My 14 year old cat..........

My 14 year old cat is starting to show her age. She turned a corner over the summer where she seems a little frail and she's dropped some weight. Well, my question is this. All of the sudden she's not using the litter box much. She decides to go under my dining room table on the carpet She has a few other favorite places like in front of the closet, which is on the same room of the house as the litter box. I am not quite sure if she is confused or just decided to no longer use the littler box. She's an indoor cat and only goes outside only when I'm with her. I bought some playsand and I'm going to try that in the litter box to see if the texture is nicer on her feet. Plus no smell. I'd like to get her to vet, but my mom's health (who is 83) hasn't been good and I've been down her house a whole lot. Anyone give me some insight into why she's doing this? My sister in law said her cat before it died was marking her territory because she knew she was going to die soon. Thanks for any advice.
--Jo

Oh heck........well it could be lots of things, I suppose as you mention a vet visit is the best option. Maybe a friend could take her, due to your commitments with your mum ?
Pepsi did this about a year ago, she is 12.........she weed on a brief-case under the bed and by a wardrobe all other signs were fine, eating etc. So we made sure the smell was gone in those areas and gave her a cat-lit box of her own (we have 3 kitties ) No more problems, so not sure what it was, she still has her own lit-box, but these days preferes to go outside - all my kits are indoor-outdoor. I have never heard about what your S-in-L mentions ? ever.........and I´ve had cats for 25 yrs. But we learn something new every day.
Umm...........well maybe some of our other members have other advice.

Heres sending lots of get-well soon {{{{{vibes }}}}} for your kitty and good luck

Thanks Moof! I appreciate your advice. Pepper is our only cat and even shared the house with 7 hamsters at one time. She's been a great cat for the kids, but I think this is some kind of old age thing. When she was much younger she "punished" us for anything she thought she was being left out of or deprived of. But this is becoming constant and I no longer think her not using the box has much to do with being upset with us over something. Thanks.
--Jo

If she's becoming frail, she could be having trouble getting into the litterbox. Or it could be too far for her to travel. She could have an uncomfortable UTI and associates the box with discomfort. There's lots of reasons a cat stops using a box, and most of them are medical and would require a vet visit. I know you have a lot on your plate, but a vet visit doesn't really take that much time. Perhaps you could even get a urine sample to drop off at the vets' for starters.

At your babies age she needs a SENIOR BLOOD PANEL ... this is a blood panel that check s organ function .. I also would have you ask about a thyroid test ... If caught in the early stages things like kindey failure or thyroid are easily controlled with diet and meds...

May I ask what you are feeding kitty>>??

I was going to ask that too if your cat has had her senior blood panel yet? That would be a really important thing to do right now. And to have her tested for a UTI/crystals. I would also like to know what you are feeding her? Food is so important, if you give them crap then they will have more health problems, the better food you feed them the better their health.

Also, I say this for the millionth time because I hear people say all the time that their cats do something out of spite or to punish their owners or as revenge or something to that effect. Cats do not do this, they cannot think that way, that is a human emotion that cats do not have. There is ALWAYS a reason, as minor and hard to figure out as it may be, there is always a cause for it. A simple change in a particular smell in the house could upset a cat enough to start behaving oddly like peeing. One person earlier said that they yell at their cat when he is bad and then he goes and pees to get back at them...no, the cat pees because they freaked it out by yelling at it Always a reason for it.

Originally Posted by Jen

Also, I say this for the millionth time because I hear people say all the time that their cats do something out of spite or to punish their owners or as revenge or something to that effect. Cats do not do this, they cannot think that way, that is a human emotion that cats do not have. There is ALWAYS a reason, as minor and hard to figure out as it may be, there is always a cause for it. A simple change in a particular smell in the house could upset a cat enough to start behaving oddly like peeing. One person earlier said that they yell at their cat when he is bad and then he goes and pees to get back at them...no, the cat pees because they freaked it out by yelling at it

Always a reason for it.

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I agree 100 %.
You also said that you leave her a lot because you need to tend to your elderly mom. Is it possible she senses your stress and it upsets her in a way?

I too agree about the cats not having a revengfull act in them. They don't remember, that's why scolding them for doing something doesn't do a darn bit of good unless you catchem in the act, and then it doesn't always work. Is there anything new in the house ? Have you tried putting a catbox under the table ? She seems to have attained a scent to do it there. I have to remember not to apply human logic to my guys, but, to understand them and their motivations. I also have a book called the well cat book by terri mcGinnis from the library, I've checked it out so many times they should give it to me, heck its only 7 bucks, she's a vet..Mike, Medford ore

Originally Posted by yayi

I agree 100 %.

You also said that you leave her a lot because you need to tend to your elderly mom. Is it possible she senses your stress and it upsets her in a way?

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Perhaps she sences a part of her family (your mom) is Ill and it upsets her. I notice when I go to bed at night my little family gathers around me in bed to be together or to den..I'm told they do have a sence of family..Mike

Funny you mentioned the litter pan problem. Our 15 1/2 yr old cornish (who died about a month ago) was using the pan fine when we moved. However, the last month we had him he stopped using the pan for poop - he'd still pee in there but used a spot by the door and a spot by roll of carpet.

We thought it was our younger cat doing it, but it turned out to be our rex. We just thought he was getting senile. And also he was loosing weight too for the last 2 weeks. If your kitty is ready to go I hope she goes peaceful

Well she usually eats Purina One and a small amount of the yummy stuff -- Meow mix or similar. I bought playsand and put it in her litter box. No, we haven't had a senior blood panel done. She doesn't seem to have problems getting into her litter box. She was a "wild kitty" the other day, running around like she did at age 2. Her fur isn't as nice as it was 2 or 3 years ago and she washes it all the time, being an indoor cat. She's a happy cat overall, she purrs a lot.

Is she maintaining her weight? If not, she really needs to go in and see a vet. Urinating outside the box can be a sign of a urinary tract infection, kidney failure, or hyperthyroidism (because hyperT cats drink so much). All of these things can also cause their coat to look kind of shabby, and all of these things are treatable (though not always curable) if caught early.