Recently introduced to household and not using litterbox

[jimmylegs]

Our senior foster Gilda had giardia but has come up clean on her last 2 fecals. She has been living apart from the other cats in the house but now that she is well we wanted her to have the run of the house.

While we have litterboxes around the house but she isn't using them, preferring to poop on the floor instead (although she will do it NEAR the litterbox). Even though she can get to her old litterbox if she's out of her room for enough time she ends up going on the floor.

One possible factor is that she has loose stools still even though she no longer has giardia. I was thinking that she has trouble controlling it so she goes wherever she happens to be. I am treating her with probiotics for this, which is starting to help.

Could she have an aversion to sharing litterboxes? I'm trying to think of what I can do to get her to comply. Her litterbox behavior was fine when she was confined to her room. Any ideas?

 

[ldg]

But having loose stools is a sign she's still got giardia, even though her fecals are coming up negative.

So when she was isolated, she was using the boxes?

 

[jimmylegs]

that's what i thought, but we've tested her twice since treatment (2 weeks, then 6 weeks after). how many times can we test her before we can believe it's accurate. giardia is a really sucky parasite :/

when she's in her room she uses the box fine. i sort of think that has to do with the fact that she's close by (plus she has to live with it if she goes outside the box). but out in the house, she can go to the basement and poop on the floor, then get away from it easily. it's a precedent i sure don't want to set!

 

[ducman69]

I'd restrict her back to one room until you have the loose stools under control. Then you know whether other measures are even necessary.

 

[ldg]

I agree with Ducman69.

Yeah, giardia's a nasty one.

But because she may not be shedding the cysts, I'd just ask the vet if it makes sense to treat her for it again anyway. If they don't think so, then try giving her a probiotic. Start small and work up, see if her stools improve. Some have good luck with Fortiflora. We never have. I bought an acidophilus/bifidus combo at the health food store, and we're very happy with it. We started with a half capsule sprinkled on wet food and worked up from there.

If that doesn't do the trick.... then I'd consider trying the giardia treatment again. (That's what we did).