I don't know where to go from here....

Hello all,

I'm afraid this may turn into a long post...there's quite a bit of history.

First, let me introduce myself: I have been in love with cats since I can remember and have been rescuing them since the 80's.  I don't normally rescue and adopt them out, they usually stay with me for the rest of their lives.  I say "usually" because up to this point, only one didn't stay with me...he ran away when I moved across the country in 2006.  My profile picture is of the first two I rescued.  Coda (orange and white) and Kiwi...they were the feline loves of my life.  They were a year apart and, as you can tell, they were "in love."  They were my special babies and both lived to be 16.  Coda passed away of kidney failure in 2003 and Kiwi passed away from cancer in 2004...I held them both when the vet eased them out of this life.  To this day I miss them dearly.  

I have always had 4 cats at a time, but right now I have 6.  My youngest will be going back to the folks who actually saved his life, but couldn't keep him at the time (they were renting).  They are in the process of buying a farm now and they asked if they could have him back, and as much as I adore this spunkie little fella I know they adore him as well and will take amazing care of him.

Four years ago I rescued two litter mates, Sammie and Dottie (Dottie is full of "polka dots").  Dottie is a good girl, never makes a mess and is mostly quiet...but very bossy!  =)  Sammie, on the other hand, has pottie issues...it's been going on for four years and is getting worse.  She is a very loving, sweet, girl with eyes that will melt your heart...but it's come to a point where I can't keep her.  Her nose is very sensitive...she shies away from my hands when I put lotion on...even unscented lotion (this isn't an issue, other than I believe it affects her wanting to use the litter box).  I can't have a throw rug in this house (I have all laminate floors) because she will pee on them instead of using the litter box.  She was accidentally locked in my daughter's room once...for about 4 hours..and she peed on my daughter's bed (we keep my daughter's room closed at all times so that she can have a rug in there and not have to deal with cats messing with her things...so with that being said, Sammie peed on her bed instead of the rug that is on her floor).  I caught her peeing on the bare floor a couple of times.  I keep my boxes very clean...scooping them as many times as necessary (I have 3 boxes).  Since I can't keep throw rugs, I use a folded towel in front of my bathroom sink while I'm drying my hair...if I forget to pick it up she'll pee on it.  Last week I wanted to make TOTALLY sure it was Sammie (I was 99.9% sure) so I locked her in my room for a few days, for about 5 hours while I was away) with food, water, and a box of her own) and left the towel on the bathroom floor.  She didn't mess in my room the first 2 days, but the 3rd day she peed on my bed...didn't use the litter box at all.  In the mean time, the towel on the bathroom floor stayed dry.  The next two days of not putting her in my room I left the towel on the floor and both days they were peed on.  I believe she peed on my bed because she was upset at being locked in my room...I get that.  I have had her testing for a UTI...it was negative.  I have tried using Felaway...but she's not spraying, she's peeing.  I have been patient and tolerant with her and have kept my house in a way as to work around her issues...but I will be moving in with my fiance in the next few months and there is no way he will be as patient and tolerant of something like this...and I can't blame him.  He and his daughter don't have pets, but he's accepting me and my brood (which also includes a Chihuahua)...but I believe Sammie's issues would push him over the edge..especially considering he's not a cat person.  He loves all animals, but has never had a cat. 

I can't bear the thought of putting her in a shelter...I've heard they're not accepting anymore cats at this time anyway...and I can't imagine anyone choosing to adopt a cat with potty issues...and so I have no idea where to go from here.  It breaks my heart to even be writing this post...but do I keep her and never live with my fiance?  I just feel so lost about all of this right now.

Hi . And Welcome to TCS.... You have come to the right place for help and I am sure other's will chip in their suggestions as well. I am sorry about this stressful situation with Sammie . Just some suggestions, in case you haven't tried them.

If you have six cats, then I would have more then three litterboxes. No hoods and located in different locations throughout the house. Make sure Sammie is not getting harrassed by any of the other cat's. That can be a real problem and cause of litterbox diversion. Try using Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter in the boxes. I know it is expensive, but might help draw Sammie back to using the box regularly. There is also an Herbal litter attractant by Dr. Elsey. You can sprinkle it on the litter and mix it in. That way you can use the Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat litter which is much cheaper than Cat Attract.

I also think Sammie needs a vet check again. You say this has been going on for four years, so since you got her?? I would do a "urine culture" not just a urinalysis. The vet will have to send it out to the lab. And bloodwork too. She could have recurring UTI's that come and go and when you tested her last time it was negative because maybe she was not having a flare-up. There are many options if she has a stress related bladder issue and not an infection. If a cat is stressed out it directly affects the bladder wall and causes irritation. But I would rule out a UTI first or some other health issue. If she has had pain for years, then she associates the litterbox with possible pain. That is why she is seeking out "soft" and warm places to go. AND , yes, after this much time, it can just become a habit . Then she would need to be retrained in a small room with all of her things. Cat's don't pee on things, like beds, out of spite. This might be an on-going untreated medical issue and now has become a behavioral issue as well. Loads of vibes for Sammie I hope you can get an answer to this problem soon :cross: and to you.....

Hi and welcome to the TCS forums!

Adding to Ferals tips.  You can lay a plastic sheet on beds, or even aluminium foil. she wont urinate on them.

IF the day comes you must send her away, you do have a candidade: these nice people who will have your youngest kitty you mentioned.

they are buying a farm, yes?

She can perhaps be their outside kitty...

Btw, remind them most cats do want a pal, so they should have place for at least another one rescued cat as their indoor cat.

AND as said, hopefully additional places as outside kitty, for fostered kitties with issues, or a spayed, semiferal kitty...

Good luck!  *vibes*

Oh, I'm so sorry about Sammie's situation.

I'd like to reiterate Feralvr's suggestions and add a few:

1) Ensure it's not a medical condition (that includes idiopathic cystitis);
2) More litterboxes. The rule of thumb is one more box than you have cats. Many don't follow this, but when there's a problem pee-er, this has been known to solve the problem.
3) In addition to trying the Cat Attract litter (or the cat attract additive to existing litter), have you tried Feliway yet? If not, if you can afford plug-ins, I'd consider that;
4) this may be a stupid question, but you have been using an enzyme cleaner to clean affected items, the floor, mattresses, etc. and on the wash?
5) Have you gone through the house with a black light to find all the pee spots?

I ask these last two questions, because even if the underlying problem is medical, the scent of pee (to kitty's nose) will continue to encourage them to pee outside the box. A large part of the solution is simply proper cleaning.

6) If the problem is stress-related (behavioural), all of the above things should be done anyway. :nod:

We had a cat who we thought was stress peeing. We got large cardboard boxes we cut down to lay over the beds during the day. Denial of access solved one problem. We finally figured out she pees outside the box when she's in pain, and her teeth hurt. She has bad genes: she needed a tooth removed at age one, and she's nine now and has had four removed. That's with annual dentals before we knew about the relationship between her peeing and her teeth. She has had dentals every six months since then (2005), and we brush her teeth (and we have no more peeing problems).

To break the peeing problem, we did all of the above. We also put her on elavil (amytriptaline). This medication acts as an anti-inflammatory on the bladder. It is an old-line human anti-depressant that never worked well for much other than helping people sleep. But it has an interesting side-effect. It causes people to retain their urine. It is frequently used successfully for children with bed-wetting problems. In cats, it also causes them to retain their urine, and frequently results in them returning to the litterbox. The vet doesn't know why - but it generally works. It does usually make the kitties a little dopey for a few weeks as their bodies adjust to it. It took Spooky about three weeks to adjust. But a sleepy kitty using the litterbox helps the entire home breathe a sigh of relief. :heart3: We (successfully) weaned Spooky off of it after 3-4 months (it is not a drug you just stop). Lower doses are sometimes used long term to treat idiopathic cystitis.

Also, just for sake of ease while you work through this, what about using doggie wee-wee pads instead of throw rugs?

Finally, as your parents are buying a farm, perhaps the worst case scenario is that she become a very loved and well cared for barn kitty?

Vibes you're able to get to the root of the problem.

Thank you all, for all your great ideas and vibes!  I scheduled another appointment with our vet for next week.  I will keep you all posted.

Please do! I hope we've been able to help. :heart3:

LDG said:

Please do! I hope we've been able to help. :heart3:

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