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Tabbytudes Cat Behavior Column - June 2003
Written by Amy Shojai
June 2003
Dear Readers,
This month we return to litter-ary issues, one of the most common challenges cat owners must face. In addition, readers wondered how to accommodate cats when owners are away, dealing with cat demands, and helping resident cats accept newcomers to the house. This month's Tabby Tip at the end of the column suggests ways to handle hand-gnawing cats. Of course, many more issues are addressed in my books-I hope you'll watch for the latest title, "Complete Care for Your Aging Cat" available early next month.
Purrs,
Amy
Amy Shojai's Reply:
Dear Denise, I'm very sorry you and Megan are going through such troubling times. After spending ten years together, I'm sure this kitty is very much a part of your family - and it hurts us when a family member feels bad. First of all, I commend you for seeking veterinary care so quickly. That's the best thing you could do! There are several things going on here I'd like to address.
First, you should know that cats who have always been "faithful" to their box often will announce urinary discomfort by squatting right in front of us. They can't say, "Mom, I feel bad," so they do the next best thing-make it obvious by going to the bathroom outside the box.
Megan is not being bad out of spite or to get back at you for confining her. Yes, she may be stressed from being separated from her people -and stress can actually cause a relapse of cystitis (bladder inflammation). When she urinates in front of you, though, it's a cry for help, and a sign of trust that you'll somehow fix her problem.
Understand that every time Megan urinated, it HURTS her. Cystitis is very painful-think of poor Megan needing to "go" so badly, but experiencing severe burning/pain when she does urinate. Oftentimes, cats that suffer from painful elimination end up blaming discomfort on the box. That's why they refuse to use it any more, and seek other places to relieve themselves.
Therefore, I'd suggest you get rid of the old litter box, and replace it with two brand new ones. Give Megan a fresh start for bathroom facilities that are not associated with the pain she remembers from past cystitis episodes. It's amazing how often this simple solution seems to help.
Also get rid of the bath mats. It is nearly impossible to eliminate urine odor with simple laundering, and the urine smell will draw Megan back again and again, even after she's recovered and feeling well. It's cheaper and more effective to just buy a new mat. Avoid bath mats that have rubber backing, though. The rubber smells like urine to cats and tricks them into using mats as a bathroom.
I'm not familiar with "Simple Green" cleaner. Generally I recommend an odor neutralizer that "eats" the urine scent molecules and eliminates the smell entirely. The product I really like, called Tuff Oxi, can be used on the wall-to-wall carpet as well. Tuff Oxi comes as a crystal granule that's mixed in very hot water, and is soaked into the stain-then is blotted up and allowed to dry. It works great!
Depending on the makeup of the urinary stones, certain therapeutic diets can help prevent their formation or even dissolve existing stones. Any change in diet, though, must be made gradually or you can upset the digestion and end up with diarrhea or vomiting. If a diet change is needed in the future, try mixing the old food with the new in a 50/50 split for the first several days, then gradually increase the new food until Megan is eating only the prescribed diet.
You can try placing Megan's food bowls directly on top of the cleaned carpet places, to dissuade her from using those spots again. Cats won't go to the bathroom on top of where they are eating. In fact, it may be that Megan has now decided she doesn't want to use the bathroom next to her food bowls any longer-so she makes a made dash out of the laundry room to get relief.
Urinary stones/crystals are most commonly blamed for these problems. But sometimes cats develop cystitis just out of stress and there are no stones/crystals present. If Megan is a shy kitty, she may be prone to idiopathic cystitis (no known physical cause). Relieving her stress level by keeping to a routine will help.
It's true that some drug therapies can help relieve cats that suffer from idiopathic cystitis. For instance, amitriptyline (brand name Elavil) works in people to counter anxiety and depression, and has been used to relieve feline stress. It also inhibits the release of mast cells in the bladder wall that cause inflammation, so it's very helpful for feline idiopathic cystitis.
When cost is an issue (when is it not?!), a common antihistamine called hydroxizine is a good option, because the chemical structure is very similar to amitriptyline. One owner I've interviewed treated her cat with hydroxizine for a cost of about $15 a month. Ask your veterinarian about this option-but remember, it may take a few weeks for the drug to build up in the bloodstream to the right levels to show a benefit.
In the meantime, know that confining Megan to the laundry room is NOT being mean. She doesn't want you to be upset with her. She wants you to love her the way you always have-and if that means preventing problems in the short term by confinement, that's much better than the alternative of losing her home, or her life.
Good luck and best wishes, Amy
Other letters this month have to do with making vacation plans for outdoor cats, early morning demands, diarrhea/constipation concerns, and cat introduction problems. Whew! That's quite a range of topics.
It's always tough to know what to do when we must be away from home for any length of time. Cats usually prefer to stay in familiar territory, so sending them to a boarding facility (or finding a good one that doesn't unduly stress them) can be tough. Hiring a pet sitter is my preferred choice for indoor cats. When the felines are primarily outside critters, though, the issue becomes more complicated. When the cats are closely bonded to a particular place-say the garden area of your home; when good cattery alternatives are not available; and when a reliable "cat feeder" can visit twice a day or more; my inclination would be for the cats to stay in their garden. If possible, ask the cat feeder to start coming a week early for several introductory visits, and hopefully the cats will be willing to get their snuggle "fixes" from him or her. Cats do jump fences, but there is a product that can help keep them confined, called "Cat Fence-In Systems." This is netting that attaches to existing barriers-it has a money- back guarantee. Visit www.catfencein.com for more information.
Early morning meow-demands to "feed me" or otherwise wait on Her Highness are quite common. Every time an owner gives in and rolls out of bed at five a.m. to cater to the little dickens, you teach Kitty that you'll give in-eventually. About the only way to extinguish this behavior is to totally ignore the demands. That's very hard to do when she's pawing your face, or yelling for you to lift her into the litter box-and you must clean up the mess. One way to handle this is to close demanding cats in a room by themselves for the night, with a door between you and their meow- demands. Tough kitty love can work, but it takes time and patience.
On the cat introduction front, it's never too late to start over from scratch, particularly when aggression develops. Separate the kitties, confining the "new" one in a room and act like this is the first time they've been introduced. You can try the perfume trick again. When the aggression takes place primarily when you are present, the older cat is likely defending her territory-you-from the younger. It may salve the older cat's feelings if you simply ignore the younger kitty when they're both in the room together. Reinforce the status of the older cat-feed her first, pet her first, and try giving the younger cat attention when the older cat is otherwise engaged.
For diarrhea questions, veterinarians are the best people to ask. However, a very smelly diarrhea with blood is often typical of infection with giardia, a very tiny parasite that can be hard to diagnose and is contracted from infected water or soil sources. It can also take a long time to successfully treat. A drug called Flagyl (metronidazole) kills the parasite, and keeping cats away from outside infected sources prevents them being re-infected. Special foods may help relieve the symptoms (dry foods are perfectly fine!) but as long as the bugs are there, you'll fight symptoms. Extra fiber can help both diarrhea and constipation, so a "hairball formula" diet, or adding canned pumpkin or plain Metamucil to regular food, should help either problem.
TabbyTip of the Month:
Cats raised by people from tiny kittens may not have been taught how to properly inhibit their bite and claws. Mom-cat and siblings are the best teachers and will tell the delinquent kitten that biting HURTS and to knock it off! People who raise these babies need to also find a way to tell Junior when she's exceeded proper limits. Using a loud, percussive HISSSSSSS works well to interrupt hand biting or other objectionable kitten antics. For older cats, a SCREAM also can work well. When cats insist on gnawing, try panting your hands with Bitter Apple or a citrus-scented hand cream.
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