Litter Box issues.

Muse who has always been so good about using her litter boxes is now not using them, this was the first real sign we had she was sick. I was hoping this woudl resolve itself (and maybe it still will ). She is peeing and pooping near them but not in them, at least not all the time...I am finding when I clean obvious signs that she does use them part of the time. No clue why not all the time.

Mel & Muse

 

How often do you clean the boxes? That can be a huge factor, especially if she's peeing more than normal. Sorry, I don't know all the details of Muse's diagnosis, but neuropathy can also cause cats to have difficulty getting in and out of litter boxes. Perhaps one with lower sides would be helpful.

 

Could be a couple of things.

Sometimes they'll go next to the litterbox (or in other places) if the litterbox itself isn't as clean as they'd like it. I know you said you were cleaning it, but you might want to try throwing out all of the current litter, and giving the box a good scrubbing both inside and out (including the bottom).

With the increased urination of the diabetes, there may have been times that she just didn't quite make it to the litterbox. And sometimes when they've started going in an inappropriate place, they'll continue doing so. I'd give the the area the box a good scrubbing as well. You might try using some white vinegar; that'll get rid of the smell of cat urine, even if you can't smell it, she possibly can, and they can use scents of previous uses indicate that this is a 'safe peeing place'.

Finally, it may be either painful or difficult for her to get into the box, and the timing of her problems may or may not be related to the diabetes. For example, a lot of cats with arthritis find it painful to climb over the sides of the box, and some cats who have had uncontrolled diabetes (or who have diabetes that is under-controlled) develop a condition called diabetic neuropathy, which makes the legs weaker. The solution here would be to address the underlying health issues and make adaptive changes as needed.

For example, a cat with arthritis might be put on arthritis medication (Cosequin, Dasuquin, Adequan, painkillers, etc), and might benefit from either a ramp into/out of the litterbox, or from a litterbox with a lowered lip such as those pictured here (for various reasons, I'm particularly fond of the 'mini' one. It's for miniature dogs, and it's bigger than a normal cat litterbox.)

In a cat with neuropathy, you can use an adaptive litterbox, or you can just live with the situation until the neuropathy resolves. Neuropathy in cats will heal itself as the cat becomes regulated on insulin. Depending on the degree of neuropathy, that may take some time. The typical symptom of diabetic neuropathy in cats is that, instead of standing/walking on their 'toes' with their rear legs, they walk lower on their feet, sometimes with their entire 'foot' touching the floor (this is called a plantigrade stance).

As I said, neuropathy in cats will resolve itself once the diabetes is under control. You'll find a bunch of folks on the boards here have also used a supplement called methylcobalamin; that's the methyl form of vitamin B-12 (the regular form of B-12, cyanacobalamin, won't work for this). Methylcobalamin in and of itself will not stop diabetic neuropathy, but it may help slow the progression of the problem (if the cat continues to be unregulated / under-regulated), and it may help speed healing once the diabetes is under control.


If you suspect that urination may have occured in other inappropriate place, you may want to get a black light, available in the fluorescent lightbulb section of some hardware/home supply stores, or a flashlight-type thing called StinkFinder, available in many pet stores. Wait until dark, turn all the lights out, and hold the light a foot or two off any suspect surfaces. Urine (and other stuff) will fluoresce in the light, making it easy to spot and clean up stains. You can use white vinegar on most hard surfaces or, if the item is washable, put it in the laundry and add a cup of white vinegar with the detergent (two cups if it's a thick item like a pillow). You can also use a 50-50 mix of white vinegar and water on carpets, or you can use an enzymatic cleaner.

HTH --

Jean and her Gwyn

 

I first I had thought neuropathy too...And she was weak in the hind in before she went to the vet and they stabilized and diagnosed her with diabetes..But just watched her walk by and she is walking on her tip-toes and graceful leaped into the bath tub to demand it to be turned on so her Highness may drink. (Never has drank from a bowl, only the bath tub facet). Which she hasn't done in several months.

I've been cleaning the boxes twice a day. We have 3 boxes all XLarge shared between 9 cats. I did spray all three out right before she came home from the hospital with just a garden house, but didn't scrub them down really well. We did recently change brands of litter, wondering if she is throwing a snit over it...But I've never had any of my other cats not using Tidy Cat/Multi-Cat. We using Wal-mart's Special Kitty but with our crew it wasn't keeping up on the odor control. Would it help if I gave her a box of her own? I have a really low one that we use when we have tiny kittens in the house, I could set it up in the bathroom where her dishes are.

Not really concerned about her going on the floors, we are in the middle of remodeling our house and are tearing out all the carpets and putting in hardwood floors. (Much easier to remove 5 tons of pet hair from). So it just give me leverage to get hubby on those floors.. ;-)

Mel & Muse

 

If she is going near it/in front of it, I am betting its the box itself.. either its not clean enough or she doesnt like your litter change. The rule of thumb is 1 box per cat plus one extra. Realizing that is difficult, I would say you need at least one or 2 more boxes, even if the three you have are big.

If your smelling the boxes prompted the change in litter, then you are not scooping/cleaning them often enough. They should not smell enough for discomfort. Are you using clumping? Not clear from what you said. Also, if the Special kitty is not scented and the Tidy Cat is, then that would be a reason for her not liking the new litter.

Also, just environmentally speaking, shes diabetic, she might not feel good all the time, her litter got changed, and theres lots of noise (presumably) during the remodel, and more change. Cats are creatures of habit, and like routine.

Is the remodel happening near or by a wall shared by the litterbox? If she was in the box when something startled her, that can be enough to stop a cat from going in the box. That is why it is not generally recommended to put the litterboxes near washers/dryers or other noisy appliances.

Sorry if this appears judgemental, its not meant to be...but cats noses are way more sensitive than ours are, so if YOU smell it, then its certainly too smelly for them.

Lastly, check out Dr. Lisas litterbox page, http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm

 

Are you sure the problem is Muse and not one of the others?


FWIW, I'd start with giving the boxes and their environs a good scrubbing; like I said, I love white vinegar for this sort of thing. You can find it in gallon jugs in some stores. When I put the boxes back, I'd start each with fresh litter.

If that doesn't work, I'd try changing the litter back to the one she didn't have a problem with. If *that* works, then either the new litter is the wrong smell / texture / something for Muse, or it's one change too many. To see if it's something she can adapt to, you can try slowly adding some of the new litter to the old litter.

If changing the litter doesn't work, then I'd try switching to a lower litterbox. Some of the litterboxes that are suitable for kittens aren't great for adults: they can be too small for an adult to stand in without putting a foot in a 'used' area. (This can be especially true for a cat with stability issues.)

 

Yep it is definitely Muse, watched her do it a couple of times myself. Both litters are unscented aand the clumping type. And the remodeling sort of is on hold for the moment. And was mostly just painting. I'll try scooping the litter more times a day until we can get a couple more boxes. Don't think I can find room in for 9 in the house but we can definitely squeeze in a few more, as they have declared the basement their room. I did think about possible texture, she is the only one that is declawed and seems to have very tender front feet. There is a gallon of white vinegar under the sink atm so I'll try scrubbing them out really good as well as the areas they are in.

Mel & Muse

 

My first thoughts were when did this first start? That's a good starting point because cats do NOT like change, but I am pretty sure you know that already!
I had thought maybe the construction or something related. Even if you moved the box, it could be upsetting. I know that from experience because I took one box away to be cleaned and refilled, then Shadoe went to the empty spot and was looking around all over, like where is my box? I had to escort her to the other one, but she was none too pleased.

I do try to clean the box after each use, and do check frequently; the clumping is better because you do get the majority out, but frequent good scrubbings make a big difference.


Another thought I had was are you SURE it's just the one cat with the problem? It could well be two of them having intermittent issues. Are all the others civvies? You have only one diabetic cat? What does you vet say? Have you checked for health related possibility?

 

I can tell its Muse because right now her pee and poop looks different than the others (poop is lighter and pee is almost clear). Poor puppy was getting blamed at first. This all started about 2 weeks before she was diagnosed with FD. That is why the dog got blamed at first. Then figured out it was her which prompted the first change in litter. 2 boxes are the old fashioned scoop it yourself type, the one in the basement is one of those electronic self cleaning ones. ( which she hates, I don't think likes the noise it makes.) I know she only likes the litter that is nice and soft underfoot ( no sharp clay types for my girl). Will take to the Vet on Wednesday at her appointment. Watched her yesterday ( ok stalked her). This only occurs after her am and pm shots. All the rest of the time she is using her box fine, but is still putting out a lot of urine. Which leads me to also wonder if the Dog is a factor, he thinks he is a kitty and has been known to pee in the litter box as well if we don't get him outside quick enough. As far as we know all the other kitties are civies and are bouncing off the walls most of the time, racing through the house chasing each other. I'm wondering if she is just seeking privacy, two of boxes are in the kitchen which in the middle of the flight path of more active hellions. So I'm off to go get fresh litter and scrub down the boxes really well, and see if that helps. She tends to like to pee in the front of the box so with the amount of urine she is putting out she gets that really wet quickly.

She is an odd kitty in the fact she loves water, if you don't close the bathroom door she will join you in the shower haha_smiley so moisture doesn't seem to be the problem but I'm sure she can smell it...That girl can smell cat food before you open the can.


Mel & Muse

 

Ah ok so I would say it's the diabetes which is the issue here.
That is the same reason I found out Shadoe's dx; she was intermittently urinating outside of the box and inappropriate places. As she became more close to regulated, I did not have that problem.
When I adopted Oliver, I had the problem again; this time, it was him, but now as he is getting more close to regulation, he has very few accidents.

Are you home testing? It is a good idea to test BG before giving shots and you can also see how your cat is reacting to insulin.
Here are a couple links for you to start a spreadsheet for your test results and also for a profile so people don't ask you the same questions over and over.
Spreadsheet Template and Instructions
Profile Creation

 

Thanks all. We seem to have it solved for now. I tucked an extra litter box in the bathroom where she can have some privacy and all seems well atm. It has lower sides than the others, while not as large as the others I tucked it under the sink cabinet and removed one of the lower drawer so she has a little cubby-hole to get in and out of it...Perhaps she was just annoyed by mom following her around and checking on her everytime she made a noise. She has always been a fairly vocal kitty so I'm not sure why I'm so concerned when she starts walking though the house talking to herself...She did it before she got sick, so why not now..

Trying to just chill out so she can.

Mel & Muse