I've had my cat Pretty Kitty for 12 years. And she has been peeing outside of the litter box for 12 years, off and on. I've had months go by with no problems, but usually we have an episode lasting one week about once a month. I have had her regularly checked by three vets plus two emergency vets and one animal hospital over the years and she has no kidney or bladder problems. She has always had clean urine tests and blood tests. She has been on Prozac, a tricyclic when she has been exposed to environmental changes (new baby in house, moving from an apartment to our current house), and is currently on amitriptyline. None of the them has worked well. I have also tried using Feliway spray and diffuser, Cat attract litter, giving her plenty of attention, good natural food, and several 'cat areas' that are free of meddlesome children and adults. Over the years, we have tried two litter boxes, and three litter boxes, with the third having a new type of litter in case she like it better. Nothing has worked. She has ruined two antique carpets and several other carpets, my husband's computer, a couch, two chairs (not to mention that in between, I have reupholstered and restuffed the furniture) both of our children's mattresses, our mattress, and the list goes on. That is the past.
Now for the current problem. We are renovating the entire first floor of our home. What was supposed to be a kitchen makeover has turned into much more because Pretty Kitty has peed so much on the hardwood floors, they are damaged down to the under flooring. We have decided to make a fresh start of it as we have in the past and also get new clean furniture as there are only so many times you can douse your upholstery in cat pee spray before they are ruined. We are currently in a bad period for Kitty as she has been peeing daily all over since Christmas. Christmas stresses her out because we buy a Christmas tree and often have family or guests visit. She does not like guests or family and will claw at them, growl at them and lunge when they are in the same room as her. I was hoping she'd recover by now, but she hasn't. I know that the remodeling will really put her over the edge, and I'm afraid for her. In the past when she has gotten really stressed, she has ended up hospitalized for vomiting leading to dehydration and breathing issues (she is a Persian and vomit gets stuck in her nose). This has happened nine times, sometimes just for an overnight, but others it has taken her three days to recover.
Does anyone have any idea what to do with her? The renovation will take four months and I'm not sure she will be able to handle it. As an added difficulty, I would like to know that once our new floors are in, that they are safe from cat pee. So basically I have four months to get my stressed out Pretty Kitty calmed down for good. Please help!
Jennifer
Now for the current problem. We are renovating the entire first floor of our home. What was supposed to be a kitchen makeover has turned into much more because Pretty Kitty has peed so much on the hardwood floors, they are damaged down to the under flooring. We have decided to make a fresh start of it as we have in the past and also get new clean furniture as there are only so many times you can douse your upholstery in cat pee spray before they are ruined. We are currently in a bad period for Kitty as she has been peeing daily all over since Christmas. Christmas stresses her out because we buy a Christmas tree and often have family or guests visit. She does not like guests or family and will claw at them, growl at them and lunge when they are in the same room as her. I was hoping she'd recover by now, but she hasn't. I know that the remodeling will really put her over the edge, and I'm afraid for her. In the past when she has gotten really stressed, she has ended up hospitalized for vomiting leading to dehydration and breathing issues (she is a Persian and vomit gets stuck in her nose). This has happened nine times, sometimes just for an overnight, but others it has taken her three days to recover.
Does anyone have any idea what to do with her? The renovation will take four months and I'm not sure she will be able to handle it. As an added difficulty, I would like to know that once our new floors are in, that they are safe from cat pee. So basically I have four months to get my stressed out Pretty Kitty calmed down for good. Please help!
Jennifer