Put to sleep senior cat for long-standing litter box avoidance?

[TSBLD]

This would be my sister's cat. He is 15. She has done every sort of testing at the vet to see if he has something wrong. Bloodwork, rads, UA, etc. All come back relatively normal aside from some signs of inflammation in bloodwork. One doctor thinks there may be an unseen cancer or intestinal disease. Another vet doesn't think it is time to euthanize and thinks it is behavior. We have a few cats and maybe 7 cat boxes. He also gets pain meds. He doesn't like the arthritis treats we got at the vet. He is the only one who does this. That's all a very short version of his issues.

The cat sometimes uses the box, sometimes doesn't. Generally, he poops outside the box most of the time but pees in the box. He will pee on things that get left out like clothes or bags. This is a long standing issue that the cat has had for YEARS. This is not a new issue. He has started to crap on the stove and couches. My sister is close to completely freaking out about it as she has anxiety and depression. Since he's old and nothing is working, she wants to pts. We tried to pass it by the regular vet and she refused. So now there's options of at home euth, going to another vet to euth/second opinion.

How wrong could we be? It seems like everything has been done and nothing works. Obviously rehoming at such an age is not happening. We are both okay if he needs to be pts, since he's old.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
This is rough. I can't advise but I will say that I really really sympathize with you, your sister, everyone else and that cat

 

[iPappy]

If he's otherwise healthy, it could be behavioral but who is to say? I had a cat that would pee in the box and poop outside of it. I tried a lot of litters. Turns out he liked pine pellets, and hated the clumping stuff. Has this been a life long thing? Are the boxes covered, uncovered? Is he de clawed? Have you watched him while in the box? If he's scratching the sides a lot, the box might be too small for him. I'm very sorry for your situation, this has to be so frustrating.

 

[FeebysOwner]

What have you tried? Things like seeing if he would use puppy pee pads to poop on? If so, they would make clean up easier, and sometimes cats will even use them when they are placed inside a low sided litter box, or even a cardboard box lid. Keeping more than one box close to another to see if that would help encourage him to use one in case the other box is already 'fuller' than he likes? Keeping the litter boxes cleaned out all the time? Does he have normal poops? Making sure things that don't belong on the floor are kept off the floor will go a long way to prevent the occasions that he inappropriately pees outside the boxes.

He sounds like he is fairly mobile if he is able to poop on a stove but, nonetheless, sometimes the position a cat holds to poop - which is often different than the one they hold to pee - can cause discomfort and so the cat avoids the box. Cats typically associate the discomfort with the box and not their body. I don't know what pain meds he is on, or how long he has been on them, but they may not address the discomfort he might be having or may not be enough all by themselves. There is a newer paid med specifically for feline arthritis that seems to be reaping good results - it is called Solensia and is a monthly injection. I believe it can take up to 3 injections to see the best benefits.

It is possible that the habit has been going on so long that it can't be corrected. But, until all kinds of trials are done, one can never know if there is a solution that works for him. If this is some sort of intestinal issue or even cancer, has there ever been any consideration of pursuing these possibilities through tests, such an ultrasound? I appreciate this avenue can be costly and may be out the financial realm of your sister.

It just seems sad to pts a cat for inappropriate pooping that apparently is doing fairly well otherwise. I have an 18+ yo cat, and while she uses the litter box appropriately, she has recently been diagnosed with cancer - and has other diseases was well. I expect to treat her because even at her age, she isn't old enough to me to pts.

 

[TSBLD]

Yes we generally clean the boxes every day - sometimes a day is missed. I am the one who cleans them, not my sister. He is not declawed. He is neutered. His crap is usually normal, sometimes very soft. He has had on and off pancreatitis the past 2 yrs. We haven't considered an ultrasound and I don't know if we'd do one right now. We just spent $4000 to remove another cat's teeth due to FORL, and $500 to do various tests on this cat.

We have boxes of different sizes and depths. Right now, there are least 3 different litter brands. We just got in an order of Dr Elsey's Cat Attract, so I added that to 2 boxes tonight. I just changed litter in some, so that's the most boxes I could fill right now. None of the boxes are covered.

As for his peeing on items on the floor, he is amazingly fast at getting to items. For example, I left my motorcycle jacket on the floor for just a minute. He came over and squated on it; I grabbed it before he could pee. He will also occassionaly get on the couch and pee on blankets or clothes left on top of the dryer.

I forgot to mention, we did order these plastic mats that are like the pointy side of a plastic carpet runner that are supposed to deter cats. I put them on the stove and so far they've worked. It's only been a few days. We have not added them to the couches yet - that's my sister's area of the house to mess with. We do intend on throwing out the couches at some point due to age/destruction from cat claws.

I read about puppy pads on here tonight, which we could do.

I would like my sister to get a second opnion, but that's really up to her. She is really stressed out rn. We can't install new floors or get new furniture because we know he will potty on them. He's been seeing the vet at my job (or previous job, as of today), and there hasn't always been 100% faith in the vets.

 

[iPappy]

I feel for your sister. That has to be frustrating.
I've used Dr. Elsey's cat attract. It helped reform a cat that was notorious for urine marking. I no longer buy it, because the habit was broke.
Does he do this all the time? Or does he do it for a few weeks, then goes back to peeing in the box/pooping beside the box? You said sometimes his poop is soft, do you notice any correlation between where he goes and how it looks? I'm wondering if he's having a mild flare up and he's just going wherever he can. Two of my 14.5 year old cats will go wherever if they have a stomach upset. I have found turds in weird places.
You've spent a lot of money on these cats and have put a lot of effort into breaking his habits, it's obvious you're trying. I just hope you can find a solution. I'd hate to see your sister (and you) living in misery over this, but I'd also hate to see your sisters anxiety and depression intensified for having this cat put down for a problem like this without knowing why he was doing what he's doing.
Try the pee pads and cat attract. I think Natures Miracle also makes an attractant you could mist the boxes with. They also make a urine deterrent, it won't help the pooping, but if you mist the couch at least, maybe it will deter him.

 

[Alldara]

Here's a quick question:

If he's left alone in a room with a box and no other cats does he use the box 100%? Another cat may be bothering him frequently enough to cause the issue if it's longstanding. A camera could be the best way to catch this, as cats can be sneaky about bullying.

Is he on any pain management for arthritis? He very likely has some and squatting in a box can be hard. Another reason it may have been going on a long time, is well, by 15 he may have had arthritis for many years!

Arthritis in Cats

Sorry for all the questions at first! It's hard to know what's been tried and what hasn't.

 

[TSBLD]

For meds, he has transdermal gabapentin. We got Gylcoflex from the vet, but he won't eat it. I asked if there were other pain meds, the vet says no. And my stupid self forgot that he could be given other stuff like Meloxicam. It is not something ever prescribed where I previously worked, but I have given it to my guinea pigs and they were perfectly fine.

Which is another reason to get a second opinion. I know it can cause kidney/liver issues, however with his age I'm not worried about that.

This isn't an issue that is on and off. He poops outside the box every day.

I'm afraid that if we put him in a room, he will just go outside the box still. He has peed on my sister's bed and craps in her bedroom. Again, this is a years-long issue. He is not allowed in the bedroom. We could put him in the bathroom, but he craps in the tub when he is trapped in there.

I doubt we can get into a vet today, given it's Sunday, but I'll try to have her get a second opinion.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Glyco Flex contains green lipped mussels, which is a good thing for joint care, but it is very strong tasting. Feeby ate the chews for 3 years before she decided she was 'over' the taste. I did, however, break the chews into 4-5 pieces as they were too big otherwise and she wouldn't eat them. Cosequin and Dasuquin are also used for arthritic joint care - they come in capsules that could be opened and the powder mixed in with canned food, if he gets any of that. But they both also have chews that you could try. These supplements are non-prescription, including the Glyco Flex.

Gabapentin was given to Feeby but didn't do much in terms of helping with her arthritis, and that was the oral version. A lot of folks don't think meds in transdermal form are as effective. And the dosage has to be 'played with' to find what works best for each cat. Feeby got 50mg once or twice a day, and absolutely hated the taste - after we tried 5 different versions/compounds/flavors. So, that is why I decided to try the once-a-month injectable Solensia. Most transdermal meds can 'build-up' in a cat's ear, rendering them less effective, so cleaning in between applications with just warm water and a cotton round, or similar pad, is advised.

 

[Alldara]

For arthritis management, Nobel is on Metacam. It's a a liquid so super easy to mix into the food. He takes it directly from the syringe thanks to Churu so I can't think it tastes too badly.
He's been on it for years, but it does effect his tummy sometimes so we may talk to the vet about steroids at his next visit..

 

[FeebysOwner]

so we may talk to the vet about steroids at his next visit..

Look into the Solensia. It isn't a steroid.

 

[Alldara]

Look into the Solensia. It isn't a steroid.

Thanks! Taking him to the vet monthly wouldn't be feasible long term though. We don't have our own car and rely on rides. Cat-taxis are super expensive and we only use them for emergency trips.

 

[catsknowme]

Tramadol is another pain management consideration for cats and dogs as well as for elderly humans. Pancreatitis attacks are said to be excruciating & can cause box aversion. I see very top-notch suggestions in the previous answers & hope that you find a positive answer very soon!
Evaluation of tramadol for treatment of osteoarthritis in geriatric cats - PubMed

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks! Taking him to the vet monthly wouldn't be feasible long term though. We don't have our own car and rely on rides. Cat-taxis are super expensive and we only use them for emergency trips.

I am going to ask my vet if it is possible to administer the injection at home as I currently do with B-12 shots. Both are sub-cutaneous injections, but perhaps there are restrictions as to who can give Solensia injections. I also don't know how long it is recommended to give Solensia shots since they are relatively new. It might be that after 3 shots, treatment is stopped for some period of time.

 

[Alldara]

I am going to ask my vet if it is possible to administer the injection at home as I currently do with B-12 shots. Both are sub-cutaneous injections, but perhaps there are restrictions as to who can give Solensia injections. I also don't know how long it is recommended to give Solensia shots since they are relatively new. It might be that after 3 shots, treatment is stopped for some period of time.

If you try it, let me know how it goes!

Nobel really does well when he lets me ice his legs and leave his heating pad out and really when I can keep him a bit more active. If I can get him rolling around and swatting at toys he does really well with other movement. Must be the stretching.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm afraid that if we put him in a room, he will just go outside the box still.

Some people take everything out of the room that they can, cover everything else with tarp and the floor with a number of litterboxes and peepads to see about "retraining" the cat to use the box. I don't know if that would work here but then again it might.

 

[fionasmom]

Try the pee pads, at least. I have had great luck with rehabbing ferals who lived on cement only and never even learned to poop in dirt and cover it. Several were resistant to litter, one is permanently, but the pee pads solved the problem.

 

[LTS3]

Dasuquin and other glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate containing supplement may not do much according to this study which concluded that such products do not have any pain relieving or activity enhancing effects vs a placebo.

Evaluation of a nutritional supplement for the alleviation of pain associated with feline degenerative joint disease: a prospective, randomized, stratified, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial

A local vet hospital had a pain medicine department for some time before it was merged with another department. Your vet can contact them for a consult on possible pain medicines to use. Referral Services

Have you tried Cat Attract litter to retrain the cat to use the litter box?

 

[suzeanna]

Could you ask a vet about if fluoxetine could be appropriate? It can be used for inappropriate elimination -- not sure if that only applies to pee. My cat is on it for past aggression issues -- I tried weaning her off of it over several months but she was definitely more on edge/anxious when it was completely removed, so she'll probably be on a tiny dosage for life.

 

[TSBLD]

The Dr Elsey's is being rejected by most of the cats; they rather use the other litter boxes. He also got past the spikes and pooped on the stove and in the hall. He is going for a second opinion today.