Tabbytudes Cat Behavior Column - April 2003

April 2003

Dear Readers,

Another month has gone by, and it's time for the next TabbyTudes Column. This installment deals with a complex mystery-that has a surprising and happy resolution! I also offer some insight and advice for owners of "mouthy" kitties (the biters and the yowlers), to help you maintain the bond you share with your special felines-and get some sleep. If your feline behavior question isn't specifically addressed, please take a look at the Tabby Tip at the end of each column. I'll try to address a couple more questions there. And of course, lots more information is available in my books. *s*

Purrs,
Amy

Letter of the Month: My Cat Snubs the Litter Box

Hi,

I have a six-year-old tabby/manx cross. She is an indoor cat and has lived most of her life in a two bedroom apartment. She has always been fed a diet of raw organic sirloin (1/4 cup/day) and a good organic grade hard food. She does not get treats of any kind other than the occasional cooked organic chicken.

Last spring we moved to a three-bedroom house. We have only let her out when supervised and she only goes short distances in the yard. She has not been outside over the past few months due to the inclement weather. She has a large kitty tree where she can see the yard, and a box full of toys. She has never been a very sociable cat, she doesn't like to sit in your lap or be held for too long. When we first adopted her in we were told she had come from a kitty mill. She was in bad shape and suffered from a terrible case of ringworm.

She has otherwise been in good health up until Christmas last year. We monitor her litter box carefully and are very familiar with her habits. Two months ago she underwent surgery to remove two very impacted/infected anal glands. The condition was brought to our attention when she starting to urinate on the bed. She has recovered well from the surgery and her litter box habits returned to normal until a few days ago.

I noticed that she only urinated once in two days and it was a very large amount. She then skipped a day and had another large amount in the litter box. There were no problems with her bowel movements other than that she stopped covering them up. The next night she urinated on our bed.

We took her to our vet immediately where she underwent an ultrasound of her bladder and a urinalysis. There was no sign of bladder infection, crystals, cysts, polyps etc. The doctor suggested it might be behavioral and asked that we try her on an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication. We took her home from the vets and noticed when we arrived that she had urinated in her carry box. When I took her out she urinated again while I was holding her and it ran down the backs of her legs.

We gave her the first pill and decided to set up a separate room for her for a few days to see how things progress. I left her in this room for about 10 minutes while I gathered up her bowls. When I returned she had chewed two large clumps of hair off her hind leg.

This has been very upsetting for us and we are very concerned. We would appreciate any information you might have that could assist us in this.

Thank you for your time,

Lis Pedersen