Vent: I am going to strangle this cat.

[white cat lover]

Oh I feel your pain - I lived for 9 months with a cat named Bea who hated other animals, intensely disliked grooming - and as the result of a "re-declaw" she was a biter.

Oh & she had less than impeccable litterbox habits.

I bought a kiddie pool & filled it with litter - I tried storage tubs of all colors/shapes/sizes - I tried so many different litters.

Is she shut out of your room at night? What if you shut her in the room with you at night?

Cats aren't "hateful" - they just voice their displeasure in ways other than talking. Is there anything in your home she may not like (ie other animals, not being fed when she wants to, not having access to a room when she wants to, etc)?

 

[marie0604]

Ha Ha, I know, she doesn't "look" evil

I can try cat attract litter...I had been holding off because I didn't want to go back to clay litter, but I just googled it and it doesn't look like it *is* clay.

And, I'm sure it is because she's unhappy about something. She's unhappy about everything

She hates the other foster kittens, and she hates not being allowed into my bedroom (Tried this, she pees underneath the bed and I can't get under it to clean...so, not allowed). Which is probably why she chooses to go directly outside my bedroom door.

 

[stephanietx]

I have a cat who suffers from incontinence when she's either overstimulated or extremely stressed. Other than that she's NEVER eliminated inappropriately. It could be that she's not doing it out of anything other than being too stimulated or stressed out. Have you tried Feliway yet?

 

[skimble]

Originally Posted by Marie0604

And, I'm sure it is because she's unhappy about something. She's unhappy about everything

She hates the other foster kittens, and she hates not being allowed into my bedroom

Her not liking the other foster kittens MIGHT be a key point. I had to stop bringing in other cats because one of mine would not use the litter box when I brought a "strange" cat into the house. No matter how well I thought I had them separated......he could smell the new cat.

Stress is one of the reasons for not using the litter box.

Was she doing this before the foster kittens? Just a thought.

 

[marie0604]

She's been doing it since I've had her...at first we chalked it up to poor health, then we thought it might be crystals, then we thought it was litter, then we thought it was the food, etc. Who knows what it is...I just know that it really needs to stop, because while I can scrub my carpets here before anyone freaks out...my parents (nor my fiance) will tolerate it.
She has a lovely habit of pooping and then peeing over top of it so it makes it very difficult to clean up. Ick.
I'm going to pick up cat attrack litter on my way home today, and if that doesn't work I'll try regular dirt. I will also be talking to the vet about trying out medicine for her as soon as I get my next paycheck...

 

[mikes julie]

http://www.preciouscat.com/pdf/Free_...ll_8-17-06.pdf

Marie..the wonderful people on here gave me this link for a free bag of cat attract litter. I was at wits end with my new little guy who was going everywhere but the litterbox also and was very heart broken and ready to give him back. My husband said lets give him one more shot and go buy the litter. When I got home from buying this litter i immediatley took the litterbox out of the kitchen where he was mostly messing on the floor and filled the other two with the new litter and I am not a believer in these things but just let me say It WORKS... Please give it a try and im sure you precious kitty will use the box too.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Julie

 

[shanynne]

Originally Posted by Marie0604

Arggghh! Just venting to avoid throwing my foster cat out on her behind. She has "accidents" directly outside my bedroom door every morning. If I move something in front of her spot, she finds another inappropriate place to go. My landlord is going to FLIP out if she does not stop this. No, it's not health related (she's had a UA, she's had bloodwork, etc). No, I haven't changed the litter type or location since the last time she was using it correctly. I use a non-scented, all natural litter. Yes, I have scrubbed the area with a pet odor eliminating formula. On my hands and knees and with a professional grade rug scrubber. Yes, I have changed foods. Yes, I have tried wet food only to reduce crystals (which the vet says she does not have).
I seriously think she is just a hateful cat. I brushed her the other day, and she was annoyed...so as soon as I put her down, she ran over to my door and pooped. Right in front of me. I am losing my patience. No one wants to adopt this cat because of this issue, so she's been in my house, causing trouble, since May. She will go two or three weeks without an accident and then have them every single day for three weeks.
I am moving back in with my parents for six months between now and my wedding, and I think they may actually throw her out. ::screams:: I am starting to really hate this cat.

Dear Marie, I don't blame you one bit for feeling the way you do. Yours is a very frustrating and testy situation. Quite the contrary, bless your heart for trying so hard to care for this kitty despite the unpleasant problems she is causing.

If you have already answered some of these questions, then please forgive me, I'm only trying to think "out of the box".


Is she your only cat at the moment? If not how is she getting along with the others?


Has she been checked for worms?


When you rescued her, had she been declawed by the previous owner? If yes that can definitely cause behavioral problems with the litter box.


What is she like in general? Is she very playful? Is she affectionate? Or does she just seem to be generally unhappy? What about her history? Do you know how many times she's been in and out of the shelter? That could be causing problems, as perhaps she senses that this is not her permanent home.


Have you tried Feliway diffuser or something similar?


For the brushing, I would go in stages, when is she sleeping or very relaxed. If she's like my Samson, it will take you a week to get her completely brushed

Also try to find a good detangling spray, that makes quite the difference. Make sure it's a leave-on formula. I'm sure you're already doing this, but just in case, try to cut away any knots prior to brushing. What my Samson hates is when it pulls. He'll sit there fairly patiently, but the moment it tugs, he gives me the evil and takes off.


What kind of brushing tools are you using? Believe it or not I use a plain plastic comb, one that has wide teeth on one end and fine teeth on the other. Works fine for me, I just never did like the metal combs. I also spray the detangling lotion directly on the comb.


If all else fails, next time you bring her in to the vet, take her up on her offer to keep the cat. All she might need is to "click" with the right person and it sounds like this vet might be the one! (Not that you don't care for her

but animals can be a little bit like us, sometimes there are just certain people they "click" with right off the start).


I hope this helps out, please keep us posted!

 

[skimble]

Hopefully Cat Attract litter will help. All of mine really love the Kitten Attract litter. The sand like texture is softer on their paws. Maybe start with that one and see how she does while in one room rather than the entire home.

You mentioned she was in bad shape when you got her. Did she come from a shelter or was she a stray? Any info on her background or previous owners?

How long have you had her? Since May of this year?

Do you know her age?

Knowing this information may help someone to offer a different solution. You are sound like you are trying everything and anything that might help. I hope she gets better soon.

 

[marie0604]

The pet store I went to didn't carry the litter, so I'll be going to a different one tomorrow.

Let's see if I can remember to answer all of the questions.

In May, the vet felt that she was around three years old. But, based on her condition, she could have been younger and just poorly cared for.

She's not the only foster. She basically ignores the kittens and they ignore her...if they happen to wander into her "area," she sometimes ignores them and sometimes swats at them. She doesn't attack them, but I do not believe she likes them. Hopefully the kittens will be adopted soon.

She's been dewormed quite a few times. The last time was recently, when the kittens were dewormed. She has her claws and isn't shy about using them. She's very, very mellow/lazy. She sleeps most of the time and I've only seen her play a couple of times. She has periods of being affectionate, but most of the time she ignores people (I have a theory that she has a kitty form of bipolar...it seems when she's in a "good mood," she uses the litter box more.)

She's been here since May of this year, I think. I would have to go back and look at my records. It may have been April. I don't know anything about her history other than she was found as a stray and taken to the shelter. She had just had kittens and was found with one kitten, but it was euthanized due to it's condition.

She was in very bad condition when I picked her up from the shelter. I was there to pick up two foster kittens and the rescue coordinator took me back to see her. She was matted from head to toe, but they thought that was the only thing wrong with her. So, I took her thinking that she would be easy to place. Not true. She was very, very sick...she was emaciated, bleeding, infected, had every parasite you can imagine (including maggots), etc. I would have to look at her records to list everything that was wrong with her.

So, yes, she has had a very rough life. The real problem is that she is getting worse, not better. She has always had these issues, but it was once a week accidents, now it's daily. It was a swat or hiss only when brushing, now it's daily. Etc, etc, etc.

I have a Feliway diffuser that we used for another foster cat. I guess I can dig it out. I wasn't sold on it as it did absolutely nothing for the other foster.

 

[lilyluvscats]

I just wanted to say you are so patient and nice to try and help this kitty. I have no advice that hasn't already been given. Vibes you can get to the bottom of the kitty misbehaving mystery

 

[rang_27]

That is a very difficult issue to deal with! Finding messes daily would make me nuts too. I think everyone giving suggestions, is just our way of hoping to find the magic solution to this very difficult problem. You are correct also when you say as long as she has this habbit she will be very difficult to find a home for. One suggestion would be to place her in a home as an old cat. Sometimes cats just don't like being around other cats. My personal tip on reducing clean up, would be to get puppy training pads & place one where she messes. If she messes on it, then you just pick it up & throw it away. Don't know if it would work, but it is an idea.

I hope you find the solution to this difficult issue soon.

 

[strange_wings]

The poor girl has went through enough to leave any of us traumatized.

I hope the Feliway works for her. Another thing that you could try, before going for heavier drugs, is flower essences such as these http://www.spiritessence.com/. There's also rescue remedy, which a lot of people have used.

She may not look outwardly stressed, but peeing and pooping outside the box and spending most of the day keeping to herself is a sign that she's not comfortable.

I hope you can get her past this.
I have a female cat that does the same - but to a much lesser extent. She has had a few stress peeing accidents after major things that upset her (getting her stitches out, kittens in the house, having a bunch of people over). Luckily she's bonded closely with me - it sounds like your girl could really use that.

I'm wondering... she wasn't microchipped, correct? Do you and the vet think she could have came from a BYB type situation? Was her kitten mixed or Persian? - do they think she had other litters in the past? Either way, maybe she came from a bad BYB (explaining her poor shape) and her living situation was such that she was allowed to poop and pee wherever.

 

[marie0604]

strangewings, I'm not sure whether the kitten was PB or mixed breed, it was only a day or two old and I never saw it. I do think that there was a very good chance she came from a (very bad) BYB situation as she has always seemed content to be crated and will even crate herself if the door is open. She also had urine burns on her hind legs. But, she does understand what the litter box is for because she will use it for a couple of weeks before deciding not to use it.

I'm not expecting any miracles right now as the chaos of moving is going to totally tip her apple cart. So, the crate is our friend until things settle down...hopefully crating and coming out under close supervision will help "re-train" her as well.

 

[icklemiss21]

Crating has helped some retrain as they are less likely to go outside the box if its also their living area unless a medical issue.

We had the same issue with a cat with urine burn before and the vet found very small tears in the skin still where it was burning to go to the litterbox (everytime he squatted to go he stretched open these small cuts). I think he prescribed a salve and antibiotics (I remember pilling him) even though we all assumed the area had healed. It could also be that.

 

[ktlynn]

I believe drugs should be used as a last resort, but the more I read about this kitty, the more I think she might benefit from something like Busparin, an anti-anxiety drug.

Years ago I used this drug for one of my cats. For her, it was incredibly effective, with results seen after only a day or two. She was on the drug for not quite 2 months, and then we weaned her off. Her behavior problem was gone (attacking our oldest kitty) and never reappeared.

I would certainly try all of the good suggestions you've gotten first (Cat Attract Litter, Feliway diffuser, etc.). But since there's evidence that this girl has suffered a very rough life, possibly even abuse, drug therapy may be what ultimately helps her get past this.

Best of luck to you and this beautiful kitty.

 

[lotso'cats]

I'm dealing with a similar situation except my youngest Torrie used to use the litter box just fine until she went into heat. She just came back from the vet this past Tuesday and today was the first day she was let out of the bathroom for a long period of time and I found a place where she peed.

She'll use it as long as she's locked up in the bathroom. She had test run on her and I know she's fine (especially since she'll use the litter box in the bathroom) It pains me to think I'll have to potentially keep her locked up most of the time because of this.

I hope you get a solution for your problem. You have my sympathies!

 

[katkisses]

LotsOcats, I would try spaying her, it will probably stop her from spraying. She will spray up a storm if there are any unaltered toms around too.

 

[lotso'cats]

She was just spayed this past Tuesday. Unfortunately it didn't help with the peeing/pooping problem (unless she's in the bathroom.) Anyone have a recommendations on an Enzyme cleaner? I've tried one but it didn't work apparently (sorry to hijack the thread.)

Originally Posted by KatKisses

LotsOcats, I would try spaying her, it will probably stop her from spraying. She will spray up a storm if there are any unaltered toms around too.

 

[icklemiss21]

I have always had luck with Natures Miracle, we use it in the shelter too.

Use a black light to make sure you get all areas

 

[wellingtoncats]

Originally Posted by LotsO'Cats

She was just spayed this past Tuesday. Unfortunately it didn't help with the peeing/pooping problem (unless she's in the bathroom.) Anyone have a recommendations on an Enzyme cleaner? I've tried one but it didn't work apparently (sorry to hijack the thread.)

That's not really long enough to judge whether she has stopped completely. I'd give her a few more weeks and if you can, don't let her near the place where she's been peeing.