Kitty Update

[trixie108]

So I took my cat who has been having litterbox avoidance issues to the vet yesterday. After several tests and exams, the vet determined he has...ANXIETY!!! Seriously?! Over what??? Has anyone ever heard of this before?

I'm so worried that the anti-anxiety pills he gave me won't help and he'll continue to use the carpet as his toilet. I don't want to have to get rid of him, but my house reeks to high heavens!!

Has anyone ever had any success having a pet on this kind of medication? Did it work? It just seems totally crazy to me...

 

[Liann]

Oh Nicole you poor thing!!! I had a similar problem with my kitty Jasmine (years ago). She just stopped using her litter box one day and it was downhill from there. The vet ran all kinds of tests and couldn't come up with a reason. At the time I was still living at home (just a kid), so my dad made me find her another home. I hope the pills work for her!

 

[meowracer]

I have no experience with that medication but a friend of mine gave it to one of her cats, but for another problem. Try it. Maybe it will help. There has to be a solution to figuring it all out - the trick is finding it! Personally, I would buy a new litter box, totally different from what you have and try a different litter too - brand, smell, texture. And put the box in a new place. I would personally try putting the kitty alone in a room with the new box, for 24 hours or so, and see if he uses it. Make him all comfy in there and visit him, or course. Maybe he just needs a vacation. Something could have happened in a box that you don't know about - like maybe one of other cats startled him or something. Sometimes you never know but at least you know that physically, he is ok. You can also try putting his food wherever it is he is going to the bathroom on the carpet.

 

[Liann]

Maybe try a covered litter box if you don't have one already. Maybe that would make kitty feel more "secure"?

 

[pixiesis]

My sister has an anxious kitty who has litterbox issues. Recently it's been so bad that they were thinking of making him an outside only kitty . But we talked about some ideas that could work for him (they tried kitty valium and he just won't take pills; the times they managed to give him the pills it didn't seem to help). She's tried this "calming collar":
http://www.petco.com/product/109457/SentryHC-Good-Behavior-Calming-Pheromone-Cat-Collar.aspx
and the "calming treats":
http://www.petco.com/product/106530/Pet-Naturals-of-Vermont-Calming-Cat-Soft-Chews.aspx

They seem to be helping a lot so you may want to check them out. There are lots of other cat calming products out there too (drops, sprays, ect.)

Good luck! I know it's not fun.

 

[PhyllisG]

There are anti-anxiety meds for cats that are transdermal. You just rub the gel on their ear. Ask your vet as they are prescription.

 

[trixie108]

Great!! Thanks for all the suggestions! I will try all of them, (one at a time, lol) and hopefully SOMETHING will help

 

[kathryn]

Maybe try a covered litter box if you don't have one already. Maybe that would make kitty feel more "secure"?

I've heard of cats to take to going outside of the box because they have a covered one. (Possibly because the owner isn't keeping it scrupiously clean, and cats have a very sensitive sense of smell).

Trixie: are you going through any stress right now? Cats can pick up their person's stress, and have anxiety from that (when my father was going through the last months of cancer before he died, I was very stressed out, and my cat started pulling her fur out, leaving bald spots all over her back. Once my stress was over, she stopped doing it.)

I'd definitely try to figure out what the anxiety is being caused by (what changes have gone on in your household?) and try to eliminate the cause.

 

[Alana_as]

Well here's my VERY recent experience with kitties. I had two oh so cute and loving cats, I trained them since day one! And they were using the cat box oh so very well! I was all hunky dory and no worries....and then suddenly, they STOPPED using the cat box!

I had no idea what happened, so like many of your concerns and replies, I as well tried to use a cover for my litter box....WRONG! That didn't work BECAUSE my 2 FEMALE cats were now spraying like MALE cats! Tail shaking and everything! I cleaned the litter box every other day!!!

They began to spray all over my apartment and I would try to retrain then as before, nothing worked. I called vets and almost all of them said, "Once they start, they don't stop".

I just could NOT have urine all over my place and smelling awful! So, I unwilling had to give them away. I was very upset, but I just couldn't live with them peeing on everything...EVERYTHING...MY BED TOO!! It was out of control. Sorry if this doesn't help, it might be what you have to do too hun. Good luck.