Two difficult to care for cats

[streambeck]

So for the last year I've lived with a roommate, but I spent the entire time saving up for my own place and searching for something affordable. At pretty much the exact same time as I finally moved into my own place, my family moved from their house to the east coast, and not wanting to risk the cats not making the trip, I got stuck with them. I'm good with pets, and these two cats have been in my family for an eternity, so I didn't mind.

Anyway, one of the cats is 19, the other is 14, and although the landlord liked me enough to bend the rules and let them stay with me, he was very clear that I wasn't to let them out, so as not to give the impression that he'd be okay with anyone having pets.

The 14 year old eats as if every meal is his last, so I have to sit with him every time I feed them so that the older one can get some before he finishes the job. He also has an eat to poo ratio of 1:1. If he uses the litter box (which he does literally about 6 or 7 times a day) and I don't clean it before the older one uses it, the older one will step in it and track it everywhere.

14 urinates where he pleases, 19 tracks the litter and poo all over the carpet and all over my bed. 19 can't get on the bed on his own, so he'll scream at me until I pick him up, which happens maybe 8 times every night when I sleep. I have to set my alarm for all hours of the night to clean the litter box so as to try and avoid the poo tracking, which always ends up happening anyway. Both make a point, when they throw up or cough up a hairball, to do it on the carpet instead of in the easily cleaned kitchen. I spend hours every day cleaning, and I'm too embarrassed to have friends or a girl over.

This weekend I spent the night out. I made sure the cats had eaten, used the litter box, and everything was impeccably clean. I was gone for 14 hours, and when I came back, I returned to a complete wreck. I spent eight hours and a few hundred dollars cleaning. Since then, I've literally been sapped. I can't imagine having to do that, having to spend hours every day cleaning, to be too embarrassed to have people over.

Since the eight hour clean-a-thon, I got one nights sleep, and woke up to the same old mess. Since then, I just kind of collapsed. I stopped cleaning, I've slept maybe an hour in the past few days, I've hardly eaten, I've barely left my place for fear of new messes, and since I live in filth anyway, I've even found the need to shower less pressing. It all feels so futile. I clean for hours, every day, and then it's just the same story. My bedding will always have crappy litter on it, there will always be the smell of pee I can't find, I'll always need to pick 19 up on the bed, always have to clean the litter box several times a day. I'm just losing it, I don't know what I can do. I don't want to give the cats that have been in my family for years to some random stranger, I don't feel justified putting them down. I'm just, I don't know, I'm losing my mind. What can I do?

Just as a note, both cats have gone to the vet recently, and I give them their medication. They don't have any pressing medical issues, and the medicine is mostly preventative.

 

[hissy]

I would say that you may be losing your mind, but your cats organs are starting to show their age. When was the last time blood work was done? I would hesitate giving anyone such senior cats, because of health issues. Your family is to be commended for giving such excellent care to these cats, but it won't last forever.

I would take them to the vet for a senior panel and then just sit down and discuss with the vet what is happening and ask his advice. It may be time to let the 19 year old go with dignity, but again that is for you and the vet to determine.

 

[streambeck]

The cats have had blood work done this month. I've even taken in stool samples. For as big of a pain as I consider them, I definitely love these cats, and I've also had enough pets in my time to know that keeping them around for my sake is definitely not in their best interest. If I got the impression that they were unhappy or in some kind of diress, I would more seriously consider putting them down. I'm just exhausted. I don't think, at the very least, the 19 year old would survive a cross country trip, and I'm not even sure if that would be a possibility for my family (new dog, demanding jobs). I'm kind of at my wits end, and it feels more and more like I just don't have options, but I don't want my feelings of burden to translate into how I treat the cats, but I also don't want to be expected to care for them for an extreme length of time.

 

[sadisticookie]

I feel worn out just reading what all you've been going through

I once had a cat that gave me quite a few problems. Unpredictable daily vomiting, diarrhea, tracking the poop onto my bed, throwing up on and just enough over the edge of the bed to trickle down the side, behavioral oddities, etc. I came very close to giving her to my sister but as much as her (uncontrollable) issues made my life harder I just did not have the heart to let her go. She was my "child" and I couldn't live with myself knowing she was out there somewhere away from my own protective care.

Heeby eventually was put to sleep at the age of 11 years old due to a very unfortunate and heartbreaking toxic poisoning incident that left her with organ failure (roundworm medicine was given to her without my knowledge that she was already suffering from kidney failure). It was during her final days when I truly realized just how much I loved her and was grateful for all them difficult years I spent with her.

My heart goes out to you. I'm sure others here will give you better advice than I can but I will just say .. do what you feel you can live with. Whatever decision you make, be sure it will be one with the least potential for regret. Because even though it has been 5 years since Heeby left me I still feel guilt over all the frustration I felt towards her when my life evolved around trying to manage her health problems and subsequent messes.

You never know what you have until it's gone.

But if I had it to do all over again .. I would.

 

[hissy]

Originally Posted by streambeck

The cats have had blood work done this month. Good on you, this gives you a baseline.


I've even taken in stool samples. Doubtful that the problem is parasites, not at their age.


For as big of a pain as I consider them, I definitely love these cats, and I've also had enough pets in my time to know that keeping them around for my sake is definitely not in their best interest.

You have the right idea and frame of mind to be these cats caretaker. It is unfortunate that they have been passed to you so suddenly given the fact that they are seniors. Although if they were kittens, they would be keeping you up all hours playing kitten games.

If I got the impression that they were unhappy or in some kind of diress, I would more seriously consider putting them down. I'm just exhausted. I don't think, at the very least, the 19 year old would survive a cross country trip, and I'm not even sure if that would be a possibility for my family (new dog, demanding jobs). They probably are under a bit of stress just because of the new environment they have been put into. Older cats crave routine, if you can set up a feeding-litter pan basic needs type of schedule and adhere to it- their stress may lessen a bit.



I'm kind of at my wits end, and it feels more and more like I just don't have options, but I don't want my feelings of burden to translate into how I treat the cats, but I also don't want to be expected to care for them for an extreme length of time.

If you go to www.felinefurniture.com they have ramps and stairs geared for oldsters. This may help your senior boy to get on and off the bed and stop urinating on the bed as well. You can also look into some holistic means to help him with his arthritis; MSM, or anything to help with the joints. I don't know how many litter pans you have, but with this crew, I would have at least five.


I hope you can come up with some answers to get you a bit of peace in this situation. My hat is off to you for letting these cats into your life- it has to be tough to deal with everything being thrown at you right now.

 

[strange_wings]

You have at least one of them that doesn't bury their poop very well, if at all, correct? As hissy said, add some more boxes so they're not stepping in each others.

What litter are you using? A change in litter and adding litter mats can help decrease tracking. If these cats have their claws and enjoy scratching, add some scratchers near the boxes - posts and flat cardboard ones will work. The idea, and hope, is that they'll clear their paws of litter a bit before wandering the home.

Regular grooming with a deshedding tool like a zoom groom or a furminator and preventative treating with a hairball remedy can help with the hairballs. If you don't get these under control your cats can get very sick from them and at their age may not survive it.

What's the food(s) you use? All of mine poop once to twice a day. The more fillers in the food the more comes out undigested. Just remember that if you try to change their diet any, you need to discuss it with the vet first because these are senior cats.

If you can't afford pet stairs look around your home for a few items that you can place against one side of your bed to provide a gradual increase in height. I have a cedar chest pushed up against one side of my bed (and next to the window) because I have cats with short legs, kittens, and a tall bed - it's also large enough that a cat or two can nap there.

What are you cleaning up vomit and any poop/pee with? You'll need a good enzyme cleaner to help fully combat the smells left.

 

[gardenandcats]

I myself have not used the self cleaning litter boxes.But have heard they work well ,maybe buying one of those would stop the dirty poo tracking and the need for you to have to keep cleaning it all the time.. Putting something beside your bed so your oldest can get up by himself would work so you don't have to keep helping him up and down a upturned laundry basket?

 

[addiebee]

Lots of good suggestions here. I would also add some Feliway into the mix because these are old kitties and they are experiencing upheaval. Any change in environment, food, etc is a BIG DEAL.

YOU may not think they are stressed, but brother, let me tell ya, cats are great at hiding problems.... but manifest them with things like... inappropriate elimination.

The 19 year old cat is the equivalent of a 95 year old human; the 14 year old cat a 70 y.o.

Good luck and

to you for taking them in.

 

[ldg]

I second the idea of the Feliway plug ins.

Thank you for taking on the care of these kitties!

The only other thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is an enzyme cleaner. Have you used an enzyme cleaner to clean up the pee? Especially on the bed/mattress/bedding? If you haven't, this really may help. Traditional cleaners don't get up the smell of pee to a cat's nose. An enzyme cleaner is the only thing that will - and they are not created equal. You can only purchase it online, but we use Nok Out: http://www.nokout.com

Just in case you're not familiar with their use, you have to completely soak the affected areas and let them dry naturally. You soak it, let it sit for 10 - 15 minutes, use rags to soak up the excess, then let it dry. For floors, we lay aluminum foil down over the area until it's dry. For the mattress, we put a few layers of towels down under the bedding over the wet spot and change them daily until it's dry.

When our Spooky was stress peeing, we got a LARGE cardboard box, cut down one side, and laid it over the bed when we got up in the morning. This stopped her peeing on the bed.

We'd just pick it up, fold it up and lean it up against the wall when we went to get in bed. We kept this up for a month, and she never peed on the bed again. But given it's so easy to do, it may be something to consider so you can get in a clean bed every night.

 

[ldg]

Oh - I should add - you can add the enzyme cleaner to your wash for the bedding or throw rugs or whatever needs washing because of pee. This will remove pee smell from your washables.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by LDG

The only other thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is an enzyme cleaner.

It was the last sentence in my post.

I did forget to mention the feliway this time, though.

 

[streambeck]

I seriously appreciate the suggestions and empathy. I went out today and got a second litter box and some steps for the bed, hoping for the best with that. The main issue with these things is space, I live in a studio apartment so there isn't a whole lot of room for a lot of cat related merchandise, but hopefully this will work.

Chandler (the 14 year old) actually does attempt to bury when he uses the litter box, the problem is actually that his poo is liquidy (hence me taking in stool samples), and I actually got medication for that that didn't prove to be effective. This is also why I'm hesitant with the self-cleaning boxes, I'm afraid it would just drag and spread.

The issue with the pee is partly that I can't tell where all of it is. The color of the carpets makes it tough to identify until I see him going in a specific area (which isn't an issue when I'm home, it's not like there's a room he can go to that's out of sight).

Anyway, I'm gonna set up the second litter box and the steps, and I'll take the other suggestions and try out the cleaning for the carpet and bedding. Luckily my family is helping with the cat budget, though I'm definitely spending more than they anticipated (Chandler is the source of the majority of the mess, even though Zeppelin (the 19 year old) tracks a lot of it, he's the much cleanlier cat when operating on his own, and Chandler used to be an outdoor cat (which is why I think he eats everything in sight, I think he's sort of restless and bored)). I'll keep you guys posted and ask for help when I need it. I'm seriously grateful for the help, and I'm glad I found this board.

 

[lauren_miller]

Originally Posted by streambeck

The issue with the pee is partly that I can't tell where all of it is. The color of the carpets makes it tough to identify until I see him going in a specific area (which isn't an issue when I'm home, it's not like there's a room he can go to that's out of sight).
.

You can use a black light to identify where the pee is.

They sell "mini" ones at the pet store.

 

[streambeck]

Oh, and someone asked earlier about the types of food and litter I use. Basically the set up I have going is I always have a supply of Deli-Cat on hand for hard food. This is usually just something they snack on occasionally, but I've been considering putting it out of reach at night since Chandler will eventually get hungry enough to down the whole bowl, which could likely be the cause of the frequent midnight poo.

As for wet food, this is something I'd do more research on if Zeppelin wasn't so particular. Chandler would eat anything, but Zep literally refuses to eat anything other than specific flavors of Friskies (the original kind). If I put down a flavor he doesn't like, a flavor he's recently had too much of, or a different brand, he will seriously just refuse to eat it. He would starve before giving in. I try to keep it to two cans a day, but sometimes I have to give in just because Chandler will end up eating the majority (basically, I'll sit with Chan while Zep eats, but once Zep is done, Chan will finish it off in just a couple of sittings). I really just have no way to separate who gets what, and it's hard to be concerned with them getting too much, and easy to be concerned with too little, because in the last few years they've both lost a lot of weight.

As for litter, I've tried all kinds, and so far it seems the best bet, the only way there's a possibility Chan will use the box to pee, is Fresh Step Multiple Cat Scoopable. This is also the only litter that makes at least a little headway at clumping Chandler's poo.

Do you think I should restrict the Deli-Cat? At least at night? The cats act extraordinarily hungry when I run out and I wait a little while before going to the store, but I can't imagine Chan eating an entire bowl every night is doing him or me any favors.

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

It was the last sentence in my post.

I did forget to mention the feliway this time, though.

Obviously I didn't read through all the posts as thoroughly as I thought I did.

And Lauren's right - a black light used at night with the lights off! Pee shows up as an orange splotch!

With those mini black lights, you have to bend over and walk around, holding them about 6 inches off the floor to make sure you catch all the older spots. But a black light is totally the way to find all the spots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by LDG

Obviously I didn't read through all the posts as thoroughly as I thought I did.

I guess not.

And Deli cat is a cheapy cat food. Lots of fillers and dyes in it. I suggest you discuss it at length with your vet before switching any foods, but it's very likely the Deli cat or it and the friskies that is causing Chandler loose stools - it could be from an intolerance to some ingredients or an allergy. I'm also concerned about the peeing outside of the litter box. That can be a sign of urinary problems and must be investigated thoroughly with the vet - that may also lead to a diet change.

And iirc, fresh step is pretty fine which would contribute to it tracking so well. So you do need some good mats around the boxes.

 

[streambeck]

I'll definitely look into the black light. As for what I've been trying to use, has anyone heard of Nature's Miracle Advanced? Comes in a red bottle? It's tough to tell if it's having the desired effect just because the cat continues to pee in the same places, but if the second litter box has the desired effect, I'll try and go to town on the carpet, I just want to know if I have the right stuff (one of the ingredients is Bio-Enzymatic Odor-Lock).

 

[strange_wings]

^Yes, and some swear that it works. Others haven't had as good of results from it.

 

[streambeck]

Is there a hard food you would feel comfortable recommending off hand? I wouldn't want to cut them off entirely because they get so hungry, but I've definitely had suspicions that the Deli-Cat was a big part of Chan's problem (they ran out late one night and I didn't get more until morning, and that night the poo was still soft, but it was definitely more manageable).

 

[strange_wings]

Not off hand since he's a senior cat with some chronic stool and urination problems. I just wouldn't feel comfortable recommending something without knowing what could be wrong with him. Please do talk to your vet about this. Other than that, do some research or start a thread in the nutrition section about gentle senior foods - I don't have senior cats, yet, so I haven't came to that bridge.

My only suggestion is get away from artificial dyes, flavors, and by products in the dry. Try to get a shorter ingredient list - one or two grains instead of several and one or two meat sources instead of several.