OCD or the most stubborn cat? Did I create a monster?

I can't believe I'm writing this.

I've suspected this for awhile and considering I've had cats for 37 years and this is the first one I've had who has ever exhibited these obsessive-compulsive disorder type tendencies, I have to consider the possibility.

Either that or she is THE single most stubborn cat I have ever had in my life.

She is 3 years old and there are a few things about which she seems to show signs of ocd. Digging in the scoopable litter is one - she must dig until she hits the bottom or else she won't go. She refuses to use the litter box - instead she must use the toilet-top (yes toilet training kit)... She refuses to take that final step to be toilet trained and will either hold it or go on the floor next to the toilet or if she is out of the bathroom WILL make use of the sofa or bed given the chance.

So you know, the other cat has no issues and will either use the toilet with or without the training kit or she'll use the litter box - seriously.

Some of the other ocd type activities include water-digging where she will completely empty the water dish onto the kitchen floor including the reservoir - she will not stop and it is an obsessed repetitive action much like the frenzied digging she does when digging to the bottom of the litter tray.

I also realize cats have routines, I fear that I may have somehow created a little monster here... If I sleep past when she thinks I should be up she will wake me up - pawing, digging, kneading, nipping, and yes once she did pee on me. She can be vindictive.

Her routine? I wake up, feed her & the other cat, scoop out litter so it is clean and then she will come in and sit to pee and get her "Good Girl!" from me before going on with her day.

I've tried to remove the toilet top litter tray from the equation and she retaliated. I'm at a loss.

I do not yell, hit, etc. - no sense in being the loud scary person. Both my girls were adopted - they're very different from one another - like night and day. They do know when they have done something wrong, I'm just not an ogre about it.

Before anyone says it, yes they have both been to the vet recently, both are healthy... Although not long after the last attempt to remove the toilet top litter tray she did develop a UTI and had to be treated for it - but that was afterwards and when I explained to the vet the vet suggested it might possibly have been because she was trying to hold it.

Suggestions? I know this is long...Sorry.

Well, in humans, OCD is an anxiety disorder--is she overly anxious? There are ways to calm anxious felines, if that's her problem.

I definitely believe that a cat could exhibit symptoms of OCD. My cat was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and the vet wanted to prescribe Prozac. However, I chose not to do that.

Or maybe she can't tell you that she has her own reasons for doing what she does (i.e. maybe using the bathroom splashes back up and wets her a bit, or she doesn't like the water sound, or who knows), but they may be valid reasons if we understood them. Or sometimes something will occur one time that makes an impression on a cat (like seeing a bug somewhere) and the cat comes back day after day to try and deal with it - even long after they've forgotten what it was originally about! I wouldn't label her with human names OR drugs unless the behaviour is so unacceptable you can't live with it. Let her be herself if possible - or maybe try giving her a different type of container to drink out of, or a different litter or box, etc. to see what happens.

Sofia doesn't appear to be overly anxious, no... She's definitely an attention-seeker and must have a lot of praise (the Good Girls, she has to be petted and brushed first etc). In a way she seems, if anything, insecure. She gets more attention (Bombay daddy, dsh mom...she looks and acts in these attention seeking ways like my late Bombay did) because she seems to not only require but also demand it. Very vocal - paws at me like tugging at my pant leg like a kid...nips if that doesn't work.

No, I'm not one to over-medicate, no worries there. I did have a cat who has since passed on and she had anxiety issues but I didn't like what the kitty-valiums did to her and she didn't like to take them so she just got catnip sometimes and it was never forced. ;-)

I'm also not one to toss around a diagnosis lightly - this is a long time coming and I actually looked it up in the DSM - I have a couple of acquaintances who have a few mild ocd tendencies and they've pointed them out to me. I'd normally just call it a quirk...but that's me. LOL! (Not making light of anything or anyone but myself)

No I'm not with Sofia 24-7, can't be...to my knowledge she's never fallen in.

Sofia does have a fascination with water though - furiously digging at the water in the water bowl until it is all gone and all over the floor. No fear of water or getting wet. She drowns her toys. Gets soaked to the bone then lies down on the sofa and stretches out full length just to see how fast I move to get her off the leather. I swear she'd laugh if she could!

Oh - another thing - she did it again this morning - this is comical but getting expensive. She must have seen it done to know where it goes. She will also "get stuck" pulling the toilet paper off the roll without tearing a piece... Here's the twist: instead of pulling it all over as I have had other cats do for fun, she (no joke) piles it ALL in the litter tray after she uses it (#1 & #2) until there's nothing left on the roll except for possibly the one piece stuck to the roll itself.

She seems to get "stuck" but I'm at a loss and can't move her forward or back her off with the toilet training... In the meantime I really do feel as though I have created my little monster...and of course I love her. Yes, I'm quite sure both my girls are spoiled but they're alive loved and healthy...

Sofia was the alpha female, Keef had the title and now I couldn't tell you who has it - I'm not sure whether or not Keef really wanted to keep it, she may have wanted it to prove to Sofia that she could get it...

They don't really fight - they hang out together - play together with toys when Sofia feels like sharing (Sofia has sharing issues - everything is hers).

Thank you all---just not sure where to go from here. No obvious signs of stress that I can tell...

Have you come across this? Can you tell I've completely over-analyzed this?