Prozac and Inappropriate Elimination

[Catlady898989]

My cat has had issues with peeing and pooping outside the box for the past year (sometimes using the box and sometimes going outside the box). She is going outside the box at least once per day. We’ve tried everything. Multiple litter boxes, calming treats/sprays, lower sided litter box, etc. She is an older girl (14). We took her to the vet and he can’t seem to find anything physically wrong with her. He indicated that her kidney levels were “slightly” off but he says this is normal for a 14 year old cat/ aging process etc. She is only 5 pounds—-she’s always been a small girl. He recommended Prozac for the inappropriate peeing and pooping 2.5mg. The first day, she stopped the bad behavior and started using her box again. For 7 days straight she went back to using the box all the time—-no surprises on the wood floor. But then it seems to have started agai
Day 8—she peed on the floor. Day 11 she peed on the floor again. Day 12, she peed on the floor.

Is this because we haven’t waited the full 6-8 weeks? The behaviors stopped altogether the first week and now they seem to me coming back. Please help. My mom is going to make me get rid of the cat if she doesn’t stop urinating on her hardwood floors. This cat has been my baby for 13 years and she acts otherwise healthy and has a hearty appetite. I don’t want to put her to sleep, but my mom keeps threatening that we will need to put her down if she doesn’t stop. Can anyone please help/offer some advice?? I am desperate and extremely stressed.

 

[CatLadyBB]

I had a cat on Prozac many years ago, although not for urinating issues. It did help my cat.

Regarding going outside of the box, when is she doing it? Overnight when you are sleeping, when she is home alone, etc? Although I haven't experienced this directly, a friend of mine did where they isolated the time when the cat was not using the box and they kept her in a large dog crate (with litter box, access to water, bed) when they were not directly interacting with her. The cat was mostly peeing out of the litter box overnight when everyone was sleeping. I don't believe they ever found out the reason for her doing this, however, keeping her in the crate overnight improved this behavior.

 

[Catlady898989]

I had a cat on Prozac many years ago, although not for urinating issues. It did help my cat.

Regarding going outside of the box, when is she doing it? Overnight when you are sleeping, when she is home alone, etc? Although I haven't experienced this directly, a friend of mine did where they isolated the time when the cat was not using the box and they kept her in a large dog crate (with litter box, access to water, bed) when they were not directly interacting with her. The cat was mostly peeing out of the litter box overnight when everyone was sleeping. I don't believe they ever found out the reason for her doing this, however, keeping her in the crate overnight improved this behavior.

Thanks for the reply. She does it at night and when no one is watching. We tried locking her up at night, but that only made the behavior worse. She pooped and peed in her crate and then smeared it all over herself and the cage. It seems like the more we “confine” her the worse the behavior gets. She’s always been fine to have free reign until this started. We started her on Prozac and it worked like a charm for the first week. But she seems to be starting back up again.

 

[Catlady898989]

I’m desperate for answers. The Prozac worked good for a week, but now she is starting back up again. I’ve heard that it takes a full 8 weeks to see improvements (is this true?), but I find it odd that it worked like a charm for the full first week and now she’s back to doing this again!

 

[Catlady898989]

Please, is there anyone that can help? My mom is going to put the cat to sleep. I live in her house, so I really don’t have a choice. Day 13 on Prozac—-she used her box
Day 14—she used her box
Day 15 on Prozac—-she peed on the floor again

 

[sunny578]

Hello! I'm typing a response now! Please don't euthanize for this issue!!!

 

[sunny578]

Ok, I have a few questions!

What else was going on when this behavior started? Did you move, get a new pet, have a new child, etc, etc?

What kind of space are you living in?

Where does the cat spend most of her time?

What have you/has your mom done when you have caught her going outside of her box?

When she goes outside of her box, where does she go? In the same spot, or just anywhere?

Are there any other animals living with you?

If your mom is on board, I know this is an issue you can solve. But it will take some cleaning, and perhaps some modifications to your environment (an extra litter box, a cat tree, perhaps some baby gates.) If your mom is not willing to add these things to her home, than please re-home instead of euthanize. It's a much more humane option. Cats who stop using the box in one home can and do form better habits in another.

 

[Catlady898989]

Ok, I have a few questions!

What else was going on when this behavior started? Did you move, get a new pet, have a new child, etc, etc?

What kind of space are you living in?

Where does the cat spend most of her time?

What have you/has your mom done when you have caught her going outside of her box?

When she goes outside of her box, where does she go? In the same spot, or just anywhere?

Are there any other animals living with you?

If your mom is on board, I know this is an issue you can solve. But it will take some cleaning, and perhaps some modifications to your environment (an extra litter box, a cat tree, perhaps some baby gates.) If your mom is not willing to add these things to her home, than please re-home instead of euthanize. It's a much more humane option. Cats who stop using the box in one home can and do form better habits in another.

Hi! Thanks for the reply. She was going in certain areas. We’ve cleaned those areas with an enzyme cleaner thoroughly and blocked off the areas with baby gates—-then she just finds new places to go. She’s an only child and she’s always been the only cat in our household. She only pees and poops on the floor at night and during the day when no one is home—or when we ARE home and no one is watching. I’ve never physically seen her do it because she is sneaky about it. Nothing about our home or routine has changed.

She has lived in this house for 13 years and the behavior started about a year ago. The vet says that there is really nothing medically wrong with her. The vet said it could maybe be a touch of dementia because of her age—-but we’re not sure. She does have arthritis but she remains active and does not appear to have any trouble getting in the box (she DOES us it some of the time). We even bought a lower sided box.

So far, Prozac seems to have decreased the number of incidents outside the litter box. Yesterday I covered some areas with aluminum foil and placed cat treats in areas that can’t be blocked off—-hoping she won’t urinate where she eats…this seems to be helping as she hasn’t gone outside the box in 2 days now.

 

[Catlady898989]

I’m hoping that the full 8 weeks on Prozac will help permanently—-for now we are living with blocked off rooms and aluminum foil on some of our floors :-( hopefully this will detract her from these locations and eventually she will forget that she liked going in those “no-no” areas. We are hoping the combination of this and the Prozac will end this problem. If it does not, my mom has indicated that she cannot allow this cat to continue ruining her hardwood floors.

 

[sunny578]

Ok, thank you for the info!

My cat urinated outside of her box on and off for years. It was so awful, so I understand a little about what you are going through. I felt like I came up with so much information on this topic that I actually made up a whole website about it. I will send it to you in a message if you want to take a look.

Can you identify the point at when she started having accidents, and what else was going on in your/her life?

How many litter boxes does she have, and where are they located? Are there hoods or liners? Have you experimented with different types of litter?

Sometimes as cats get older, they start to have a little bit of joint soreness/other ailments. And if their litter box is in a hard to get to area, they might just decide one day that it's easier to go on the floor etc. Then it becomes a habit.

So, if your boxes are on other levels of the house, or in the bathroom where she might have to wait her turn, or in a place that is sometimes stressful to go to (ie by the washer and dryer which are sometimes loud) that can be a hinderance to litter box usage, especially as they age.

I would make sure you have one litter box on each level of the house, and then make sure that they are in semi-private areas. Not in the middle of the living room, but not shoved in a corner either. If she has a favorite hardwood floor spot where she urinated, you could also try placing a box there. It doesn't have to be permanent, but sometimes just putting a box where the cat often chooses to go can solve the problem.

What is her diet like? Esp with her kidney function, if she is on dry food, I would slowly wean her off of that and switch her to a canned only diet. Dry food can irritate the bladder, and make urinating and defecating more uncomfortable, and when cats are uncomfortable doing that they are less likely to use their box.

I would also make sure she has sources of water that are far away from her food. Cats tend drink more when they "discover" their water, and you want her well hydrated so that when she urinates she is always comfortable, and so that she is less likely to experience constipation.

Great idea to feed her where she has inappropriately urinated!!

Is there any stress in her life? Is anyone yelling at her or punishing her or even giving her the stink eye for her bad habits? Is she getting kicked outside? No judgement--I def had times where I yelled at my cat when I noticed she urinated outside of her box. But, if her environment has any of this stress, getting her back to using her box 100% will be very difficult.

Is she allowed on furniture and beds? It sounds like she might not be able to get to other high up places with her arthritis, but you want her to have access to high up spaces that she can get to (like the couch.) This will also ensure that her stress is at a minimum.

I think it's great that she is still using her litter box sometimes! This is a good sign. It sounds like confinement only stressed her out, which I totally get. I will keep checking back to see how she is doing! It sounds like you are really dedicated to getting her back in her box! If things start to go downhill again, you could check out a local rescue for rehoming resources. It sounds like she has a lot of life left in her, and cats really can form new habits in different homes.