A few questions about normal litterbox behavior...

Hi guys,

I adopted a 1(?) year old cat in March. She was a rescue (found in a barn in DC with a microchip from Colorado--her owners did not respond to attempts to contact them), so I don't know much about her medical history. When she first came home with me she was very underweight and ate like mad, but recently she has begun eating less (on the low end of what the bag recommends for her weight). Seeing as she's my first pet (or at least the first one that I have sole responsibility for), I have a few questions as to what is normal for cats--

1) Back when she was eating a lot, she was very regular with her bathroom habits. Recently she's begun pooping only once every 2 days or so. I thought maybe she wasn't getting enough water (it's hot here, and she eats dry) so I tried to transition her to Wellness canned, but she won't touch the stuff. (and now I have four expensive big cans of the stuff...grrr) I called the vet and told them about this, and also that yesterday she went like 24 hours without urinating (though she urinated twice since) and they just said to watch her and make sure she's eating and drinking, since they think the heat might be slowing down her appetite. She's fine otherwise, not lethargic, doesn't seem to be in any pain. Thoughts?

2) The other day I thought I felt a lump on her lower abdomen--could this be her spay scar? She was spayed right before I got her (March) and I don't usually pet her that low since she doesn't like it, so I'm not sure if this is just a scar or something I should be concerned about.

3) (Possibly the most embarrassing question of all, lol) She has a bald patch between her legs that she licks at. She won't really let me get a closer look at it. Is this just her...erm...lady parts? Or is this also something I should be concerned about? She has some issues (needy, kind of anxious, licks EVERYTHING--sheets, floor, newspaper, whatever) so I wouldn't be totally surprised if this is one of those things where she licks all her hair off from anxiety, but how can I tell if it's that or something more serious?

Sorry so long. Help would be appreciated--I really love this little girl and want to make sure she's healthy and happy!

Update--Upon further examination (which she endured very unhappily), the bald spot is definitely a skin thing. It has a red scaly bit in the middle--it looks almost like eczema? It doesn't look like ringworm, and it's in  not-so-popular place for ringworm, but I don't know what else it could be. Ideas?

Does she go outside? It could possibly be a flea allergy. You should get her to the vet asap just to be on the safe side.

Have you changed litter recently?  She could be allergic to it.  Whatever the situation, she needs to be seen by the vet so she can get some relief. 
 

Thanks guys, I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow. No, no change in litter, and no trips outside--she's a strictly indoor kitty. I'm not sure what the problem is--maybe she was allergic to the Wellness and it's a food allergy? Either way I've stopped her on it for now and we'll see what the vet has to say tomorrow.

If she isn't losing or gaining weight, and is the right weight then she is eating the right amount.  What is on the packing is an average.

Good luck with the vet visit.  Let us know how you get on.

litgirl334 said:

1) Back when she was eating a lot, she was very regular with her bathroom habits. Recently she's begun pooping only once every 2 days or so. I thought maybe she wasn't getting enough water (it's hot here, and she eats dry) so I tried to transition her to Wellness canned, but she won't touch the stuff. (and now I have four expensive big cans of the stuff...grrr) I called the vet and told them about this, and also that yesterday she went like 24 hours without urinating (though she urinated twice since) and they just said to watch her and make sure she's eating and drinking, since they think the heat might be slowing down her appetite. She's fine otherwise, not lethargic, doesn't seem to be in any pain. Thoughts?

2) The other day I thought I felt a lump on her lower abdomen--could this be her spay scar? She was spayed right before I got her (March) and I don't usually pet her that low since she doesn't like it, so I'm not sure if this is just a scar or something I should be concerned about.

3) (Possibly the most embarrassing question of all, lol) She has a bald patch between her legs that she licks at. She won't really let me get a closer look at it. Is this just her...erm...lady parts? Or is this also something I should be concerned about? She has some issues (needy, kind of anxious, licks EVERYTHING--sheets, floor, newspaper, whatever) so I wouldn't be totally surprised if this is one of those things where she licks all her hair off from anxiety, but how can I tell if it's that or something more serious?

Sorry so long. Help would be appreciated--I really love this little girl and want to make sure she's healthy and happy!

Click to expand...

you have four cans?  i have TWO CASES of 13.5 oz. cans of wellness and my cats decided they don't like it lol. (yes, i did the taste test where you go to the pet store that only carries designer cat food and buy as many different kinds as you can carry, and they ate it fine.  that's the only reason i ordered a lot of it to get free shipping and volume discount.)  they'll eat it if they're really hungry but i usually have to doctor it (parmesan cheese, some tuna juice, little pieces of sardines . . . i just ordered some bonito flakes to sprinkle on it.)  i also have a case (well, 18 cans) of merrick's grammy's pot pie that i can't feed my older cat who will eat it because i've discovered she has a grain intolerance and throws up anything with grain.  my other two cats won't eat it.

(

i suggest weruva or hound & gatos.  the bad news is that they are both pretty expensive foods, but they're excellent compared to other manufactured you can buy.  (trust me, i've been heavily researching this since may, panic-stricken and thinking, "i can NOT spend $240 a month on cat food lol).  the good news is that it's more like $90 a month for 3 cats so if you can manage $30-$40 a month on excellent food, i think you'll find that it's worth it.  weruva is not calorie-dense, but when you open the can, it's difficult to tell that it's cat food.  the same company makes b.f.f. and i recommend the gravy-based types because my cats won't eat the aspic type as much, but all cats have different tastes.  tiki cat and fussie cat are also good, but they only come in 3 oz. cans.  i try to buy the biggest cans available in volume because it's much cheaper.

my cats only go every other day, and it's not very much.  bonus: on canned food, it doesn't smell.  or i should say, higher quality canned food.  i'm not sure about friskies, my cats would never eat it so i've always been forced to at least feed them fancy feast and it's not much cheaper than the high-end brands.  dry food is really unhealthy--they can't digest the grain and filler and that's why they poo so much and it smells.  i've tried blue buffalo grain-free freedom and i'm just not happy with any dry food so i've phased it out.  if you MUST feed dry, lotus is baked and not extruded, so it's probably the best of the worst. (orijen has a lot of followers, but it's way expensive, almost $5 a lb.  imo, no dry food is worth that much.)

as far as the scar or the bald spot, that's vet territory.  if you can get her on raw or good canned food, any allergies she has will most likely go away.  as far as eczema or fungal/insect infections, i have no idea about that.

good luck!