Help with a Stubborn Old Cat

Before you do something you may regreat I would seek the assistance of an animal behaviorist, one who specializes in feline behavior. Even better if you can find one with a knowledge of the senior cat. I am guessing there is a medical reason unbeknownst to you for this behavior.

Good luck!

I am a licensed Vet Tech so I had to chime in on this one. First of all cats can be very finiky and this could be as simple as you changing the litter or litter box. The second thing is with several cats in the house and this cat being older, the pecking order may be changing. One of your other cats may be preventing this cat from using the litter box. Also, this could very well be a medical problem sometimes cats do things like this just to get your attention, is he drinking more water than usual? Has he lost or gained weight? Please take you cat to your vet and rule out medical problems before you get to frustrated. Many medical issues can cause a cat to do things like that, top of the list would be kidney failure, cancer or dementia. Your kitty needs to be seen.

If you haven't already, you need to take the cat to the vet to make sure these symptoms aren't being caused by a medical condition.
That's where I would start.
If they aren't caused by a physical problem you can also ask the veterinarian about anti-depressants. I know it sounds silly but it worked for our cat who had similar problems.
Whatever you do, don't give him away. First of all, you'd have a hard time finding a home I would imagine. And how terrible would that be for the poor thing who has been with you his whole life to be forced away from you when his golden years approach. Not a direct judgment on you, but many people are quick to get rid of their pets when they are inconvenient. And honestly, whats a little mess compared to the lifetime of love the kitty gave you?
Good luck.

Wow, my heart goes out to you. I have 2 cats and one is rather strange. While on vacation she destroyed 2 of our couches by urinating and pooping all over them. She is 11. By some investigation on the problem I found out she does not like to be left alone, so now we have to board her our have someone stay at our house. When I got pregnant she got strange too, and when we brought the baby home it got worse. I found that with our cat she is very needy and I had to re-evaluate the attention she got before pregnancy, during pregnancy and after pregnancy and found it dropped significantly. I now have to make sure she gets special attention so she does not start acting strange again. You might want to check with your vet just to make sure there are no medical reasons and ask what you can do. I bet he is feeling left out and he is after attention. Do you punish him for going potty in the house? Although punishing him is negative attention it is attention and he may like some rather than none. The problem with giving him away is sometimes the problems follows the animals and there is a chance the new owners can abuse or even toss him outside or give him away again. Then he keeps getting passed on and on. Just make sure you research your options and maybe contact paws to see if they can help or may have a good home that might adopt him. I wish you luck.

I really would have him checked out first before you make any decisions. Urinary infections are one of the biggest reasons that cats end up in shelters or in the streets. Male cats especially have a problem with infections, crystals or stones. And when that happens they not only have to go frequently, they start to associate the litter box with pain and start going everywhere else in the house. I am actually going though this right now. My female cat that was once very well trained started going all over the place, especially on our towels and clothes. I got her on antibiotics and changed her diet to a higher quality dry food (cheap food has a lot of fillers including ash) and have been mixing it with wet food to increase her fluid intake since wet food is about 70% water, and she seems to be doing a ton better. I don't blame you for feeling fed up. It's so frustrating. But at least get him checked out by a vet to make sure it isn't a medical problem before you try and find him a new home.

Hi M.,
I just went through a similar situation. My cat was 15 years old and near the end of her life (she died under some fern outside and she was an exclusive indoor cat for all of her 15 years. The only time she went out was a quick escape and put back in again. She kept wanting to go outside for her last hours, though, and I couldn't change her mind.). She began doing her business on the floor. Then the other two cats did the same. It was a nightmare. I can tell you that you might want to have your old kitty in for a check up and I would do something before the other kitties decide to follow suit and use the house as their personal toilet.
I am so sorry for you right now. I don't have toddlers around, but this whole event made me absolutely nuts. There is nothing like animal or human waste any place but where it needs to be to send a person over the top.
Good Luck,
J. S

Hi -

Take your cat to the vet. There are many things that can be wrong with him and after 14 years with the family - he at least deserves that. Vet vists arent that expensive ($20-$40) and vets always go over the options with you before any action is taken with your animal. If it isnt medical - the vet can talk with you about strategies to stop the behavior.

Until then - you can keep him in his own space with his litter box and food/water. Put him in a back bedroom - make him comfortable. Unlike dogs - cats usually dont want to go in smaller areas where they are staying and will more often use the box if confined.

Did you change anything in his routine? New food? New litter? Is the cat box kept super clean?

Hope it goes well.
L.

M.,
My cat started doing this and it turned out he had a UTI. They vet said it was his way to tell us he was sick. If it's not medical then maybe it's his old age or if something happened which caused him to be upset. You might also think about changing his food. My brother's cat couldn't eat the same kind of cat food that they had been giving him all along because of high levels of some kind of additive that he couldn't handle. I would talk to a vet and ruling out anything like that 100% before giving him away.

Hope that helps some.
K.

This is exactly what my moms cat did towards the end. The vet told her they start to loose there ablity to know when they have to go, and it kinda just plops out. Check in to it! Good luck

hi M., we just went through the same thing with our cat and he was the same age. we took him to the vet he checked out fine.what the vet told us was when male cats get up in age like that its because they r getting where they cannot control it.and its a behavioral problem. so he suggested we either can give the cat a pill every day which will help or put the cat down,or isolate the cat where he doesnt have free rane to do his buisness. so its a tough decision. our cat for some reason picked our younger daughter's room so we had to replace all the flooring the padding and put a sealant on the floor so our other cats would not go behind him and mark after him. so if those are not something u can choose maybe let him become an outdoor cat. then he can still be with the family but wont be in the house making his dirty. it rough i know. i wish u luck.

Hey there. I had the same problem with my 18 year old cat, however her's was a medical problem that developed. My cousin had two cats (younger than your's) but they went through 2 sets of living room furniture. Then finally a vet told them about human antidepressant pills that help with that problem. The tried it and have not had any problem since. So maybe you could look into that. Good luck

I sympathize with this problem.

How do you know it's not a medical problem? This site lists several possibilities which can be treated. I once had a cat who stopped urinating after I changed it's food.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_urinary_incontinence...

In my research I learned that diarrhea is almost always a medical condition. http://www.petplace.com/cats/acute-diarrhea-in-cats/page1...

In my experience diarrhea can be caused by diet.

Vet visits are very expensive and I'm not sure that I would spend the money for an exam. The only suggestion I found for containing the urine and feces is to set the cat up with a room of it's own. For me this would not be practical. You could try putting cat diapers on her but that's expensive too.

In Portland we have a couple of pet clinics whose prices are lower than most. You probably have the same in Spokane. You could also ask for advice from an animal shelter or a non-profit organization that focuses on cats.

Your memo suggested finding a new home for the cat. Who would want to take an incontinent cat with diarrhea? I suggest euthanasia. Cat rescue organizations might take the cat to avoid that. I had to euthanize my cat several years ago because she had cancer, was in pain and no longer able to eat. This was difficult for both my daughter and me but it was necessary. We missed her and mourned for awhile. However, it was not a long term pain.
If your cat does have a medical condition perhaps euthanasia is the humane way to go. Again it is probably expensive to have a vet do this. One of those cat organizations may take her and have a vet determine the cause and then euthanize if that's most appropriate than treatment.

Losing a pet is so sad but we have to do what is best for our child. I empathize with you.

Why don't you believe there is a medical reason?
Take your cat to the vet. THERE IS A MEDICAL REASON.
A 13-14 year old cat is not yet "OLD".

Hi M.,
The first thing you need to do is take your cat to the vet for a full medical checkup. Even if you don't think the problem is medical, it still may be. Not to scare you, but years ago one of my cats started defecating inappropriately. I ignored it for awhile, but finally I took her in to the vet for bloodwork and urinalysis...long story short, she had cancer. Animals only have a few ways to tell you they aren't feeling good, and inappropriate urination and defecation are a couple of signs. Plus, if you find a medical problem, you can deal with that before you tear your hair out trying to fix it behaviorally or worse, trying to find another home good enough for your beloved cat. Good luck!

I had one cat with the same issues. After speaking with our vet it was explained to us as an issue of a younger cat beginning to take the dominate role over and the cat who is having problems with sharing the territory. Sadly our option was to choose between our 2 cats.

The only other suggestion I was told when I was offended that my cats who got along fine for years and couldn't react like this is to see about the litter box: have you changed the litter brand; cleaned the litter too often and left no clear smell of their "territory"/not often enough and the one cat is just not wanting to share.

Good luck.

My cat started doing this after our twins were born. (He particularly focused on baby blankets and the dog's bed - much to the horror of the poor dog!) We had to place the cat with my cousin for about four months. We've had him back for about five months and he's doing fine now.

I suggest that you buy a great big bottle of white vinegar. Anytime the cat messes on something, make a solution of vinegar and water (equal parts) and put it on the stain. Scrub, blot and then clean the spot with your regular cleaner. (The vinegar neutralizes the smell - BUT your house will smell like vinegar unless you go over the spot with something else.) If the cat pees on something that you can throw in the washer, put the item in the warmest temperature you can with one cup of vinegar. After the rinse cycle, rewash the item using your regular detergent. Works on the odor every time - white vinegar is the greatest!

Hello,
We had a cat that as he got older he would poop and pee in the house a lot and in the same. Is the cat going to the bathroom in the same spot every time? If so you may want to do a compleate cleaning of that spot because once cats mark a spot they will keep using that spot as long as the smell is there. You can find some good products at a Petsmart or a Petco that will remove the smell and stains from your carpet. i agree with the other responses that you should get your cat checked by a vet. Good Luck

as a vet tech i see this a lot with older animals that have medical issues. you should take him to your vet and see what they say! if its not medical, a lot of cats benefit from antidepressants, my dr.'s cat is on prozac and he has been sccident free! good luck, dont give up!