Problem Cat??????

Hello all,

We have a run of the mill house cat that is about 16 years old, which we have had for about 10 or 11 years. It has always been a house cat. We don't let it out because it was declawed on the front paws by the person who had it prior to us. It always used its litter box to urinate and defecate; however lately it has taken to urinating and defecating at different areas in the house - usually a spot in our living room. Anyone have a clue as to why this would be happening? There have been no major changes of anything in the litter box situation - still the same cat litter, box still in the same place, stiull the same food as usual (senior cat food) and so on. How do we break him of this new terrible habit - and is this possibly being caused by a medical or old age problem?

Oh, a cat question! I know way more about cats than I do about reptiles.

First, a couple of questions. Has anything else in the house changed? Rearranged the furniture lately? Introduced or taken away an interactive-type of pet (other cats, especially)? I'm going to assume no and answer as such.

If it were always using the same spot, it would pretty certainly be a behavioral issue. As it is, I would go straight to a well-stocked pet store and buy an enzymatic cleaner - absolutely drench the area the cat has been using. Right now, that area is probably smelling like a litter box to the cat and so he continues to use it; enzymatic cleaners soak through the carpet and pad to eat away at the cat fluids. (If you can stand PetSmart, they have an excellent store brand called PetZyme that works very well and is cheaper than any other I've found.)

But you also say that the cat is using several spots in the house. That, unfortunately, can be a definite sign of a medical problem. If a cat is in pain, he will go wherever is convenient.

First step should be to get an enzymatic cleaner (you'll likely want plenty of it anyway to make sure to rid the house of cat urine smells). Next, you may want to try putting a second litter box in the spot he most often uses - if he uses the new box, you can then move that box about a foot closer to the old box every few days until you can do away with the new box altogether. But, if the cat continues to go wherever is convenient... well, get thee to a vet! Kitty will likely need some bloodwork done to test the functioning of some of his internal organs.

In the meantime, tack up a piece of paper somewhere in the house and keep a log of every time you find he's gone out of the box. Where, when, any and all surrounding circumstances. If it's behavioral, a pattern will emerge eventually and you can attack the problem at the source.

Thanks much for the info. I have already left the wife a note about the cleaner. I am going away on business for a while so she gets all the joys of cleaning up. s it is now, the cat is headed to the vet tomorrow - it is apparent now that he is having a health issue. He was walking tonight and stumbled just as if drunk with rubber legs. He has also been drinking (water) as if there would be no water tomorrow and he had to get it all today. I am betting a urinary tract infection or maybe something pressing on the bladder and colon (since it has been both pee and poop). Hopefully nothing serious but I guess the vet will be able to figure it out.

Thanks again.

Best regards,
Glenn B

Please keep me updated, if you will. I have an especially big soft spot for cats. As the eight of them in the house (including one pregnant one - shame on her previous owner!) could attest, I'm a sucker for helping out cats in need.

Good luck at the vet!

My husband, who has more experience with cats, adds this:

Is the urine yellow and smelly (like normal cat urine) or is it sticky and crystaline? Has his appetite changed at all? Has he lost any weight?

Not using a box is often the first sign of a medical problem. But the stumbling and the desperate need for water are two possible indications of diabetes in cats (this is, unfortunately, not uncommon - especially in older cats). If the urine is crystalline (since the cat is going outside of the box, this is not as difficult to notice) or if the cat is eating more but losing weight, please have your wife specifically mention these things to the vet.

Diabetes is not difficult to manage in cats, but if not managed is certainly fatal.