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Suddenly no longer covering up in litter box

post #1 of 12
6/1/10 at 7:00am
Thread Starter 
My 2.5 year old has always been immaculate when it comes to tidying up the litter box, until about a week ago. Now she has suddenly stopped covering up anything. My older cat never covers anything, but they have lived together now for over 2 years so that shouldn't be a new learned behavior. I did just take her to the vet Saturday before last for allergies and routine check-up (everything else checked out great) so it doesn't seem to be health related, unless it has something to do with the antihistamine she's now on. I don't see how an antihistamine would cause this change but who knows.

Any other ideas on why this sudden change? I should also mention that the litter and her box(es) have not changed in any way. Thanks!
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post #2 of 12
6/1/10 at 7:28am
It could be related to the recent vet visit and even the med. I don't know what antihistamine she's on - but the older first gen. ones are nearly all antipsychotics, too. Meaning they would have an affect on mood/behavior in animals and humans. Second and third gen. ones are different but still have their side effects.

There hasn't been any change in the way the two cats are interacting or in the litter itself, has there?
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post #3 of 12
6/1/10 at 11:49am
Have you changed litter brands recently?
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post #4 of 12
6/1/10 at 12:51pm
Thread Starter 
Nope, not box or litter changes. Not even any changes in the way the two cats interact.

The antihistamine does have some psychosis symptoms noted with it as the doc told me to just watch out for her acting like she had just awakened from anesthesia (loopy). I've notice no visible signs of behavior changes or actual psychosis, just this change in litter box habit. Perhaps instead of true psychosis, it's acted more like a chill pill and she's no longer so anal about cleanliness!
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post #5 of 12
6/1/10 at 8:00pm
Which antihistamine is it? Maybe consult with the vet about it if you notice any other off behaviors.

Antipsychotics don't necessarily mean that they cause or stop full out psychosis (though used at big doses they can in people... if the person is even conscious after that). More their use before being used as antihistamines was usually to regular moods - SSRIs replaced them for that.
Besides, cats can't really have psychosis like a human. If they did would they hear meows that weren't there and see imaginary mice?
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post #6 of 12
6/2/10 at 6:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
Which antihistamine is it? Maybe consult with the vet about it if you notice any other off behaviors.

Antipsychotics don't necessarily mean that they cause or stop full out psychosis (though used at big doses they can in people... if the person is even conscious after that). More their use before being used as antihistamines was usually to regular moods - SSRIs replaced them for that.
Besides, cats can't really have psychosis like a human. If they did would they hear meows that weren't there and see imaginary mice?
I don't know, they seem to see imaginary things all over my house.

I can't remember the name but I know it's not cyproheptadine. She already has a great appetite so the vet didn't want to put her on that. I'll look it up tonight. I noticed yesterday that she did cover up in the box, so maybe this was all just a fluke. I'm keeping a close eye on her behavior and such, but so far you wouldn't know she's even taking an antihistamine. I thought for sure it would at least knock her out all the time. Then again, she's an abyssinian so I don't know that there's much you can do to slow them down!
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post #7 of 12
6/2/10 at 7:34am
It could be the meds. Or it could just be that she's decided to make a play for Top Cat. (leavings uncovered in the box can sometimes be a dominance thing) Or it could be she's just being a cat and doing things differently simply because she can.

Keep us posted!
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post #8 of 12
6/2/10 at 9:29am
Sounds like she is more comfortable in her surroundings now that tends to be the chief reason why cats decide they don't need to cover up anymore. More subordinate cats cover their waste while alpha cats tend not to, because they want to use the smell to advertise their presence.

Lucky you.
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post #9 of 12
6/2/10 at 12:17pm
Thread Starter 
Ha! It's funny you both say that because she definitely IS the alpha cat. She's only 7.5 lbs (compared to my 14.5 tubby cat) but she definitely rules the roost and always has. Apparently that's also an aby thing.
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post #10 of 12
6/2/10 at 12:28pm
I'm going through the same thing with my 2 1/2 YO male. There has never been an issue with covering until about 10 days ago. It may be no coincidence that he started on a pretty healthy course of prednisolone then. He had thre runs and was vomiting* and the prednisolone has fixed both of those issues. So now his poop is perfect, if unburied! I think meds of various kinds can have all kinds of effects.

Kyle

*He was just diagnosed, via biopsy, with IBD, so the prednisolne is going to be around for a while
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post #11 of 12
6/3/10 at 7:34am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by KyleW View Post
I'm going through the same thing with my 2 1/2 YO male. There has never been an issue with covering until about 10 days ago. It may be no coincidence that he started on a pretty healthy course of prednisolone then. He had thre runs and was vomiting* and the prednisolone has fixed both of those issues. So now his poop is perfect, if unburied! I think meds of various kinds can have all kinds of effects.

Kyle

*He was just diagnosed, via biopsy, with IBD, so the prednisolne is going to be around for a while

Hi Kyle,

Looks like we have more than one thing in common. My 2.5 yo ALSO has IBD! But don't worry, pred isn't the only answer. I had to continue my cat on it for about 6 months and was able to successfully wean her off, once I identified a diet that works for her. If you haven't already, check out the Yahoo IBD cats group and also this very informative website. If you go to "living with IBD", the first page is of my Maggie.

www.ibdkitties.net
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post #12 of 12
6/3/10 at 10:46am
She's a doll! From what I hear abbys are never boring I didn;t want to hijack this thread, so I started this one for IBD stuff.
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