Inappropriate Elimination

[ScholasticSpastic]

Tangential, but still cat-related:

A good friend of mine is 4 weeks into a 6-week round-the-world holiday, and left the cat alone at home with a cat flap, and neighbours calling in to feed & cuddle her. She's (the cat, not the friend...) recently started "over-grooming" to the point where she's losing fur and developing sores.

My friend's sister has now taken her in at her house to give her more attention (but they're both out at work all day), should/can anything else be done?

My little sister's cat suffered from an extreme case of similar behavior for quite some time- which we dubbed kitty OCD. A course of prescribed diazepam kept him calm enough to retain his fur, though he remains immaculately clean and obsessively grooms her other cat and any person caught showing him affection while laying down.

At its worst point, the poor thing was bald everywhere but his head and feet and had developed sores very much like the ones you've mentioned. I recommend a trip to the veterinarian if the problem persists.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Tangential, but still cat-related:

A good friend of mine is 4 weeks into a 6-week round-the-world holiday, and left the cat alone at home with a cat flap, and neighbours calling in to feed & cuddle her. She's (the cat, not the friend...) recently started "over-grooming" to the point where she's losing fur and developing sores.

My friend's sister has now taken her in at her house to give her more attention (but they're both out at work all day), should/can anything else be done?

My little sister's cat suffered from an extreme case of similar behavior for quite some time- which we dubbed kitty OCD. A course of prescribed diazepam kept him calm enough to retain his fur, though he remains immaculately clean and obsessively grooms her other cat and any person caught showing him affection while laying down.

At its worst point, the poor thing was bald everywhere but his head and feet and had developed sores very much like the ones you've mentioned. I recommend a trip to the veterinarian if the problem persists.

My parent's cat had a similar problem and ended up having HRT! She was skinny as a twig and bald as a coot before, now she's a fat, furry fucker.

[ScholasticSpastic]

My parent's cat had a similar problem and ended up having HRT! She was skinny as a twig and bald as a coot before, now she's a fat, furry fucker.

Hormone Replacemnt Therapy?

[Xamonas Chegwé]

My parent's cat had a similar problem and ended up having HRT! She was skinny as a twig and bald as a coot before, now she's a fat, furry fucker.

Hormone Replacemnt Therapy?

Yep - not sure which hormone was causing the problem but a pill a day and she stopped pulling out fur and eats like a horse now.

[Cwazy Cat Lady]

It was my first thought for the over-grooming. You've likely go an anxious cat on your hands... Though it can be other things--go to a good feline vet, if possible. Lots of cat are being prescribed prozac, paxil, all kinds of stuff for anxiety. Much can be avoided, though. Sometimes the environment/set-up is the problem... Too many cats lead "unfulfilling" lives. Indoors only, altered, alone all day, with a giant overflowing food bowl and the same kibble their entire lives... You can imagine why some go crazy or displace their natural behaviors with unhealthy ones, like over-grooming.

[charlou]

Inappropriate elimination? We have a ragdoll cat. 'nuff said.


Actually, it took him two years to become house trained, and then I think it was only due to observing our two other cats that he realised what he was supposed to do. Initially we had to demonstrate the digging a potty thing by scooping the sand in front of him with our fingers when it looked like he wanted to do his business ...

Benji was a very slow developer in many ways, but has become very cunning in others ... Overall he's just a charmingly delightful and most appealing cat. A huge point in his favour is that he cannot jump fences or catch critters quicker than crawling insects ... hehehe

I wuvs him

[FedUpWithFaith]

Ragdoll cats are great. I use them for cleaning up gasoline and oil spills after i work on my car. They're very absorbent.

[Cwazy Cat Lady]

Alright, I've really been slacking, I know!

So, to recap:

*Cats are sending a message if they fail to use their boxes
*I categorize these messages into FOUR main groupings
*Generally, the first two messages (causes) tend to be medical in nature and the latter two tend to be strictly behavioral, but there are no clear dividing lines
*What can initially be a medical cause for missing the box can soon become behavioral, through 'negative association' or by simple habit

Message 1 was about interspecific communication--cats sending a signal to other cats about their intactness/fertility or territory. If a cat is not altered at a young age, it can be difficult to rid a cat of certain behaviors, especially urine marking (or spraying). You can take care of the hormones by pulling out the testes or ovaries, but the behavior can already be ingrained. (These cats are hard to rehabilitate).

MESSAGE 2: I can't use the box.

Your cat might be telling you that it wants to use the box and would use the box, but it cannot. There could be a variety of reasons why your cat begins to eliminate inappropriately and they range from the simple-to-resolve to the more difficult:

NO ACCESS--somewhat rare
--true lack of access (no litter pan provided, litterpan behind a closed door, etc..) Pretty simple, also not that common
--box guarded by another cat, even if subtley
--the box is a bit too far and the cat is slow/arthritic, and cannot get to where it is located

CAN'T FIND IT--also not super common
--some old cats are semi-senile and can lose their way in a large home
--kittens may have difficulty finding the box while they are still learning
--many cats get confused if the location of their box changes

INCONTINENCE--somewhat common, usu. seen in some older cats (teens and up) or specific kinds of kitties (like manxes)
--some cats seem to simply be incontinent; examples include those with manx defect, certain old cats, cats that have had some injury (trauma to spinal cord/rear end); we currently have one cat at work that once in a while pees when mildly startled
--other cats are semi-incontinent if afflicted with a urinary tract infection or some other conditions (temporary, esp. w/ treatment)**these UTIs and 'medical' issues affecting elimination often lead to behavioral housesoiling (see Message 3)
--cats that have diarrhea due to parasites, diet, or other conditions can also become semi-incontinent

Most of the cats that are rehomed for housesoiling are not cats communicating "I cannot use the box." Rather, I tend to see mostly 'Message 3' cats and a few 'Message 4's. Those are the more interesting groups...

[Existentialist1844]

Id like to share pictures of my cat with everyone. He's 18 years old.

Mickey in mid-yawn.


Mickey likes to sleep on top of coats.


Mickey looks a little confused


Nap time for Mickey

[The Curious Squid]

I love the first one there where Mickey sleeps in an actual bed with his head on a pillow and under the blanket like a real person.

[Existentialist1844]

I love the first one there where Mickey sleeps in an actual bed with his head on a pillow and under the blanket like a real person.

Yeah, we treat him like a real person. He likes to sleep with me. We cuddle!

[charlou]

He looks a dear old cat, Exi. *stroke stroke*

[Existentialist1844]

He looks a dear old cat, Exi. *stroke stroke*

Thanks.

He's still in great shape for 18 years old. Sometimes he has problems jumping on the window sill, but I give give him a boost.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

MESSAGE 2: I can't use the box.

Does, "My human is a lazy bastard and hasn't emptied the fucking thing for weeks!" also fit into this category?

I had a cat once (Harry the Bastard) that was terrified to go outside because the very first time I took him into the garden as a kitten, an alsatian came leaping over the low wall out of nowhere and scared the shit out of him! The poor little fellow fought to avoid being put outside after that. He had a litter tray but refused to use it - I am wondering now, having read you post, if it could have been down to 'guarding' by the other (older) cat in the house, who never used the tray personally but used to sleep in a basket right next to it.

Harry eventually disappeared for a week and was spotted on the windowsill of a house a few doors down - he had been sneaking in through their cat-flap and they had fed him and provided a bed and litter tray - having recently lost their own cat under a car. In that house, he was happy to use the tray and never shat anywhere else, whereas in ours, he had had a nasty habit of pulling up carpets close to the wall in every room in the house and depositing his little messages underneath. As Harry was happy there, I let them keep him.

[Cwazy Cat Lady]

He looks a dear old cat, Exi. *stroke stroke*

Agreed! Great pictures, Exi! i love the one of him in the bed... That's perfect! My cats, unfortunately, really don't tolerate me pulling covers up over them... as adorable as I think it is.