Odd behaviours and questions

[Sam and tiana]

Hi there!

So my fur baby Tiana is pretty healthy and happy as far as I can tell. But she does have a few odd behaviours that I've been seeing since she was bought home (3 months) and now she's 4.

First and the most concerning one:
She pees on my blankets, and it specifically has to be things that I use to cover myself when I sleep. We have soft fluffy covers on the sofa but she does not pee on them. This started young when she was a kitten. She peed on the soft blanket I laid for her to sleep on. I thought it mightve been an accident but she kept doing it so I removed the blanket. As she got older it subsided a lot but then she'd do it again from time to time with no apparent reasoning. She hasn't stopped using the litter box and never had an accident other than her poop trailing behind her once. There are no other animals in the house so I don't see a reason for litter box issues or stressors. She also seems to do it after making biscuits on the blanket. Not at the same time but usually in a day or two. It makes no sense at all. We've talked to her vet multiple times and he checked her stomach and other areas for problems but came with nothing. If this persists I've been thinking about switching vets.

Second problem is that she's been licking plastic, like plastic shopping bags or covers used for packaging. She just licks them non stop when she gets hyper but never chews on them. I've learned that it might be because of mineral deficiency but I give her a good quality dry food because that's all she will eat and those wet food sachet treats daily. This is a relatively new discovery although I've only noticed this because I've been home a lot these days.
She is currently in her best health as she used to puke a lot as a kitten because she'd eat very less and was extremely picky. We finally got a good brand that she actually likes. She absolutely despises wet food and would rather go hungry but goes nuts for wet food treats. She pees and poops normally in her litter box too. Although her poo has gotten smellier after switching foods.
Both of these things have been mentioned to the vet but he sees nothing wrong with it. But it's frustrating to throw away yet another blanket with no clue as to why she's doing it. So I'm here to ask what I should be doing differently

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. If I understood you correctly, the primary things she pees on is blankets/coverings you use while sleeping? If that is correct, then fold them up when you are not using them and place them on the top shelf of a closet or some other location that she cannot get to.

As far as the plastic goes, just keep the plastic bags away from her too. I have a cat that chews, but does not eat, plastic bags if she finds one. Been going on for years (Feeby is now 18+ yo) and even to this day if we screw up and leave one out, she will go after it. Just a crazy idiosyncrasy of hers. She also likes to gnaw on metal - things like the rings that affix a shoulder/hand strap to purses, for example. So, those are kept out of reach as well. One of my other cats (Gracie - RIP) loved chewing on rubber bands, so we always made sure not to have to out anywhere within her reach.

 

[Alldara]

I'm agreeing with FeebysOwner .

Most cats will chew plastic bags if allowed. Apparently it tastes fishy to them. Best to store our of reach.


It might be worth a urinalysis and bloodwork at some point when you can...but if it's gone on this long it might be marking behaviour.

Just as an FYI- lack (of perceived, by the cat) enrichment can cause stress that makes FLUTD. The first sign of FLUTD for us was Nobel peeing on beds. I think they smell us and it's comforting. He only did it once in awhile and it wasn't until years later that he got an infection and then further flare ups that it was diagnosed. He's always been very tidy and has never stopped using the litter completely even when he had stones.

We had to go through the process of teaching Nobel to eat wet food. He still has some dry, but it's the biggest prevention for FLUTD and many other disorders. Also ensuring that the dry food he eats has a higher PH (so contains some blueberry or cranberry or something to raise the PH and no dairy that will lower the PH).
He's eats Purina's over the counter urinary wet food. We don't free-feed dry food anymore and presenting the wet food once he's gone hungry a bit worked. We started with Fancy Feast and some straight up tuna as it's what he would try a bit of.

Others have had lots of luck with Wureva for picky cats.

If you can get her to eat one can of wet food a day, it will be so beneficial long term. Especially if she will tolerate extra water in it. This could be one can broken into 3 meals and dry food lowered a bit. Any bit helps.

 

[FeebysOwner]

And, in addition to the above, you can always add water to your cat's dry food to see if she will eat it that way. If she does, it might increase of the odds of her 'learning' to accept/like wet food down the road. You might also 'test' some wet foods by mixing them with the wet food treats that she likes.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi

She also seems to do it after making biscuits on the blanket. Not at the same time but usually in a day or two.

To me, along with the plastic licking, this sounds like an odd/unique version of pica.

Are you able to take her for walks? Not because I think she's bored but I wonder if her mind would benefit from external stimuli?

 

[Sam and tiana]

Hi all,
Thanks for all the great insights, sorry I've been gone for so long. We took her to the vet a week or so ago because I noticed two white worm like things crawling on her tail... I was mortified. The doctor checked and couldn't find any problems on the outside and when I showed him the picture of what I found, he gave her a dewormer and sent us home with one more to give her later on.

I brought up the plastic licking problem and he told us to just keep it out of her reach so we've been trying hard to do that around the house. When I mentioned the peeing he said it's because cats take revenge??? Like if we spank her she'll retaliate and pee on the bed? It made no sense and we've never hurt her so IDK what that was about

Ti is very stubborn about eating wet food, smell and texture is everything to her along with the fact that she'll eat very very small amounts throughout the day. We had her on a schedule for 6 months but she just wouldn't eat enough and I was starting to worry about her losing weight. She does get those wet treats which are about 100g per serving and is designed to improve hydration. I know its not enough but I haven't found any wet food she thoroughly enjoys other than the treat and schesir pumpkin soup sachet but that is a supplemental feed meant for as a snack and frequently sold out at our stores.

We've been staying on top of cleaning her litter box and playing with her but she peed on the bed today morning too, it seemed so out of the ordinary and we've decided to add an extra litter box and to ban her from entering the bedroom at night time only.

The problem is she gets super loud if we don't let her in so idk how we're gonna sleep through that...

Now onto some of the things you guys mentioned
Getting her blood work done will not be possible in her current clinic so when I get a bit more money I'll take her to a specialist clinic further away but it will take time. Is there any other symptoms I should look out for FLUTD?

Taking her out on a walk is something we've tried multiple times as we frequent parks weekly and wanted to enjoy it with us, she's harness trained inside the house but once she steps out she starts getting super nervous and bolt back into the house. We've never made it past the stairs actually so I'll keep working on it. She's a very anxious critter so I don't like pressuring her to do things because she starts breathing super hard and shivering which is what happens when we go to the vet's.

Im getting sick of smelling the pee and really want to put an end to this, I can't believe that I have to get a new mattress bit I know that there's no way the smell will ever truly go away.

Any advice is helpful for the time being as I'm a bit tight finance wise.

Pictured: Her favorite treat and the very pretty lady nervously sitting behind us in the car <3

 

[Alldara]

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) | International Cat Care

the above is a good resource. You may need to find a vet to speak to regarding anti-anxiety medicine. I also recommend grabbing a waterproof mattress cover for your new mattress. (The bedbug ones dont make extra plasticy noises when you sleep on them/move on them).

did the vet run a urine test?

 

[Furballsmom]

When I mentioned the peeing he said it's because cats take revenge??? Like if we spank her she'll retaliate and pee on the bed? It made no sense

Oh, goodness, you're right, cats don't think like that.

 

[Astragal14]

Make sure you use an enzymatic cleaner, otherwise some urine will remain on the bedding. Cats can still smell it even when humans can't, and this smell attracts them to urinate in the same spot over and over again. There are specific brands made for cleaning pet stains, and I've read brands like Tide and Persil have the strongest enzymes of regular detergents.

How to Remove Cat Urine: Why an Enzyme Cleaner must be used.

Soap, vinegar, baking soda, ammonia, chlorine, and hydrogen peroxide (to name the most common cleaners) simply are not chemically capable of breaking down the uric acid in cat pee. These cleaners and deodorizers only temporarily make the smell go away and appear to work because they do clean up the other components of the cat urine. But when exposed to humidity, the uric acid salts cause the uric acid crystals to reform. This process releases the smell again; not always at levels detectable to the human nose, but the cats’ more sensitive noses can smell it. And the scent of their urine outside of the litter box encourages many cats to continue urinating outside of the box, often with their families left scratching their heads wondering why.

(emphasis mine)

You may also want to consider enrichment options other than walking on a harness, depending where she'll be walking. A quiet backyard or neighborhood that she is familiar with is very, very different from more crowded areas with unfamiliar people and animals at every turn.

She can still enjoy the outdoors with things like pet strollers, pet backpacks or pet slings (just make sure they're for pets and not babies, you want secure closures and tear-proof materials). We have a pet stroller that our cats love and I know several people who use backpacks. I've seen dogs in slings but I don't know much about using them, so make sure your cat can be securely attached to something inside the sling.

https://www.chewy.com/b/strollers-1481
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Dog Sling Bags: Best Dog Sling Carriers for Travel (Free Shipping) | Chewy

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. You need to find a feline only veterinarian and get a full physical with blood work. But it needs to be a feline only vet. Your cat is showing signs of a problem and you need someone that only focuses on cats to discover what is going on.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hello,

I just read the rest of your post and subsequent post.

Your cat could have a bladder stone. That can lead to some of the things you are describing. A bladder stone or stones can be detected on x-ray if they are large enough and on ultrasound. The gold standard is: Physical exam, urinalysis dip stick with microscopic evaluation, radiograph, and ultrasound with cystocentesis.

Sometimes you can’t do all that “should” be done, so you start with what you can do. That would be up to the veterinarian to decide which would render the most information considering what their physical exam reveals.

Regarding the chewing on plastic. It is important to keep the plastic away from the cat, as some will consume it and cause an intestinal obstruction, also some plastic is made with chemicals that can harm a cat if chronically exposed to them. Cats will chew on plastic for many reasons. Most of the time it is some sort of oral pain, or they can do it because of other pain.

Regarding the walking outside on a harness. If I were you, I would not do it. So many cats have been lost when they slip their harness, cats can also be attacked by a loose dog,

Each cat has a unique personality that can of course be changed slightly such as taming a feral cat etc. but the inherent personality you cannot change. Some cats are introverted and shy and some are bold and everything in between. I have a cat that I rescued and although she is friendly with me, she is terrified of everyone who doesn’t live in the house. She cannot handle things such as furniture being moved, and it takes her a long time to adjust to anything. I know that she will never be a cat to walk up to visitors or want to venture out of her comfort zone. I have another cat, also a rescue, that will walk up to a visitor and flop down in front of them. He thinks everyone on earth was put here to play with him. If something frightening happens like a loud noise, he will startle and them immediately go back to flopping around playing. The other cat will be hiding for the rest of the day, these kinds of ingrained personalities cannot be changed. So, my friendly cat would be the kind that could be harness trained, but the other cat would be a disaster waiting to happen.

If your cat is suffering from anything, it is important to keep her stress level to a minimum. Make sure you have two litter boxes set up. The rule of thumb is one box per cat plus one. So, one cat equals two boxes. Don’t use scented litter and try to get as dust free as you can.

With food, canned is your best option, but if she won’t eat it you cannot let her starve. There is a good website to look at catinfo.org. There are allot of tips to get your cat transitioned over. In the meantime, I wouldn’t worry about diet until you get her checked out by your new veterinarian.

It never ceases to amaze me how many vetasaureces are still around. (Vets that are practicing medicine holding on to ancient beliefs and practices) Cats do not do things for revenge. They are not capable of plotting against you. It shocks me that anyone would think this. Cats exist in the hear and now.