Cat advice/help

[kittymomma]

WE have four cats. Three of them we have had for at least 5+ years. The newest for about two years now. While there was some stress and still a little tension with the newest addition--overall things were okay. Then all of a sudden one of our older cats has started urinating around the house. At first we thought it was in the places where the newest kitty hangs out..but we don't think that is the case.


I hate that smell! Now she has done it twice in my scrap room---new wooden floor---but the floating floor kind--so it isn't sealed between the boards.... I don't know what to do to stop it!



We took her to the vet--though I don't have a love of confidence in the area vets. We haven't found one yet that we are really happy with. He said she had crystals in her urine and that we needed to change her food. We did--but there is only one flavor of this special food and she often refuses it. I just don't know what to do. I feel sad for her if something is going on and how can we help her...



But then I feel sad for me and my new room getting smelly.....plus the other places she has gone. I am hypersensitive to smells--and I don't want there to be odors and such when others come here to visit. My parent were here this weekend and I asked them if they smelled anything....they said they didn't. (Hope they were honest, I figured I could get a decent answer from them and felt okay asking them versus friends...) Any great ways to eliminate the odor?



We are using PEtastics odor remover. I heard something About Natures miracle or something--but DH had brought this home first.

[AnnOminous]

crystals in the urine is going to smell. My Joanie has gotten those a couple of times. I call it stinky bi-tch butt. However, she also had a vaginal psuedamonas infection that the vet kept on missing - not expecting it because she was spayed.

[mkcdaisy]

Typically when a cat starts doing that kind of things suddenly it is something medical. Something that makes it where they can't get to the box on time etc... The crystals may be doing it. I would get another option from another vet or call the one back and see if there is another kind of food to try or a treatment since she won't have anything to do with that food.

As for the smell, I am not sure what to tell you on the wooden floors cause yes when they are not sealed it gets in there. Do you only have one little box in the house. You might try putting a few small ones around the house, especially in the places she tends to be going and see if that helps any.

[sarahwhithers]

My first thought was blockage. If your cat is having trouble peeing, sometimes they'll just do it wherever they feel they can. We have had to change our food over cuz one of my cats is prone to getting it. Also, try foods with a low ash content. This also tends to cause some blockage. Other than, that, not sure why the change in peeing places.

My suggestion is to put vinegar over anywhere the cat has peed. Just spray some on the spots. Cats hate vinegar and tend to stay away from it (also works if you have something they are scratching at that you don't want them too). I can't promise it won't make them pee somewhere else, but it should keep the cat from peeing in the same spot.

Cats tend to keep going back to places that smell like them. So if they can still smell a place they've urinated before, they may pee in the same spot because of this. SO the vinegar should help this as well.

Good luck!!

[Motherlemur]

Try Feliway - it worked wonders in our house! We have 4 cats - the two oldest are just over 3 years old and sisters. Then we added a brother & sister about a year ago and one of the older cats did NOT like them at all! When we went away on vacation we would come home and find various cat bodily fluids all over the place - yuck! We sprayed the Feliway all over the house and it is supposed to calm the cats down. It worked for our nervous cat and no more accidents! We bought it at Petsmart.

Good luck!

Jill

[Nikki_E]

Oh no - Good luck!

[bayouscrap]

I second the Feliway, I use the plugins. Natures Miracle works wonders getting the smell out, it neutralizes the urine with enzymes. It comes in a cat formula too plus they make litter.


I also agree with getting more litter boxes, maybe try a different litter.

[ScrapGoo]

I urge you to keep trying to find a vet you like. Crystals in the urine can get so bad they end up being fatal. I don't mean to freak you out but if she is having constant crystals or UTIs it can get very bad!! Poor baby. No advice on cleaning it up. We had a problem in our basement (unfinished but it had low carpeting) for a while because I think the cat that lived here before us had done some peeing and ours wanted to retaliate. The only thing that really got rid of the smell was tearing out the carpet and laying tile.

[cubshan]

I am sorry to hear about the kitty. Usually when a cat starts to urinate outside the litter box, it is a sign that something is wrong, and usually is an illness. With the crystals, I have not had a cat that has had them, but I have friends and it can be a tough thing to get through. I have 4 cats and this happened to me, but my cat always wanted a clean litter box every time she went, which is impossible to do, so I went with 3 regular litter boxes and an electronic one and it seems to help. When cleaning, I find that vinegar and baking powder help with the smell, especially for clothes (which one of my cats did pee on). Please try to be patient and get through this. I would hate for a kitty to not have a home...it breaks my heart.

[writerlady]

You have some great advice here - and I don't have any other suggestions. Just wanted to give you a (((hug))) and tell you that I hope it goes away soon.

[SG_Becky]

Did the vet give you any medication? Crystals in the urine is usually a sign on a urinary track infection (as Jess said), and usually a medication like Clavamox is prescribed. The special food is usually also a must, but there are options. The one the vets prescribe is Hill's Prescription Diet, which is quite expensive. When my cats were on it it was about $45 for a 20 lb bag. There are other ones you can try, though. Look for a bag marked something along the lines of urinary health formula. I believe Purina makes one that isn't as expensive, and might taste better to your kitty!

Is your kitty peeing on soft things at all? Is it peeing anywhere on the floor, or does it seem to be more against walls or the very edges of the floor? We've gone through both urinary and marking issues in our house , and marking behavior is completely different. A cat will pee on a vertical surface if it is marking. My cat likes to hop up on the counter and pee on the vertical blinds in the kitchen . Usually, they will back up to it, tread with their back feet, shake their tail rapidly, and then go. If your kitty is doing that, the Feliway might help. It didn't fix our marking issue (we have to drug our kitty for that now!), but it did help calm everyone down.

Are all your kitties fixed? Usually the marking doesn't occur if everyone is fixed. My kitteh apparently marks due to anxiety.