Conference misery::feline_v1

A few thoughts.....

My two started to do this when they were unhappy with the brand of litter I was
using.  Are they using the litter tray at all, or don't you have one?  If you
don't, I would suggest using one until she gets used to her new surroundings,
she might feel uncomfortable going outside and battling out her new territory
with other cats.

If you do use a litter tray and haven't changed any brands of litter etc., then
I would put it down to stress and say time will heal.  Meanwhile close off
areas of the house you don't want to risk and don't leave anything lying around
that would make a potential 'toilet'!



[Ruth]

    Thanks Ruth for the suggestion.  They don't normally use a litter tray,
    normally they just go outside using the cat flap.  I did use a tray
    when they first moved in which they used fine.  I took it away when 
    they got used to their surroundings - about 2 weeks ago, so its not as
    if its a sudden change.
    
    Meanwhile, yes, I shall be closing off any potential toilets!
    Cheers
    Julia

    Julia -
      Indiscriminate urination like that is also a classic sign of
    a urinary tract infection.  I'd try giving her a litter box first
    tho.  They aren't all that bad. ;-)
      Nancy DC

    Dear Julia,
    
    Poor Tabby..poor you.
    
    Otis had this same problem about 3 weeks ago.  He would squat (males
    don't usually squat I have been told) and urinate on my pillow, in the
    closet, in a basket, on the rug, and the final blow was when he went on
    the kitchen table while my daughter was doing her homework.
    
    We took him to the vets right away - and obviously she couldn't get a
    urine spec from him right then and there - but he had the classic
    symptions of a urinary infection.  She put him on an antibiotic for 10
    day - he was neutered the following week - and now all is well.  I did
    notice, however, that he went to the bathroom over the tub drain one
    day last week - my daughter had cleaned the litter box and 'forgot'
    to put litter back into it.  Smart kitty - huh?
    
    To be honest - Otis was 9 months old at the time - and I didn't know if
    he was urinating or 'spraying' - all I know is that it was a very
    strong and pungent smell.
    
    Hope is the information helps...good luck to you both.
    
    Marilyn
    

    I would suggest using a litter box, I use one for my three "kitties"
    I put it into the bathtub, making it easier to clean it out, I just
    scoop the droppings into the toilet....
    
    I would also be concerned about an urinary infection, a good sign
    would be blood in the droppings, or urine if there is an infection.
    
    

    
    I have an 'Otis' too who did this on a wall to wall carpet in the
    breezeway.  He had no infections but was obviously displeased about
    something somewhere.  After a LOT of retraining he is finally back to
    normal using his litter box in the original place in the cellar.  He is
    an indoor cat only and the vet said he might have gotten territorial by
    seeing other cats walking through the back yard.  It was also suggested
    that he might be rebelling because of being dominated by his
    "brother".  
    
    Eventually something clicked in his little brain and he went back to
    normal but I'll never know what set him off.  Needless to say he is
    still banned from the breezeway.  I'm beginning to trust him but always
    keep a careful eye on him!
    
    I start with putting the litter box near the door and trying to wean
    the cat back to the outdoors again.  I'm sure there will be a few
    failures before the cat catches on again!  It takes lots of patience!

I suspect this is a stress reaction.  I would place a cat tray in the
house and wait to let her natural curiosity take over.  If she wants to be
an outdoor cat, she will eventually start going outside and discovering
it isn't a bad place - and you can remove the cat tray.  Right now, she 
may be suffering a great deal of confusion/fear/anxiety about the move and 
"outside" may be more than she can handle.... In this case, there isn't
really much you can do to force a cat outside if she is fearful without
causing worse damage in the long run.  If you force her out, she may
decide you are rejecting her....that is a horrible feeling for any
creature and I'm sure you don't want to do that to her.

    You're not pregnant, are you???  Benjamin did this very early in my
    pregnancy, I think even before I knew.  I think he was jealous.  He
    went on a paper bag in my closet and then in a box of clothes gong to
    Good Will.  I had him checked for a urinary track problem, which was
    negative.  The vet suggested a "mood altering drug" which was valium. 
    I had him on an extremely low dosage for 1 week and I have not had
    problems since.  I also don't let him in my closet anymore, or any
    other closet in the house.  Maybe your cat is protesting the new
    environment and needs time to adjust.
    
    Mary
    

    Blimey - I hope not!  Mind you I have been feeling sick just recently.
    No, only joking.
    
    Well, she hasn't done it now for about a week, so perhaps her stress
    has worn off and she is coming to terms with her new house.  Certainly,
    she seems much calmer.  I took her to the vet for another problem she
    has got (poor kid), and he didn't seem to indicate there was a
    infection anywhere.
    
    Hopefully, it looks like things are improving.
    
    Thanks for all your suggestions.
    
    julia

    
By the way, this was a reply I had on E-mail.
    
    
    
From:	DELNI::R_GASKELL    "PERSISTENCE, THE BACKBONE OF SUCCESS." 22-MAR-1990 17:54:39.35
To:	SHAPES::WILLIAMSJ1
CC:	R_GASKELL
Subj:	YOUR CAT PROBLEM - ON NOTES

Sorry not to reply to you by NOTES but this is my first day of NOTES 
and I don't know how to reply yet.  Your note happened to be the first 
message I read and I can empathize with your problem very much.

You have had some very good responses as to the cause (kitty is most 
likely angry about being moved and is punishing you--no I'm not nuts 
that can really happen.  Mine barfs when she's angry.).  Meanwhile, 
you have the problem of cleaning up, and removing the urine smell that 
may prompt kitty to do the same thing again in the same place.  Try a 
product called Odour-mute (that may not be exactly the spelling), I 
get mine from Eriksons Feed and Grain in West Acton.  It is a crystal
like powder and when diluted in water it changes the chemical components 
of the urine and takes away the smell--it's also good for washing out 
litter trays, tom cat spray, and very very good for skunk spray.

If you wish, and I don't know how, you can share this with the rest 
of Notes cat lovers.

Rosemary Gaskell