Yet another litterbox issue thread

[jadis]

Let me start by saying I have alot of cat experience, 4 currently, 14 over the course of my life, and I foster cats for a local rescue group. I have had a couple of cats with litterbox issues that I was able to fix. The problem I am having currently is with a former foster who is being returned to me due to not using the litterbox.

She had an issue from the moment I first got her...BUT...she was unspayed because she had just had kittens. When I saw that she was peeing outside the box, I confined her to the bathroom, had her spayed, and after another week of confinement I let her out and she was fine for about a month. Then she started peeing outside the box again, on the sofa, carpet, rugs, mostly in the living room. I took her to the vet to check for uti but they said her urinalysis was fine and it was likely territory marking. I tried a slew of other things, adding boxes, covered, uncovered, cat attract litter, watching her like a hawk, confining her.

I eventually thought it might be that there were too many other animals here for her. She finally got an adopter and I did disclose what had been going on, but I thought she might not have a problem in a different environment. These people had no other pets and were retired and home all day. But the pee problems started there right away also. They took her to the vet again and she tested negative for a uti but got an antibiotic anyway. Teir vet told them that once cats start doing this they rarely stop. The problem escalated there to both peeing and pooping outside the box, and they told me she would walk past a clean box to go pee in a corner.

So, now I'm going to pick her back up in the morning. I am taking her back to a cat only vet and I would like to get to the bottom of this problem. I don't like what the other vets have said and I am not prepared to accept that it is behavioral. She is otherwise a beautiful and sweet cat. I will try anything for this cat, I just need ideas. Anything to test for? Medical? Diet? Any additional questions I can answer I will.

[Stryker]

Just time for a quick reply...

Hopefully a cat-only Vet can absolutely rule out any medical issues. That said, UTIs can sometimes go undetected ot seemingly recur when, in fact, they were never completely eradicated...have a read: (and ignore the reference to kidney disease)

Urinary Tract Infections
These are relatively common in CKD cats because their dilute urine allows bacteria to thrive. One human study,Establishment of a persistent Escherichia coli reservoir during the acute phase of a bladder infection(2001) Mulvey MA, Schilling JD & Hultgren SJ Infection and Immunity 69(7) pp 4572-9 found that in some cases the bacteria that cause urinary tract infections can burrow so deep into the bladder lining that they cannot be detected in the usual tests. In a later (2004) study reported by Science Daily, researchers found that the bacteria commonly involved in UTIs pass through four distinct developmental stages, including a dormant stage in some cases which may help explain why UTIs often recur.

Mar Vista Vet has an overview of UTIs in cats.


http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments_fluid_and_urinary_issues.htm - 1/2 way down

If you continue to read on, there's coverage of antibiotics and D-Mannose - it might help to understand that before your appointment.


Second, (once UTIs are ruled out) you might consider providing her her "own" litterbox - 'fresh and new and just for her' - you could make a big fuss about it for her, etc etc


Then, for that new box I'd suggest you try Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter: Cat Attract | Precious Cat Litter Now, I just noticed that they have another concentrated product which can simply be sprinkled on top of existing litter....you might consider using that for the other boxes you have Ultra Litter Attractant | Precious Cat Litter


And, perhaps you already know, the general rule of thumb for boxes is one per cat plus one extra.


Maybe something there to help!