Rescued declawed cat peeing outside litter box!

[khloekitten]

Hey Kitty lovers!

My husband and I adopted a kitty through Petco maybe 2 weeks ago . She is considered special needs as she only has 3 teeth and came to us with her front claws already removed. We were told her previous owners had her declawed and let her be an outdoor cat, this was assumed to be the reason for so few teeth. We were over joyed to make our family of 2 a family of 3 with this precious and special kitty. She was already spayed and caught up on vaccines, she was however very skinny as the shelter that petco got her from was feeding her dry food that she couldn't eat with so few teeth (she is on a wet food only diet with us and we only feed her the high end wet food). We are by no means at our whits end and we aren't going to give up on her, but things are starting to get a bit frustrating. The first few days we had her we purchased your average litter (some 7$ jug that was scented and clumps...possibly tidy cats) . I noted as I watched her use her litter box to both urinate and poop. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Maybe around day 3 I noted that when I went to clean her box from the previous night (I scoop it 1-2 times daily) that it was completely clean. I kept my eye on her all day. I noticed her sniffing around the carpet a little but she didn't do anything in front of me. I put her in her litter box a few times and she'd hop right out. While going to change my clothes around 9am or so (I left her alone for no more than 45 seconds) I came back out to my kitchen where she was pawing my kitchen rug around an area she had freshly soiled. Though everything in me wanted to be madder than a hornets nest I breathed deeply and counted backwards from ten before reacting. I gently scooped her up and took her to her litter box. I closed her in the room with her box for the next hour or so.

I instantly jumped online and tweeted the cats from hell guy asking what type of litter I should try for my declawed cat. He actually replied with Swheat Scoop. The husband and I went out and bought some that day and have been gradually adding it to her box. she ended up peeing on our bed that night while we were sleeping! We started confining her to the room with her litterbox at night and cutting off access to any carpeted rooms during the day that we were not occupying. She seemed to get the hint and started using her box again. Little by little we began giving her more unsupervised time where she'd have access to carpeted rooms. Now just tonight right in front of me she peed under my husbands desk in our carpeted office. I am planning to make her a vet appointment 1st thing in the morning to rule out medical issues (I realize I should have done this 1st thing) but do you guys have any other tips? I realize her being declawed probably really isn't helping the situation. I'm just getting frusterated at this point, but don't want to rehome her or lose her. She is such a sweet heart and very gentle for being declawed. Never nips at anyone and doesn't mind being picked up and cuddled. Do any of you guys have any experience with this sort of issue? 

 

[ladymochi]

Hi Khloekitten,

I really admire the way you are being so patient with your kitty, and thoughtful in the way you are trying to figure out how to deal with the issue!! I cannot imagine how it feels having to deal all the mess/cleaning. It is trying times, and I wish I can give you some mind-blowing ideas, but I really don't have much to offer. And like you said, getting her health checked out is probably the best step to take.

P.S. In the mean time, perhaps you could add a few more litter boxes around the home and see if it helps her getting it 'right'? 

Good luck to you, sending you lots of positive vibes~!

 

[Columbine]

Hi, and welcome to TCS

It's so wonderful that you've taken this gorgeous girl in. Rest assured, these problems CAN be worked through and needn't last long.

Looking at WHERE she's peeing and her background, I'm thinking this may primarily be a stress/territorial insecurity issue rather than being linked to pain from the litter itself.

It sounds to me as though you've rushed the cat to cat introductions, and she's letting you know how insecure she's feeling by peeing everywhere. She needs her own room for now, and gradual introductions to your other two cats. It sounds like she's had a very uncertain and stressful life, and she's just feeling overwhelmed right now.

A vet check is a great idea, as it's important to be certain there are no physical reasons for this behaviour.

Do be sure to use an enzymatic cleaner to clean all the areas where she's had 'accidents'. You don't want any residual scent markers confusing the issue for any of the cats

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[khloekitten]

I'm confused......the cat in question is the only cat we own.....their aren't any others. Thank you so much for the detailed response however I will take a look through those links.

 

[khloekitten]

Hi, and welcome to TCS

It's so wonderful that you've taken this gorgeous girl in. Rest assured, these problems CAN be worked through and needn't last long.

Looking at WHERE she's peeing and her background, I'm thinking this may primarily be a stress/territorial insecurity issue rather than being linked to pain from the litter itself.

It sounds to me as though you've rushed the cat to cat introductions, and she's letting you know how insecure she's feeling by peeing everywhere. She needs her own room for now, and gradual introductions to your other two cats. It sounds like she's had a very uncertain and stressful life, and she's just feeling overwhelmed right now.

A vet check is a great idea, as it's important to be certain there are no physical reasons for this behaviour.

Do be sure to use an enzymatic cleaner to clean all the areas where she's had 'accidents'. You don't want any residual scent markers confusing the issue for any of the cats

 [article="32804"]How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home  [/article][article="32680"]How To Successfully Introduce Cats The Ultimate Guide  [/article][article="29726"]Introducing Cats To Cats  [/article][article="30274"]Potential Stressors In Cats The Ultimate Checklist  [/article][article="30316"]Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats  [/article][article="32758"]You Your Cat And Stress  [/article][article="32366"]How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats The Ultimate Guide  [/article]

When I said family of 2 into family of 3 I was referring to me, my husband, and now our new cat. Sorry I see how that could be confusing. 

 

[khloekitten]

If anyone has anymore insite on this topic it would be greatly appreciated. I'm literally in tears right now because I am so upset. I keep my eyes on her 24/7 when she is out of "her room" which is most of the day, and today the same thing happened. I looked away for not even 15 seconds and she peed on my living room carpet around the side of my couch where she couldn't be seen by me. I'm so frustrated you guys. My husband and I are both still on the same page of not giving up on her, but I am quickly losing my patience.  

 

[Columbine]

Oh... :doh3: I really got the wrong end of the stick there! Forget the 'introduction' articles, but a lot of what I said still holds good.

I still think this is most likely territorial insecurity/anxiety. I think she's just feeling overwhelmed by everything at the moment.

I'd suggest having a litterbox in each room for now - if possible put them close to the places she's choosing to go in the other rooms. Make sure she has plenty of things to 'own' - scratchers (I know she's declawed, but cats have scent glands between their toes and just the action of scratching helps them to mark territory in a positive way), beds, blankets etc. It's all about getting her scent spread around the place to help her feel that she belongs there too. A lot of this urination seems to be in places that smell strongly of you - by peeing there she's trying to meld her scent with yours in the strongest way possible to reassure herself that she belongs with you.

Interactive play is a wonderful way to help her 'own' the territory in a positive way too. Anyplace a cat catches and eats it's prey becomes its territory, so daily interactive playtime followed by a meaty treat/snack should help her feel more confident and secure.

As she seems so anxious, I would definitely be using Feliway throughout the house, and I strongly suggest that you look into Composure and Spirit Essences too. She just needs to learn that she is safe and secure with you, and that this really is her home as well.

Don't forget about the vet check though - it really is important to rule out any physical reasons for this behaviour.

Good luck, and hang in there. I'm sure this can be worked through.[article="0"][/article][article="0"][/article]