bummed over cat problem

I am an infrequent visitor here, but I admire how helpful everyone is. I'm unloading my despair here in the lounge and any advice is appreciated.

I feel really bad that the thought of having one of my cats euthanized has run through my mind lately. I don't think I could go through with it, but I don't think this is a cat anyone in their right mind would adopt.

Please don't think ill of me... I have always had cats, love 'em, will always have cats. But this one has been a trial from the beginning. Little Kitty is a smart 9-yr-old yellow tabby. We've joked over the yrs about how he has caused more destruction and injury than any cat we've ever had over the last 28 yrs. Vases, furniture, photos, a digital camera (peed on it), tv set... you name it, he has destroyed it. Sent my husband to the ER when LK went berserk one night. Although he has mellowed over the yrs, the last 2 yrs have been rough because he has idiopathic UT and diarrhea problems. We've spent a fortune on vet bills to no avail. They can't find anything wrong with him. Good kidney function, no problems that may have been exacerbated by this pet food scare. Thank goodness he poops in the box, but the urine problem is wrecking the wood floors. I know LK can't feel 100%, but he eats well and is alert.

I'm tired of cleaning up and knowing that there's no end in sight. I don't want to banish him to the outdoors either. He's my daughter's cat (she's at college), so I want to take good care of him. But I am at wit's end. Thanks for letting me unload.

Is it possible to let him be an indoor/outdoor cat?

I could put him outside... there are lots of neighbors around here who do that, but we do have some street traffic and LK has never experienced the outdoors. I think he'd be at risk to get run over, so that would be a last resort. Is it totally wrong to consider that?

Not a good option, then. Maybe some kind of enclosure for the outside? It seems he might be able to do his distructive things outside, then come in to sleep...

I'm sure there will be some good suggestions coming along. This will probably be moved to "behavior."

I would go with the enclosure idea. It sounds like the best and most humane solution

Thanks for lending me your ear, SwampWitch. I haven't looked into an enclosure, but we will be moving sometime this year. I think I'll look into getting one in our new home.

Is it possible he has some sort of anxiety or (for lack of a better word, forgive me!) some other sort of mental problem? I wonder about his berserk incident....does anyone have experience with treating this possibly with medication, like an anti-anxiety drug? Otherwise, yes, perhaps the enclosure would indeed be a good idea. Just throwing something out there.

There's a thread here somewhere about an enclosure design that seems to be easy to build and fairly attractive... if I run across it again, I'll post back here. And yes, I would talk to a vet who uses both traditional and alternative medicines to see if Little Kitty might benefit from some sort of calmative.

I'm assuming the vet has already ruled out physical ailments?

Sandtigress, LOL, this cat is giving me mental problems! He's tough to figure out. On the one hand, you've never seen a cat less prone to fear or anxiety. He's one of those cats who does not startle at loud noises... actually seems to like them because he would knock things onto the floor to hear them crash. On the other hand, when he sees strange cats outside our window, he goes nuts. Also when I take him to the vet, I have to warn them he's very aggressive. That's what happened to my husband... he was in the way. He has a spayed "sister" cat who lives in here with him, but they get along fine. LK has been fixed too.

Carol, thank you... if you do see the enclosure info, I'd be interested to see it. So far, he's tested fine without them discovering any physical problems, but they mentioned the possibility of pancreatitis, although he doesn't have the typical symptoms associated with it.

I don't know much about this, but have you tried Buspar? One of the members here has great luck with it. I really feel for you and admire your dedication. Please keep us up to date on how it all goes.

Originally Posted by Bonnie1965

I don't know much about this, but have you tried Buspar? One of the members here has great luck with it. I really feel for you and admire your dedication. Please keep us up to date on how it all goes.

Click to expand...

Yeah, Buspar was my saving grace. My Ophelia is essentially a nasty cat, but it is not her fault. While she did show signs of anxiety, though.

You might consider Feliway diffusers if you have not already. Is there any way to get a 2nd or 3rd opinion on LK? I can imagine that no one is happy with the current situation. Poor kitty....

When he goes beserk, are you sure he isn't having a minor seizure? My Monster has seizures, pretty major ones sometimes but she also has minor where she will lose coordination and knock things over. She also pees when she has one. Phenobarbital has helped her but we have to give it to her everynight which sometimes can be a struggle. We also give her valium sometimes when it's really stressful around here.

I would definitely talk to a vet and see if some kind of medication might help his behavior. And, an outside enclosed area sounds like a plan. He will probably love it!

Good luck!

seems like you have been trying just about everything.
This seems silly but what about another cat lover taking him on for a while? see if his behavior changes?
I did read this book once about a vet experience w/animal. And he mentioned one cat that was an absolute terror.
The cat wasn't nuts, but the misbehavior was coused by health probs. got fixed w/meds.