Peeing in front of calming diffuser

[gwennysmom]

My 10 year old cat Gwenny received radiation treatment for hyperthyroidism in November.  She was boarded for 1 1/2 weeks following the treatment.  After she came home, she began walking into the litter box and then just peeing without squatting, making the pee go over the edge of the box. Some times she pees normally--squatting--and some times she pees just outside the box.  I have a Sentry calming diffuser in the room where the litter boxes are and each time she pees outside the box, it is within about a foot of the diffuser.  I have mentioned this to the vet and she suggests I remove the diffuser, but I am afraid if I do this, she will start peeing elsewhere (she has a long history of doing this). So far, she has not peed anywhere else (that I have found), which seems unlikely to me, given her history.  Should I remove the diffuser?  My thinking is that it is keeping her from peeing elsewhere.  

More info: the 1 month post radiation treatment report came back with a low thyroid count, so she may now have hypothyroidism, but it also might be transitory. The treatment also unmasked the beginnings of kidney disease.  She also tested for a UTI and was first treated with Convenia, then Orbax, but there was no change to her litter box habits. I am mixing Cosequin in her food.  She is drinking excessively and peeing every 2-3 hours.  I probably have lots of other questions concerning her condition, but the diffuser is the first.

Any help with suggestions or understanding of the cat psychology would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tammyp]

She pees outside the box because she is IN the box, but not squatting, right?

If this is the case, my first instinct would be to get boxes that have really high sides.  There are a lot of ideas for this is you search the site - people use plastic storage crates and have come up with a host of modifications.

I believe the calming device (we use feliway) really helps our cat to keep going in the litterbox (and not our bed!), so given the history you briefly mention, I'd also be hesitant to remove it.

The only other thing I can add, is hopefully you have her on a wet-food only diet, as this will help get much needed water into her.  

 

[stephanietx]

Some cats don't like the mist of the diffuser going off by their litter boxes.  You can try moving the diffuser to a different plug nearby.  I would invest in a plastic tote with high sides (storage tote) for a new litter box to keep the urine inside the box.

 

[gwennysmom]

Thanks for your replies.  Sorry--I was not clear on the out of box peeing.   What I meant to say is that she sometimes pees not from in the box but from outside near the diffuser.  

In addition to her original 8 inch tall litter box, I bought 2 storage containers and at first cut an entrance 10 inches from the bottom so she wouldn't pee over the entrance, but then she wouldn't go in, even with a stepping stool.  I had to cut it down to 8 inches and--so far--she has not peed through the entrance, but it is just a matter of time before that happens.  When she gets into the box she stops right there and pees without squatting, so it will go right out of the entrance.  I have chux (waterproof underpads) around the boxes so at least I don't have to clean up pee every couple of hours.  I see other people use puppy pads but I haven't tried them as they say they contain an attractant--I don't want to encourage her to pee while outside of the box.  Should I use puppy pads?

Thanks for the suggestions to keep the diffuser and to move it--I will try that.  

Gwenny is on a hydrolyzed protein diet and there is, unfortunately, no canned food for this (that I know of).

Sorry I didn't include this info in my original post--I was trying to keep it brief.  This is the first time I have used a discussion group, so I am a newbie.

Thanks again!

 

[tammyp]

Ah, ok!  Thanks for the clarifications. 

Sounds like you are pretty clued up!

Since you mentioned that puppy pads have an attractant in them, it jogged my memory and I believe there is also a litter attractant for cats.  Sorry, I can't remember the name, as I can't get it over here (cat attract??).  I gather you sprinkle it in their litter...and that's the spot that beckons them.  Might be worth a shot.

Also, I don't know much about thyroid problems, or what hydrolized protein is?  But as you mentioned the beginnings of kidney disease, plus a UTI, this could be interesting reading for you (if you haven't already read it!): http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

 

[gwennysmom]

Thanks for the interesting link--I will read it tomorrow morning.

A hydrolized protein diet is for food allergy.  And I have just recently tried the Cat Attract--it seems to be working somewhat.

Thanks again--its bedtime!

 

[gwennysmom]

Things are improving slightly with the litter boxes.  Gwenny is, for the most part, peeing inside the litter boxes.  She is sometimes semi-squatting, so the pee is going up the inside of the box, but not over the top, which is certainly better than before.  She is still ocassionally peeing outside the box, in front of the diffuser, but only overnight.  Any guesses as to why only overnight? Luckily she pees on the waterproof underpads.

The article about dry food and urinary problems was illuminating.  Unfortunately,  Gwenny has food allergies and cannot eat regular food.  My vet says there is only one canned food she can eat -- z/d -- which I have tried before and she won't eat.  My other cat, Luna, has never liked canned food.  So I don't know if there is anything I can do to get around the dry food delimma.   Any suggestions?

 

[tammyp]

Hi Gwenysmom,

That is good to hear that there has been slight improvement.  It sounds like the peeing thing is at least manageable at the moment, if not yet ideal.  I'm not sure why it is only at night...maybe distress/disorientation is heightened when everyone has gone to bed?  I guess you could try a little radio or something in her litter room - of course, a gentle intro, and checking that it doesn't spook her worse!  I'll be interested to hear other suggestions.

An improvement in food/health may also help the pee issue long term.  Glad you found that article interesting.  A first question would be WHAT is she allergic/intolerant to, and how did you determine this?  One of the ways to discover intolerances is to do single protein food trials - and that means raw food (at least in my part of the world, as we don't have 'pure' canned or kibble that has only one animal protein and ZERO plant stuffs or other additives).  Because yes, she could be intolerant to any of the ingredients - quite commonly the plant stuff.

So that leads onto what you could feed...raw seems to be beckoning, or canned if you know exactly what she is intolerant to.  There are several ways of doing raw, once you know what her intolerance is, or even while you are finding out.  Several commercial raw options exist in America (and Canada?), there is Dr Lisa's raw recipe on that same site, which is a make-your-own ground diet, and then there is the Frankenprey approach (this is what I do, as my guy hates minced anything and i don't have a grinder).  Jump on over to the raw-feeding thread under 'Nutrition' and you will find the world's best collection of information on raw feeding IMO - and amazing people who can help guide you and answer questions.

 

[gwennysmom]

Thanks tammyp.

I will ask the vet if she knows what the allergy is or if there is a way to determine this.  In the past I have tried some of the limited ingredient foods like duck and pea, but they never worked well for her.  This hydrolyzed protein diet (Royal Canin) is the only food that hasn't caused her intestinal problems--her poop is normal, for the first time ever.  I was thinking about a raw diet and how that might work for her.  I will investigate this more.  Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[tammyp]

Hey, you're welcome.  I hope you have a great journey on raw - so many people have had sick cats transformed.

Last year I went through food trials to help my sick kitten - she had terrible diahorrea.  I did it under my vet's direction, and I think she took me down that path because I already fed a partly raw diet and would ask too many hard questions about the usual 'vet recommended' foods for sensitive tummies (they are all packed with known allergens and food not right for a carnivore), plus we had exhausted all the medical options with no success.  I picked a good vet though - she is a feline specialist, somewhat open to raw feeding (although it seems she is still under some obligation to push the pet food company food, like Royal Canin), and best of all, she could talk with me, and had some knowledge about nutrition.  i do doubt that she would go down this path with other clients...but I'm convinced raw is good, could rattle off a few scientific articles and question others by citing others, so I think she probably just gave in and worked with me!  Like I said though, the most knowledgable people re raw seem to be active people on the raw thread....it is really hard to find a vet who has nutrition training, as their basic vet qualifications have 'nutrition' lessons delivered by the pet food companies.  So I just wanted to give you a heads-up not to be surprised if your vet doesn't know specifics about intolerances, and seems to just give the marketing lines of the pet food companies.  I didn''t accept 'it's just formulated to be really gentle on the tummy' as an answer that explains WHY, and hence I used the knowledge I had, other raw feeders brains, and my (flexible) vet to get a mainly raw diet that Ava is good with.

Best wishes with your journey!!