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June 2015 Moms
ElRuby
member
Cat problem
ElRuby
member
At the risk of resurrecting the infamous cat thread I really need advice / support. My cat of 8 years has been peeing on stuff, mostly baby related. Tonight was the last straw... She peed in the car seat! Other items included the play mat and the pack and play changing table piece (it was dismantled and laying flat on the table).... It seemed isolated to the dining room which is so weird and random but mostly on baby stuff... Never had this problem when my son was born... My husband was ready to bring her to the shelter I was in tears because I am so sad and frustrated but also unwilling to put up with this ... Especially after having to run out and buy a brand new car seat. Right now she is in a large crate in the basement with food, water, and litter box until we can figure it out. She also likes to hang out in baby's room all day but I close the door at night for this reason... Help! I am a crazy cat lady and I HATE people who give away their pets... I am praying my parents take her but I don't think they will 
. What do I do?!
. What do I do?!
Re: Cat problem
I would maybe leave him in the large crate until you find someone you know to take him or a no kill place. That's my only advice. Shelters make me sad.
She seems the opposite of stressed and the first baby never bothered her... Ugh this really sucks!
First off, have you taken her to the vet to rule out medical reasons like a UTI? They can have an infection but not exhibit the classic symptoms such as going often or painfully.
If that has been ruled out, have you tried the pheromone diffusers or sprays like Feliway? If the behavior is limited to a certain area / room you could use a diffuser in that area and see if it helps. Feliway offers a $ back guarantee (or they used to) but they want you to give it the full 30 days before you decide its not working (the diffusers work kind of with a cumulative effect). Feliway also makes a spray that you can use on select objects, also
Also, there is always better living thru chemistry. Drugs like prozac or amitripyline or other antianxiety meds usually work well with inappropriate urination cats. And since the dosage for cats is usually 1/4 or 1/2 of a tab, its fairly cheap to purchase the medications... A month supply of prozac used to cost me $9 (and $8 of that was the pharmacy's dispensary fee)
8 years old is not too young to discount other medical issues like kidney issues, which would cause her to urinate more frequently. Or arthritis in her knees or hips that make it painful for her to get into the litterbox every time she needs to pee.
Also consider the location of her litter box. Does she have more than one? The recommend is 1 more litter box than you have cats (1 cat should have two boxes, 2 cats should have three...). Has her box been moved recently? Or has something been placed near to or along the normal path to her box? Examples - did the litter box get moved to the laundry room next to the big, loud, scary washer and dryer? Is it in the same place but LO's carseat now blocks the easiest path to its access? Is the litter box covered? When was the last time it was replaced? (The plastic absorbs the smell of urine over time and since their noses are far more sensitive they would notice the smell when we can't) Is the box scooped daily? Some cats need the box to be pristine before they will use it (even if they had no problems using a box with waste in it before). Have you switched litters recently, or has your normal litter reformulated or made a change to the product you normally buy?
Cats can be like us - something they used to not mind or tolerate they can decide they don't want to deal with anymore, so anything could cause her to make this change in behavior. Its just a question of finding out what.
Good luck! I hope you can figure it out. I'd be glad to give pointers if I can. Or give talking points for you to discuss with your vet. Which, btw, I prefer a feline only vet for this type of problem (they just have more experience with all aspects of this problem and will be more likely to be more thorough). Or at least a vet that is a member of the AAFP (american association of feline practitioners). Honestly, I always prefer a feline only vet (or AAFP member) for cats. The quality of care really is much better than a dog / cat / mixed practice. There are great vets at mixed practices, for sure, not dissing those vets at all. But feline only practices understand cats and their medical issues and needs better cause that's all they do.
If she were my cat as long as she were healthy (no UTI, etc) I would jump straight to the meds if my vet would allow me to. But that's just me and my experience working with feline vets for so long. Some people are weird about that, so you end up trying all this other stuff first.
Best wishes and keep us posted! I hope it works out so you don't have to rehome her.
On a pet note...we had to have a pet behaviorist come to our house the week we brought the baby home. One of our dogs started showing aggression. I was in tears thinking we'd have to give her away. But the behaviorist was a Cesar Milan and worked miracles on the dog. It's a big change brining a baby home to pets.
I was just thinking as I was washing out LOs bottle - its September now. That means that cat lady and all those September moms should have their babies soon. Wonder how they're doing... I may have to go lurk one day this weekend since DH is home and I'll have more bump time
@mellymar would you do the same thing in this situation as ElRubys?
And yeah, you can try the Feliway, just remember you may not see an improvement right the away. And when you say 'stuff' I presume you mean clothes left lying around and maybe a jacket or a hat or whatever. Not his toothbrush and hairbrush and Xbox controller. So he's going to need to he more diligent about putting that stuff away - the coat gets hung up and the clothes go into a hamper (preferably with a lid so cat can't jump into it) and the shoes go into the closet with the door closed. But yeah, everything above is a good jumping off point to start with and to help your vet help you. Remember there's no shame in better living with your pets thru chemistry if that is needed, but hopefully you can narrow down the cause of the behavior.
How is @ElRuby and her cat doing?
To anyone who has already lost their baby belly flab, I do not like you. Just kidding. Kind of.
Honestly, will I ever not have a gut hanging over my jeans? Of course I just ate a giant piece of pizza for lunch, so I should probably stop bitching.