suddenly anti-social

[specialk]

We have a 7 year old neutered male, Gray, that has been dealing with uti & has been on cephalexin, baytril, & clomepramide (sp?). The last time we took him to the vet, his sample was clean. He continued peeing outside the box. Then he started hiding under the bed. We have 5 other cats in the house (1 is a recently spayed female stray that we took in). Gray has had a sudden change along with another male cat we have, Merlin. (all our cats are spayed/neutered) Gray & Merlin have been inseperable until the past 2-3 months, when the new female & her kitten showed up. They actually slept together constantly. When the kitten came, Merlin became more active & suddenly started swatting at Gray. Now Gray insists on living under the bed unless we let him outside on our porch.

I did get some fluorescein to make sure that it was Gray. It is him that's peeing & spraying. I'm guessing it's due to Merlin's aggressive behavior. I'm not sure why all this has changed though. I'm picking up some type of med from the vet tomorrow though. I'm assuming some type of anti-depressant or something, maybe even ovaban as I've read about it being used for spraying issues. I'm thinking of getting a feliway plug in and I've ordered Urine-Off for clean up. Is there anything else I can do? My vet has not done bloodwork on Gray. Should we consider having this done?

Also, just wanted to say to those of you with multiple cat households dealing with spraying, try the fluorescein if you can't determine which cat it is. I'd read about it on the ASPCA site. I initially had a hard time trying to find out about it since my vet had no clue about using it for spraying issues. I eventually found a cat-only clinic an hour away that knew exactly what to do. Here is what you do: get a few of the flurescein strips that your vet uses for eye exams (I used 4 - 1mg strips, I've read to use up to 6 but 4 worked). I put about a teaspoon of water in a small cup and placed the strips in the water. You can see the water change to a yellow-green color. I then used a syringe to give it to Gray. You can also mix it in food to make it easier. You have 24-36 hours for the fluorescein to work. The urine will glow really bright under a black light and if your eyesight is pretty good, the urine will have a yellow-green tint to it in normal light.

If the fluorescein info is a repeat that most of you know about, sorry.

 

[beckiboo]

I wonder if Gray associates the discomfort of urinating with a UTI with the litterbox. Maybe if you can get him in his own small separate area, or even in a crate or cage, with his own litterbox, he will start using it again.

You can try cat-attract litter in his box. And just let him out if he can be closely watched. Once he gets used to using the litterbox without pain, I think he will keep using it.

(I'm assuming you read the info at the top about inappropriate urination problems already.)

And I wonder if the conflict between the boys is partially due to Gray smelling different when he came home from the vet? I hope they settle down soon! And the info you posted about fluorescein was news to me! Thanks for the tip!

 

[hissy]

Originally Posted by specialk

We have a 7 year old neutered male, Gray, that has been dealing with uti & has been on cephalexin, baytril, & clomepramide (sp?). The last time we took him to the vet, his sample was clean. He continued peeing outside the box.Many times after a cat has suffered pain when urinating, he will look at the litterpan as a predator- and will avoid using that pan. Throwing the pan away and buying two new litter pans, putting them in the same location as the original or another location with privacy will help. Also, do not use scented litter (cats hate scented litter)



Then he started hiding under the bed. He may not feel good, and his UTI may be back or just be a re-occurring one. A cystocentisis would be a good idea (needle draw of urine from the bladder)


We have 5 other cats in the house (1 is a recently spayed female stray that we took in). Gray has had a sudden change along with another male cat we have, Merlin. (all our cats are spayed/neutered) Gray & Merlin have been inseperable until the past 2-3 months, when the new female & her kitten showed up. They actually slept together constantly. When the kitten came, Merlin became more active & suddenly started swatting at Gray. Now Gray insists on living under the bed unless we let him outside on our porch. It may be that you now have to many cats for him to feel comfortable anymore.

I did get some fluorescein to make sure that it was Gray. It is him that's peeing & spraying. I'm guessing it's due to Merlin's aggressive behavior. I'm not sure why all this has changed though. I'm picking up some type of med from the vet tomorrow though. I'm assuming some type of anti-depressant or something, maybe even ovaban as I've read about it being used for spraying issues. I'm thinking of getting a feliway plug in and I've ordered Urine-Off for clean up. Is there anything else I can do? My vet has not done bloodwork on Gray. Should we consider having this done? I would consider bloodwork as well as a safeguard. There is also a new cat litter on the market that changes color if your cat is ill, I would order some of that as well-

Also, just wanted to say to those of you with multiple cat households dealing with spraying, try the fluorescein if you can't determine which cat it is. I'd read about it on the ASPCA site. I initially had a hard time trying to find out about it since my vet had no clue about using it for spraying issues. I eventually found a cat-only clinic an hour away that knew exactly what to do. Here is what you do: get a few of the flurescein strips that your vet uses for eye exams (I used 4 - 1mg strips, I've read to use up to 6 but 4 worked). I put about a teaspoon of water in a small cup and placed the strips in the water. You can see the water change to a yellow-green color. I then used a syringe to give it to Gray. You can also mix it in food to make it easier. You have 24-36 hours for the fluorescein to work. The urine will glow really bright under a black light and if your eyesight is pretty good, the urine will have a yellow-green tint to it in normal light.

If the fluorescein info is a repeat that most of you know about, sorry.

It is always hard in a multi cat household to provide a level of comfort for all the cats. Stress is the number one cause for illness in cats, so having different levels in your home where the cats can get off the floor and feel secure is important.

Good luck

 

[scamperfarms]

We had a problem recently with one of our cats. LG, when he came home from his being fixed, our Alpha cat Dutchy HATED HIM. and i mean HATED HIM. she attacked him mercilessly. And since she the Alpha did. So did everyone else. It was a stressfull time for all of us. But we took some steps, and have worked it out. It may take some time, but..

Number one...get some cat bath wipes from petsmart and wipe everyone down.than get some natural vanilla extract. not the imitation the real stuff. and dab everyone withit. so they should all smell the same.

You really want to focus on making Mr grey comfortable and happy in anways you can. if he likes being on the porch put a box out there and let him be on the porch. Secure off a portion of the room he likes best, with a box and keep him in there. For our LG it was the kitchen...we placed a box in the kitchen.

I found with us, it was a matter of making LG more comfortable with himself. and happier. The bad potty habits stopped (he had been going on one of my counters!) and slowly he has become more confident. he has a safe place where he can get away from anyone who picks on him, but now they dont dislike him anymore. we have harmony again. It took alot of patience though. and each cat in our house has their own "place" where they can get away. with as many as we have its tough. but it can be done.

Good luck! Hope this helps a bit.

 

[specialk]

Well now it's gotten worse. He not only pees on the living room floor, but the office (carpet) now too and he's started doing his #2's on the living room floor as well.

Gray has been on Cephalexin (liquid & pill), had Baytril (1 shot & pills), Clomepramine, Cipro, and now we have Diazepam to try. He still hides under the bed except to eat, drink, & do his business. Other than that, under the bed. I do get him out at bed time, put him in the bed between us so we can pet him. He will purr and lay on the bed a long time with us, but daytime is a different story. Although, when I went home last night after work, he was lying on the bed with his sister Ripple. But as soon as there was noise, he went straight under the bed.

I'm thinking of getting a more shallow box & using Feline Pine in it and placing it in the living room where he's been going to the bathroom. I've also seen on other sites to use a clear carpet runner upside down to deter using a certain area. I'm just not really sure what way to go next. I'm getting tired of cleaning all of it, but I'm more worried about Gray & what is causing this behavior. I think I've exhausted my vet's resources. There are several good vets in neighboring counties and an all cat clinic an hour away, but that drive would be really hard on him let alone me. I just don't know what else to do. Does anyone have any suggestions at all? I'd love & greatly appreciate any help.

 

[a_loveless_gem]

It sounds like Gray is not feeling at all well. Sick cats can poo and pee in the wrong places. Also the smell of cats change when they become sick. Healthy cats do not like being around a sick cat, hence Merlin's aggressiveness.

I would suggest separating Gray completely from all the other cats in the household. Give him access to two litter trays of his own with his own food and water bowl that no other cat can access. This prevents infection of other cats especially if he does has something.

I would strongly suggest bloodwork given that his sample was given the all clear. Perhaps a follow-up sample as well.