this.

-she is 13 years old (give or take a year. i found when i was three and she was about one year old or younger or older)

-her whole life she has either been an inside cat, an outside cat, or an inside/outside cat. (she switched a lot)

-we used to have another cat who died when i was maybe 5 or 6 and they used to share a litter box and he was a little OCD about the litter box and would move the poop around arranging it to his liking.

-we had a dog named Bailey who died about a year, year and a half ago.

-we now have two new dogs and a baby gate to kind of keep them downstairs but i think Lila thought it was to keep her upstairs too...

-she hasn't always not used the liter box but she did two other time before this time. the first time she did it, it was in my old house and she would do it only in the dining room and not just anywhere in the dining room only along one wall. the second time was when we moved into our new house, maybe a year after we lived here she would pee in front of my brothers room in this little hallway, and the most recent time she has peed in my room along one of my walls.

   So that's all the history i think you'll need to know to help me.We (my family and I) have tried several times to rent a carpet cleaner to steam clean the pee out of the areas she has peed in but they are still visible and you can still smell them so my parents put her outside again when she is 13! and hasn't been outside for a while . She is getting older and i want her to be comfortable and be able to hang out with me inside again. I try and go outside with her as much as possible but with my schedule it is much easier for her to be inside. Did i mention i live in Texas? It's very hot right now.. I don't like knowing she is out there, hot, uncomfortable, and being attacked by other cats (and yes she has been attacked by a male cat several times and been sprayed on, but it hasn't happened lately. but still! I don't like that its happened at all :'( ) I think i forgot to mention that i haven't always been the best cat liter box cleaner but its never too dirty i clean it at least every week or more but not every other day like I should, might i add that even when I do clean it she doesn't use it. I've heard about Anti Icky Poo and would like to know if that works. I've read that you need to completely erase any trace of her peeing out of the litter box so that she will start to use it again but i don't know if that will work. So finally (sorry this "question" was so long just wanted to be as detailed as possible to get the best help possible) my question is...

How do i get my parents to put my cat inside again, and how will i get her to use the litter box once she's in?

Thank you so much,

Sincerely, Abbi1229

P.S. Thank you so much to anybody who will help me! And sorry if this was an inappropriate forum to put this on, but thank you again!

 

[tjcarst]

I don't have much advice on curbing her behavior, but I do know you need to clean the litter box every day, along with clean fresh water (very important for your kitty's kidneys), and food.  Every day.

I hope your parents will let you cat remain inside. 

I am sure someone with more experience on litter box issues will chime in as well.

Have you searched the Cat Behavior forums here?  I am sure others have presented this question and maybe you can find out what worked for them.

 

[p3 and the king]

Contrary to belief, and what we can smell, animals can always smell it if we don't clean it right.  And they will continue to go there if they can still smell it.  I would suggest Nature's Miracle it's an enzyme cleaner it takes the smell away.  Just clean the spots she goes at commonly, don't forget the walls by it, either.  As for the rest, she is old now, and just like when people get old, they start slowing down or maybe deteriorating, and lots of changes are not the greatest for her.  That could explain her going everywhere, perhaps she has arthritis and it hurts her too much to step into the litterbox?  I don't know how high the walls are but she may just have decided it is not worth it in her old age.  I would suggest a lower litter box.  Or even a cardboard box lid wrapped in a litterbox liner and maybe some Cat Attract Litter.  Being thrown outside is not good for her in her age and I would plead with your parents to take her to a vet and have the vet tell them everything we do.  She is in her senior years of life and she deserves to be comfortable and happy in them. 

The new dogs could also be upsetting her and causing her anxiety.  She  sees the house as hers and the 2 new intruders could be setting her off further to misbehave. I would suggest feliway plug ins (your parents and you can't smell it... But the cat can) or the calming collar.  Ask your vet about them.  They can help her calm down and feel comfortable again.  It won't perform a miracle... She won't suddenly be friends with the dogs but it could very well help with her peeing and anxiety issues. 

I recommend the calming collar, it is cheaper and it works pretty much instantly if it is going to work... With feliway, it is expensive and sometimes can take over a month to take effect.

http://reviews.petsmart.com/4830/34...r-calming-collar-for-cats-reviews/reviews.htm

I hope this helps.  But being a teenager, under your parents roof, it is up to them to help you.  I hope they will.  Perhaps you can show them everyones suggestions and they will see things from yours and your cats point of view.  Much luck and hugs to you and your kitty!

 

[kittycatnap]

Hmm... That's a toughy. Well I guess you could try cleaning the litter box, like I mean no trace it has ever been used. At what age can you drive in Texas? In MO it's 16, but if you could drive to the store and buy a new one. Make sure you clean it everyday! Offer to take care of her, as much as you can first. Let me know if this helps any, really and I will post as much as I can, and other TCS members will post solutions too.

-Aimee @KittyCatNap

 

[p3 and the king]

I think i forgot to mention that i haven't always been the best cat liter box cleaner but its never too dirty i clean it at least every week or more but not every other day like I should, might i add that even when I do clean it she doesn't use it. 

 Well, many cats are very picky about the cleanliness of their litterboxes... (I missed this earlier)  And once a week is not anywhere near good enough.  Neither is every other day.  You need to be cleaning it at least once a day. 

  I clean mine up to 5 times a day sometimes.  But I have more than one cat.  Still, once a day cleaning is a must if you want her to be inside again.  A lot of times, cats get picky as they get older and a dirty litterbox is a no for them... Maybe if you "make a deal" and commit, to your parents, that you'll clean the box out at least once a day, they might consider letting her back in.  It's going to take work and commitment on your part.  But, a deal is a deal... And only you can decide if she stays in and you hold all the cards with a deal, too, so..............

 

[dianev66]

There is a litter called Cat Attract I used and it worked and I have heard others say it works too.  Ask your parents if she could stay in your room with a new litter box and the litter I mentioned.  Also there is a wonderful product called Feliway.  Now it isn't cheap but if you need help maybe I could buy it for you and ship it to.  Here is a link to both products.

http://www.feliway.com/gb/Feliway-Where-to-buy

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751734

If the litter is too expensive you could buy the Cat Attract sprinkles for the litter you are currently using.

Also, I recommend downing loading cat meditation music or even human meditation music and play it while you are studying in your room.  The goal is to get her to relax and feel safe.

Print out the product information and ask your parents to please just give it a try.  

 

[ldg]

The above suggestions are all very good. I just want to say we had to deal with one of our cats peeing outside the litter box. Hers turned out to be a medical reason. While a vet visit when a kitty is peeing outside the box is always a good idea (it's one of the few ways they have of letting you know there's a problem! For our Spooky, it turned out her teeth hurt and she needed several extractions, though when it's a medical problem, it's usually an inflamed bladder, stones in the bladder, or an infection in the bladder or urinary tract).

The summary of ideas:

1) Properly clean the area(s) where she peed. The ONLY thing that will work is an ENZYME CLEANER. Here's an article explaining why steam cleaning won't work: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-remove-cat-urine

If she smells her pee outside of the box, it encourages her to continue using that spot. An enzyme cleaner that is superior to Nature's Miracle and is available at many pet stores is Urine Off.

2) Clean her box every day. Think of it like this. You wouldn't like using the toilet if it were only flushed every few days, would you? Cats are VERY fastidious, clean animals, and a clean litter box is really a must. I suspect the reason she peed outside the box is because it was too messy. Don't forget - their sense of smell is FAR, far more sensitive than ours.

3) For the first little while, it is probably a good idea to use the Cat Attract Litter (or use the additive with the litter you're using).

In the meantime... maybe have a chat with your parents. You'd rather confine her to your room than confine her to the outdoors? Maybe they'll compromise with that until all the pee is cleaned up and you can see how she's doing with the box?


Also... at 13, how's she doing moving around? Is she as spry as she used to be? Sometimes getting in and out of the litter box can be an issue for older kitties, if they have arthritis. Having a litter box on every floor of the house can help, and having a low-sided litter box that is easy to get in and out of may help, if pain in her joints is at all an issue.

 

[orientalslave]

Lots of good information here:

http://www.fabcats.org/behaviour/spraying/info.html

In the UK a lot of us use a solution of biological (enzyme) laundry powder for cleaning up - it's far cheaper than the various sprays and just as effective.

You need to wash the litter tray at least once a week and let it air dry, as well as scooping.  It is easier if you have more than one tray - one in use, one clean ready to use.

 

[abbi1229]

Hey, thank you so much! This helped a lot. Every ones reply has really given me a good argument to bring up with my parents. I just wanted to say that i know it isn't a health issue because i made my dad take Lila to the vet before he put her outside. But even my parents have brought up cleaning the litter box and i have always been kind of lazy about that and i know that's bad cause it's now affecting my kitty cat so that's gonna take some convincing cause this has happened before, but now I'm older and i need to take responsibility (even though i should have before)... But again thank you so much!

 

[abbi1229]

Wow! You're so generous! Thank you so much for offering to help me! All though as of right now i don't think there will be any financial problems.. Just my parents being stubborn :/ But once again thank you so much for offering!! [response for DianeV66] even though all of y'all are generous!